‘Town looked like a team full of premier players who didn’t want to be there’ - Bristol City Preview
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: Bristol City
Will Huddersfield be able to get revenge on Bristol City following the 5-2 loss at Ashton Gate, or will The Robins continue their high-flying season? Stanley Hughes from Bristol City fan podcast One Stream in Bristol tells us more.
Tuesday night sees Huddersfield Town welcome Bristol City to the John Smith’s Stadium. Following the disappointing loss to Swansea, The Terriers will hope to bounce back against a Bristol side that also lost at the weekend, to league leaders West Brom.
The previous encounter between these two sides is seen by many town fans as the turning point in the season. Losing 5-2 in Bristol, prompted Danny Cowley to provide a very frank post-match interview, in which he expressed his frustration at some of Huddersfield’s players.
Talking to HTAFC.com, he said: “We haven’t got enough good men here, when you lose as many as we have to injury, then another in the first minute, that doesn’t make it easy. We were well short today and we will have to take some time to reflect on that.
“People that do play have to play with pride, with fight, determination and when we talk about good men we talk about honesty first and foremost, we talk about being reliable, trustworthy, being determined to work hard; these are prerequisites of being a good man. We need to go away now, reflect, pick the bones out the performance.”
With results improving since that day in November, what can we expect from The Robins, who sit, just three points outside the play-off places? To get the inside scoop, And He Takes That Chance spoke to Stanley Hughes from Bristol City fan podcast, One Stream in Bristol.
Despite sitting in seventh place ahead of this game, Stanley Hughes thinks their season has had ups and downs. Photo source: Bristol City
How would you rate Bristol City's season so far?
It’s been okay, like any season under Lee Johnson we’ve had our ups and downs. Nowadays most City fans are aware that this will happen so aren’t too reactionary. Many fans were hoping for a top-six finish at the start of the season and that seems a realistic aim at the moment.
With six wins in the last ten matches, what’s your prediction for the rest of Bristol City's season?
I think we’ll end up in the top six. No idea what formation we’re going to play but the January signings of Benkovic, Henriksen and Wells will all play a massive part.
With three losses in the last four games, how can Huddersfield take advantage?
We’ve had some outstanding away performances recently that have all had the same theme, Diedhiou up front alone, defending well, choosing when to counter. We’ve struggled a bit when teams get at our fullbacks and overlap. Jack Hunt hasn’t been too great recently and was even dropped for centre back Tomas Kalas. I’d target him if I were you.
Lee Johnson has been a marmite figure during his time as Bristol City manager. Photo source: Bristol City
What is the fans’ opinion on Lee Johnson, is he still the right man to take the club forward?
There’s still a large portion of the fans who have never taken to him and sometimes revel in his “failings” when we’re on a bad run. Most see him as an excellent coach who’s a questionable man manager. I don’t think the club’s recruitment has been as good as he would like and sometimes he does hint as much. With three huge January signings, I feel it’s time he proved the doubters wrong and got us into the playoffs.
What did the fans think of The Robins’ January transfer business? Particularly Nakhi Wells.
Fairly excited I think, a real shame to lose captain Josh Brownhill though. Weirdly we all saw it coming so it wasn’t too heartbreaking. Henriksen looks good, Benkovic looks good and Nahki Wells is the type of striker Johnson has wanted for a long time. If he can keep up his QPR form I really think he could get a great number of goals between now and the end of the season.
Who has been the standout performer this season?
We’re definitely a team bigger than the sum of its parts. Diedhiou is probably looking as good as he ever has. I’d say Daniel Bentley though, it’s the first time we’ve spent money on a keeper for ages and he’s been worth every penny.
Jay DaSilva has impressed for The Robins this season. Photo source: Bristol City
Which players have performed well but gone under the radar to other clubs in the league?
Shout out to Niclas Eliasson who can go missing in spells but has contributed an outrageous amount of assists considering his overall game time. I’d also say that Jay Dasilva has come back into the side seamlessly and performed like he never went away.
What did you think of Huddersfield in their previous encounter with Bristol City this season? Town fans pinpoint it as a turning point for the club.
They looked like a team full of premier players who didn’t want to be there. It’s so rare that we score lots of goals in a single game so it was very enjoyable to come across a team that defended woefully. Bacuna looked outstanding though.
Is there anything Huddersfield need to be on the lookout for in this game?
Marvel at the outrageously low number of shots we will have, but inevitably all will be great chances. It’s LJ’s plan to take our time and prioritise creating high-quality chances. I think we’re top of the league for conversion, but bottom of the league for xG.
What do you think of Huddersfield so far this season?
I haven’t thought much if I’m honest. Was nice to see you up in the Premier League, haven’t really been keeping an eye on you guys. I really like Karlan Grant though, he looks a player.
Bristol City fans see this as a must-win game, according to Stanley Hughes. Photo source: Bristol City
What’s the fan consensus about this game? Is it seen as a winnable fixture?
With Millwall away on Saturday, most City fans see this as an almost “must-win”. We’ve had a couple of good results against you guys in recent years so hopefully another chance to extend that.
What’s your score prediction for the game?
2-1 to our boys.
Anything you’d like to add?
Always seems a good atmosphere at your place, reckon you could give our fans some tips?
How do you think Huddersfield will get on against Swansea? Let us know in the comments!
