Not Doom and Gloom for Huddersfield…Yet

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Huddersfield Town had the worst possible start to the season, both in terms of the draw and results. Coming up against a rejuvenated Chelsea, with a new manager and formation, it was was always going to be a tough ask to try and escape from that game with a point. We then move across to Manchester, where the reigning champions in Manchester City took on the Premier League minnows from the North. If there was ever an apt ending to that game, it was the own goal from Kongolo as the final note on the scorecard. The Terriers are down in last, but we are only two games in and there is the potential for there to be sunshine and daisies in Yorkshire for a couple of seasons yet.

Let’s start with the fact that no team had a tougher opening two games than that of the Terriers. In that second game, three of the starting eleven were absent. In the same game, Manchester City had more international depth on their bench than Huddersfield Town had in their entire lineup. David Wagner came out and stated that while he would have loved to have had a result in at least one of the games to date, he was not expecting it. The season starts this weekend for Huddersfield.

The Terriers are up against Cardiff City, one of the new boys on the Premier League block. This is the chance for Huddersfield Town to make amends and kickstart their race to forty points. By all reports, Aaron Mooy will be back to control the midfield after missing the game against City. We could also see Jonas Lossl back between the sticks after Ben Hamer’s last few weeks.

Huddersfield Town fans can’t exactly say that they have a great run through to the end of September, but they have some very winnable games in both November and December. They could very easily gain a dozen points during that time. The run coming through January is not a pretty viewing at all, but we saw last season against Manchester United that anything can happen at the John Smith Stadium.

Three of the last five games that Huddersfield play are against what most fans would call title contenders. Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United are all taking on the Terriers in the last month of the season. That would mean that if Huddersfield needed a final day miracle, it would have to come away from home against the stubborn Southampton. It could happen, as Huddersfield Town contains the players to make it back for a third season within the Premier League.

However, if a third season in the top flight is going to happen, results need to start flying through the doors at John Smith Stadium. We may never see a revival like we did with Crystal Palace last year. West Ham staying up was impressive enough in of itself, let alone Palace coming back after not grabbing a single point in their first seven matches. If Huddersfield doesn’t get results from two of the next four (Cardiff and Crystal Palace are the most likely), then we may be seeing a move for a new formation, if not a new manager.

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