Huddersfield Town kick off their Vertu Trophy campaign tonight against Newcastle’s Under 21 team. Probably the least exciting game of the season and, in some ways, almost insulting that we’re being asked to play against another team’s youth team. Even more so when you consider we were promoted to the Premier League the same year as Newcastle not that long since.
While the reputation of this competition is about as bad as it can get, it’s also an opportunity to win some silverware and to have a day out at Wembley. It’s also another chance for our fringe players and promising youths to get a run out in a competitive game.
Here are my talking points ahead of this competition…
Town want to win this competition
While Lee Grant talked before this game about how keen he is for the team to progress in this tournament, Josh Feeney said twice to the press and once to the club’s media team that the team wants to win this trophy. After already having two memorable nights in the League Cup, I can see why we’re talking cup games more seriously this time.
Lee Grant’s initial selections are just as changed as previous Town managers, but he has shown a lot more ambition to win in the cups and the players seem more up for it. I remember Michael Duff repeatedly talking about how much players needed to be up for every game restless of the competition last season but the evidence on the pitch suggested we wanted to concentrate on the league.
I think it’s smart to try and do well in these competitions. It’s good to keep backup players sharp, it’s a chance to experiment with new things and if we do well there’s a possibility of picking up silverware. Why not give it a good go?
Owen Goodman is set to play
I assumed that Owen Goodman would start his ban for his red card for this match but Lee Grant has confirmed he will be available tonight. And it sounds like he will play, reading between the lines of Grant’s comments.
Arguably, with Nicholls certain to start on Saturday, playing Goodman in this game is the same rotation as usual just the other way around. I’m not sure in the wisdom of this though and I think it would make more sense to give Nicholls the nod tonight to give him another game to find a bit of form before we rely on him for league games. Still, as a former keeper, Grant knows a lot more about this area than me.
Newcastle Under 21s have sold out their allocation
The article on Newcastle’s website wasn’t clear how many tickets we’d sent them for this fixture but however many there were, they’ve been snaffled up. More Geordies will be able to pay on turnstiles too, so I’m expecting the away fans to potentially outnumber home fans tonight.
It was interesting listening to Josh Feeney’s interview before this game when he talked about his experience of this cup from the other side, when he was competing for Aston Villa’s youth team. While it’s a bit of a nothing game for us, these kids in the youth team are playing against a professional men’s team for the first time and it’s a really big deal for them. So there’s a disparity between how up for this game Newcastle’s kids will be compared to Town’s players that see this as just another game in a run where we’ve been playing two games a week.
So combine the strong away support with the excitement and motivation these young players will have to do well and it means Town will need to be careful they don’t get caught out. The bookies are tipping Town as strong favourites for this game but it might not be as easy as they’re suggesting.
Alves will be available for selection
Town’s deadline day acquisition is fit and available for selection in tonight’s game. Grant talked about him needing to pick up our system on the training ground, so he may not feature tonight.
I hope Alves does play at least some part in this game, as the Vertu Trophy is probably a good halfway house between a friendly and a proper competitive match, so a good opportunity for him. I’m also curious to see where he fits in, as it sounds like he’s mostly a number ten but can play out wide too.