Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894

With tough tests to come over the next five games, we look at five players worth keeping an eye on.

15 games in, 31 to go and seven unbeaten. It’s hard to believe the transformation since the Cowleys have come in, but the games are coming thick and fast. Can they keep the run going?

Fresh from a great performance at Griffin Park, visits to Preston and Bristol City follow while Birmingham, Swansea and Leeds come to the John Smith’s.

With tricky ties coming up, here are five players worth keeping your eye on before we get into the festive fixtures.

Alex Pritchard

A substitute against Barnsley and Brentford, Pritchard should get some game time over this six-game period off the bench. It’s not controversial to say that Pritchard has failed to replicate the form from Norwich that earned him his move to Town. 53 appearances and just three goals doesn’t make great reading.

However, looking beyond the stats, a majority of those appearances were in the Premier League where many players failed to shine, particularly last season.

Like many players in this squad, Pritchard has a chance to make a fresh start under the Cowleys. In press conferences, it’s clear that he is highly thought of. Plus, it's hard to judge him on the season so far, given his injury problems.

In the Championship previously, he has shown his quality. So, let’s see what impact he can make to this midfield, which has lacked an attacking and creative threat at times.

Jaden Brown

Kongolo who? One of the bright sparks of the season, Jaden Brown has come into this team and certainly made an impact. Yes, Kongolo is seen as more of a centre back but Brown has made the left-back position his own.

The 20-year-old has been so impressive that it’s hard to see his position under threat. What’s key is game management, because this run of fixtures is a lot tougher.

Defensively, Huddersfield look more solid but there have been shaky moments in the backline and individual mistakes.

Grant, if he continues to play off the left has shown he can support at the back against tougher opposition like the West Brom game. This will be crucial, particularly away from home.

Nothing has fazed Brown so far, and his attacking threat and desire to win challenges high up the field has proven a great asset. He’s young, and that may bring inconsistency and a few mistakes, but there’s a reason why Jaden is one of the first names on the team sheet.

Let’s hope him being taken off at Brentford was a precaution rather than something more serious.

Jonathan Hogg

Mr Marmite to town fans this season, Jonathan Hogg has been arguably the most divisive player in the squad. Like many players, Hogg has been a shadow of his former self since Wagner left. However, there have been glimpses of him at his best since the Cowleys have come in.

You can’t fault him for his passion or his desire but when things are going bad, his teammates get an earful whether it’s their fault or not. That can frustrate town fans, who would rather see him frustrate the opposition by breaking up their attacks and winning midfield battles.

He’s never been the best technical player, and there are players in the squad who can offer more in quality. However, an on-form Hogg gives something no other current player in the squad does, a fighter that can allow others to shine.

Picking up his fifth booking of the season at Brentford means he’ll miss the trip to Preston, so expect Chalobah to take his place, but will he hold down his spot? His performance at Griffin Park was key to the aggressive pressing that helped disrupt the tempo of the opposition, so you’d assume so.

Whisper it quietly, but the old reliable Hogg might be back.

Juninho Bacuna

The super-sub has turned starter in the past two games, and while he’s not chipping with goals or assists like he has from the bench, there’s no denying that he has the quality to pick out a pass or try something different.

It’s interesting to hear Danny Cowley talking about working on the basics with Bacuna because that’s what he’s done so well, the first time shot against Hull for example. Obviously, it’s brought confidence to try things more exuberant, and that’s when he can overcomplicate things.

Particularly against Middlesborough, there was a little showboating, a few flicks when a straightforward pass would do. Against Barnsley, there were overreactions to being fouled and needless fouls from him, particularly the one of the edge of our area right before being substituted.

He’s a young player so of course, he can be erratic but also clearly has talent. With Hogg suspended for Preston and Chalobah looking slight off-form, this is an opportunity for him to cement a starting place in the midfield.

Having started the last two games, will he start performing more consistently to warrant a cement his place, or will he return to being the super-sub? Either way, these next five games while they may not provide a definitive answer, might provide a short-term indication.

Steve Mounie

Does Steve Mounie have a future at Huddersfield Town? Not in the match day squad for Brentford and an unused substitute for Barnsley and Middlesborough, it doesn’t bode well for the Benin international.

Not to read too much into the behaviour of players, after all, we don’t know what’s going on off the pitch, but his demeanour has changed. There doesn’t seem to be the same positivity there’s been previously, and he’s barely featured under Danny Cowley, which could explain the change.

Kian Harratt, who was in sensational form for the under 17’s last season, took Mounie’s place on the bench for Brentford. Mounie, who was out of the game with a foot injury, may even struggle to earn his place back in the match day squad.

The lads on the podcast have said they expect Mounie to be gone in January, and it’s hard to disagree. However, if there’s any chance we see the 25-year-old in a town shirt before the end of the year, it has to come in this run of fixtures.

His advantage over Campbell and Grant is his aerial ability. He’s won 45% of his aerial duels this season, and in the Premier League we saw that if give him the service and supply good crosses into the box, he can be a threat.

Much has been made of the Cowleys using him as plan B, with Danny telling the Examiner: “He is a centre forward who thrives on crosses - and we are working towards a game plan we can use with Steve.”

At Lincoln, the Cowleys used a big target man to great effect and if Mounie wants to stay, he can prove himself as a useful squad player. It’s just that ‘if’ this is the big question.

Are there any players you think we missed or should have included instead? Let us know in the comments.

Five Players to Watch Over the Next Five Games