Backed by over 1,300 Imps, City will travel to Yorkshire tomorrow to face in-form Huddersfield Town, hoping to register a league win for the first time since the end of October.
Huddersfield Form
After finishing second last in the Championship last season, Huddersfield Town underwent a complete and utter reset. Going back to square one meant that the Terriers could put their second tier woes behind them, and focus on gaining promotion in the first attempt. André Breitenreiter was relieved of his duties after the relegation, and former Cheltenham and Barnsley manager Micheal Duff was chosen to be the man best tailored to bring Championship football back to the Kirklees.
Former Imp Lasse Sorensen, who departed the Imps to sign for Huddersfield in the summer, was signed as part of the rebuild. The Terriers captured Antony Evans from Bristol Rovers for around £500,000, along with the likes of Joe Hodge, Herbie Kane and Callum Marshall. This assembly of these high calibre players added a huge amount of quality to Huddersfield’s arsenal, making them a favourite for promotion pre-season.
Huddersfield kicked off their first League One campaign since 2012 with a statement win over Peterborough at London Road, before going on to beat Stevenage and Shrewsbury at the Kirklees. A loss away at Steve Evans’ Rotherham was followed by an emphatic 4-0 win away at promotion rivals Bolton, which left the Huddersfield four wins out of five at the start of the season. However, the Terriers didn’t carry on that form for long, and started to lose football matches.
Defeats at home to Blackpool and Northampton and away to Reading and Birmingham left Huddersfield in a state of disarray, without a point in four matches. The Terriers’ fortunes did change in October, picking up three wins and a draw, which saw Huddersfield celebrate Halloween just outside the playoffs.
Since, Micheal Duff’s side have won four on the trot in the league, meaning that if Lincoln are going to take anything away from Yorkshire tomorrow, they are going to have to produce a memorable performance.
Huddersfield Tactics
Michael Duff has ample experience at this level, and sets up his side identical to Lincoln, in a 3-5-2 formation. A compact midfield supported by an experienced backline has proved to be vital for Huddersfield this season in their pledge to keep clean sheets. Having only conceded 16 goals this season, City will need to be sharp and clinical tomorrow, and capitalise when they get the chance.
Ollie Turton will be sidelined for tomorrow’s match, after attracting a meniscus injury last season. Joe Hodge and Radinio Balker will join Turton in the stands tomorrow, with both suffering from groin and ankle injuries respectively. Centre-back pair Lonwjik and Helik will be playing on thin ice during the game, as a yellow card for either will result in them missing the Cambridge match on Tuesday.
Previous Meetings
This will be the first league meeting between Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City since February 2004, a match which the Terriers won 2-1 on home soil. City have won just two of their last eight away league games against Huddersfield Town (D1 L5), though both wins did come alongside a clean sheet.
The last competitive meeting between the two sides came in the League Cup in 2019, where the Imps triumphed over the Terries 1-0. Here’s hoping the outcome will be the same tomorrow!
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