By Dan Wood – KLTV Contributor
Huddersfield Town will host Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup Third Round at the John Smith Stadium on Saturday 9th January 2021; 6 pm KO.
The Terriers will be looking for a better run in the FA Cup than they endured in the League Cup after going out in the early rounds of that competition.
Huddersfield Town
‘Consistently inconsistent’ has been how many have described Town’s league form this season. Following every good result comes a defeat.
They are currently 13th in the SkyBet Championship, but still only six points behind the top six.
In their last fixture, they suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Reading.
Town took the lead in the game, but two second-half goals from the visitors left the Terriers with nothing from the game. Notably, this was Town’s first home defeat since November 7 2020.
Tommy Elphick is still on the injured list for Huddersfield Town with his knee injury.
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle are also hoping to spend some more time in the FA Cup after their early exit from the League Cup.
In the Second Round of the FA Cup, they knocked out SkyBet League One leaders Lincoln City at Home Park.
The Pilgrims are currently in SkyBet League One and are enduring a below-average season.
They sit 15th in the league, seven points ahead of the bottom four and six points behind the top six.
In their last game, Plymouth won 1-0 at home to Gillingham thanks to a first-half winner from Luke Jephcott.
Their manager, Ryan Lowe, is currently in the middle of his second managerial role.
During his time at Plymouth Argyle, he has secured a 46.58% win rate, winning ten more games than he has lost as manager.
During his playing career, he played 626 games and played for nine different lower league English clubs with most of his appearances coming with Shrewsbury Town from 2000-2005.
Ones to Watch
Kelland Watts
The defender joined Argyle on loan from Newcastle United in the summer and has racked up the most minutes of any outfield player for the Pilgrims this season (1829) and has started 21 SkyBet League One games.
Conor Grant
The midfielder, who has also played as a left-back this season, joined the Pilgrims from Everton in June 2018 on a permanent deal. He has been a key player under Ryan Lowe and has scored three goals and assisted five for his teammates. His latest assist came in that 1-0 win against Gillingham
Luke Jephcott
The 20-year old striker is currently the top goalscorer in SkyBet League One with 12 goals to his name. Jephcott has been on a role as of late scoring seven goals in his last nine games and has scored in both of the Pilgrims FA Cup games this season.
Predictions
Huddersfield Town leads the head to head record against Plymouth Argyle.
Since their first meeting in 1920, the Terriers have won 25 games, there have been 14 draws and the Pilgrims have won 13 times.
Their last meeting was in 2011 and the Terriers came out 3-2 winners on that day in a League One battle.
Since then, the Terriers have risen to the Premier League football whereas Plymouth have had stints in League Two.
Both teams are in similar positions in their respective leagues and would both thoroughly enjoy a good run in the FA Cup, so I expect both teams to field their strongest possible line-up.
Both teams are also in similar form, as neither can seem to find any rhythm in results.
On paper, Huddersfield Town have a huge advantage as they are a division above Plymouth Argyle and have more established players.
The home advantage could play a big aspect despite the lack of fans. Town were unbeaten at home for the majority of November and all of December before defeat in their first home game of 2021.
I cannot see anything other than a Huddersfield Town victory and advancement into the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Their strengths may prove too much for Plymouth Argyle.
Therefore, I predict:
Huddersfield Town 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
