By Nathan Findlay –
It has been a season of few ups and many downs for Huddersfield Town, and now they face their final test of the Season against Reading F.C. this Saturday, 12:30 KO.
Team News
Compared to the last few, this is going to be more of a comfortable game to watch, knowing that the Terriers are safe for another season.
It is also going to be a great chance for Huddersfield to try something new before the season ends. This could be a new playstyle or formation that they have yet to try.
Huddersfield’s last game was against Coventry City which ended with a 1-1 predicted draw.
Coventry and Huddersfield created some good chances throughout the game and overall, this was a good performance from both sides.
Something that impressed me about this game was the work ethic that the Terriers brought to the game.
After going a goal down, they kept fighting to get the equaliser, eventually getting it just 10 minutes later. This is something you don’t often see from Huddersfield, so it’s a step in the right direction for sure.
The Royals will likely be a few shades tougher than Coventry however. The Terriers will have to give it their all if they want to end this season on a positive note.
Reading F.C.
Reading just missed out on a Playoff sport, and are currently 7th in the Championship. A few more wins this season and they would have been in there.
Overall, the Royals have performed admirably this season and I think it would be interesting to see what players are brought into their squad and what changes are made for next season. I think they could very well push for promotion once more.
The last time that Huddersfield and Reading played was at the start of 2021. The Terriers lost this one despite their good efforts within the game.
As the story often goes, Huddersfield gained an early lead and had precise control of the game for the first half. After the break, however, things quickly fell apart and in the 52nd minute Reading equalised, only then to follow up just 10 minutes later with a second, sealing the win and ending the game 2-1.
If Huddersfield manages to get ahead, it will be imperative that they don’t drop off as is so often the case.
One player to watch for Reading is Lucas Joao. This player has stood out to me this season with a total of 19 goals and 7 assists. Certainly not a player that you want to leave a gap with.
Despite an injury at the start of the season, he’s played well, and I will be interested to see how he performs at the weekend.
Prediction
This is Huddersfield’s final game of the season, and I do not think that this is going to be a walk in the park for them by any means.
While this game will not affect either team’s standings much as far as the table goes, it will hopefully still be important for either side to end the season with a win, giving them a bit of confidence as they go into the break.
The overall record for Huddersfield and Reading goes to Reading. Huddersfield have only won 16 games to Readings 26, with 12 draws on the side. This is not a key statistic but is something that I personally think should be looked over.
I’m hoping that Huddersfield put on a good show and have a good game for their own sake, as well as the sake of the fans who’ve been through a lot this season, but it will be tough to beat such a strong team away from home.
A full season without fans in the stadium backing their team is something that no one would have ever guessed. It remains to be seen what long term effects this will have on our beautiful sport.
Huddersfield are safe no matter what and I am sure we are all looking forward to seeing another ecstatic year in the Championship.