Away Day Wiz Diaries #5 (Huddersfield)

A 1-1 draw, an hour-long rattler, and rating pre-season,

Alan Pickard

So here we are then. The final leg of another pre-season. The rattler to Huddersfield. Calling at — *sharp intake of breath* — Elsecar, Wombwell, Barnsley, Dodworth, Silkstone Common, Penistone, Denby Dale, Shepley, Stocksmoor, Brockholes, Honley, Berry Brow, Lockwood and Huddersfield (and a partridge in a pear tree).

Rather than talk about the journey let's have a proper look at the summer, and talk about whether pre-season has been a success or not from a supporters point of view.

Fixtures 

I will award the fixtures a generous 6/10. But, Sheffield United, please take note: it is PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES. That’s the gawd damn memo! Here’s how I went. Not a plane in sight.

• York — Train

• Chesterfield — Train

• Harrogate — Car

• Rovrum — Tram 

• Uddersfield — Train

So annoying. No fixture abroad. And that means pre-season hasn’t met expectations. There were rumours of Austria, of Union Berlin, of Parma, of Granada and FC Twente. Alas, nothing doing. Much to my annoyance and the wife's delight. How hard can it be United? One club in the northeast announced pre-season fixtures abroad in early March. Give the fans something to look forward to each summer, please.

My mark of 6/10 for pre-season fixtures has risen from a lowly 2/10 because of the ground ticks gained at Yaaark and Harrogate. Can we replace Chesterfield with Mansfield and Rotherham with, well anyone else, next season please?

Performances

Performances I'll award 8.5/10. All in all, we've been pretty good, young players stepping up, Will Osula looking the part only for a bigger fish to come and snatch him, plenty of energy in and out of possession and some slick attacking football. Pretty impressive stuff. Let's hope that can be carried on against better opponents eh? 

Transfers.

I'll award a 6.5/10. Let me explain. The clear-out was needed — 8/10 marks there. Lose a mark for losing 1 maybe 2 players we'd have liked to keep, but all-in-all, the rest needed to go. The rebuild itself I'll award 5/10. No complaints about who we've brought in, but it's half complete. And we are so bloody slow at transfers. Average those two scores out, it’s 6.5/10. And that brings my overall pre-season mark to 7 out of 10 (I appreciate the window isn't closed, and rightly so in this heat).

In the Udd

Onto Huddersfield then. Just me and my son. Couple of buds for the train with a firm plan of finding food and a pool table pre-match. My memory serves me well and we end up in The Warehouse, pizza for the boy and a Bollywood burger for me. With 4 pool tables, daft dad has done well. And it’s only a 20-minute walk to the ground. Naturally, I won the pool 2-1. 

Pre-match is always lively when you bump into Stevie Watts. He's got a story to tell that man. Love you Uncle Steve.

The ground is aesthetically pleasing but unbelievably dated. And what is it with Huddersfield and rain? Every single time without fail. Luckily that died off just before half time in time for my pint. Huddersfield had a one nowt lead but we were by far the better team despite looking completely toothless in attack. Cruzcampo on tap. Sheffield United take note. 

The second half was much better and eventually Roberto Carlos whipped a free kick round the wall, keeper tips onto the post but the big Bosnian followed in to equalise. We really could and should have scored 4 or 5.

And honestly, the fact we’ve conceded some honking goals, and wasted so many chances is my big concern. The football we play looks great. But there has to be some end product. Next time, it gets serious. Onto Preston.

See you there Wiz.