Huddersfield Hub’s STEVEN DOWNES is a lifelong Huddersfield Town fan and every month he’ll publish his own thoughts on the season so far. Here’s his August report after a start to the season which has seen Town exceed expectations
The 2021-22 season has been the most eagerly awaited season for a good number of years, not least because it meant the return of fans to the John Smith’s Stadium. Huddersfield Town have started this campaign unbelievably well.
Not many fans would have dreamt come the end of August the Terriers would be sat in 4th place in the league table with a positive goal difference.
Let’s go back to the beginning of the month though. Town had ended the previous season badly and whilst the board backed Carlos Corberan, many fans were still unconvinced. One of the main frustrations was the weakness at both ends of the field. Town hadn’t had the ability to score many goals and were leaking too many at the other end.
The recruitment team saw the problem and went to fix it. Both Tom Lees and Matty Pearson were brought in as experienced defenders. They are also big old fashioned defenders, something Town fans like.
At the top end of the field a familiar face in Jordan Rhodes returned to the club.
After a topsy turvy pre-season the first competitive game was a victory over League One club Sheffield Wednesday.
All the talk surrounding this fixture was whether midfielder Lewis O’Brien would be still playing in a blue and white shirt or just a plain white one. A reported bid of £10m had been put in by Leeds United.
Town fans were concerned that the club would just let Lewis go for a price that with another season under his belt at the John Smith’s Stadium could realistically rise closer to £15m. However, for the foreseeable future, Lewis remains a Terrier.
The win in the cup on penalties over Wednesday had given Town a boost.
They went into their first game of the Championship away with real confidence, facing Derby County. Town ended up drawing 1-1 with the Rams in what felt like a solid if uninspiring result against a team with huge off the field problems.
The next game was a special fixture. It was the first game in 18 months that supporters were allowed back into the John Smith’s Stadium. Everyone was excited to finally be back watching the team we love. Sadly the performance and result was a real let down as Town lost 5-1 to promotion favourites Fulham.
After that game there were some calls for Corberan’s head. However again the board backed their man.
Town picked up their first three points of the season against Preston at home. Whilst the performance wasn’t exactly stellar it was three vital points picked up. Town won the game 1-0 though an own goal scored by Van Den Berg.
That win was backed up by a stunning victory over recently relegated Premier League side Sheffield United. Despite the pressure put on by the blades, Town’s defence held firm showing the recruitment had done a good job plugging the gaps from last season.
Pearson and Lees in particular have made a massive difference. With Naby Sarr in there too, Town’s defence looks strong.
Another impressive performance at Bramall Lane was put in by Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill. Only 18 years of age, Levi has proved he can definitely make it as a professional footballer at this level. Quick, brave and a good character, he will be a star of tomorrow. However for now he is a star in a Town shirt as he scored the winner in the 94th minute against the Blades.
Having beaten Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the League Cup, the Terriers were drawn against Everton in the second round. The whole team played incredibly well with Sorba Thomas and on loan winger Danel Sinani from Norwich really stealing the show.
Town deserved to take it to penalties but eventually lost the game 2-1 in 90 minutes with some superb play from the Toffees.
Despite being dumped out of the cup Town fans, myself included, were very positive about the team’s display. The club looks like there are some green shoots just starting to come through. That’s great to see following the hellish last four years we as fans have endured.
The last game of the month came against Reading. Our old FA Cup 3rd round and play-off final pals. Reading, much like Town, are re-building in their own image, however it was the Terriers that came through on the day. Town demolished the Royals 4-0 in what was the best performance of the campaign so far.
All the chat at the start of the month was about if Lewis O’Brien was staying or going. O’Brien grabbed his first goal of the season on Saturday and dropped the biggest hint that he might be staying after all.
All the talk at the end of the month is how good a talent Sorba Thomas is. Unquestionably he has been Town’s star of the month and what a rise the young man has had.
The 22-year-old winger is a West Ham academy product. Having moved to non-league side Boreham Wood at the age of 17, Thomas has already had a good grounding in men’s football. Having signed for the Terriers last year the Town faithful only got to see glimpses of him. However this season he has already risen to being one of Town’s main men. It shows how impressive he has been for Town because Wales boss Rob Page has been monitoring Thomas’s progress.
Other players who deserve a shout out are:
Lee Nichols – Town signed Nichols from MK Dons. Originally Town fans thought he would come in as number two between the sticks behind Ryan Schofield. However the 28 year old stopper has had some excellent displays in a Town shirt and has overtaken Schofield in the pecking order.
Harry Toffolo – Although injured for the start of this season and then having to recover from Covid-19. It’s great to see Toffs back in the side. The direct running full-back adds quality to the Terriers’ attack but also is a clear communicator when it comes to defending too.
Off the field the club deserves big credit too. Having had some feedback from supporters there are now more clear cut communication lines between the board and fans.
Trust has been broken in the last few years and this will be a long, hard road back to the good feeling of 2016. However credit must go to the board.
Also there are more options on a match day for Town fans in terms of food and drink again. This is important to fans’ matchday experience.
Overall Town deserve an 8/10 for this month.
