Stability, Sell-outs, and the Derby Day Edge

Written by Lee Pasquariello

The news in the last week has been non stop. There has been the sacking of Lee Grant, the Town board acting quickly in the appointment of Liam Manning and the potential of a new manager bounce.

It’s been quite a lot to take in, but all of it just proves exactly what this fixture is about. It’s about local pride, bragging rights, City’s push for promotion and the usual chaos that comes with any West Yorkshire derby.

Sold out away ends and missed tickets 

The ticket situation perfectly sums up the contrast between the two clubs. Huddersfield might be starting a new era under Liam Manning, but the form of City under Graham Alexander, mostly in terms of the league position, has created an unbelievable level of demand.

The away end for this weekend’s game is a complete sell out, with 2,336 City fans being there! 

What is truly mad though is how quickly the tickets sold out. They were actually picked up so quickly within the loyalty point ticketing system, it meant season ticket holders who didn’t have enough points missed out.  

This unfortunately included myself, I would have loved to have gone to this game, so missing it is a massive shame.

However, it just shows the massive belief from the City fans in this team this season. The noise that the City fans create will be massive for the team out on the pitch, especially within the early stages of the match where Manning’s players still try and figure out his new system. As I said in part 2, City are stable, and Town are starting from scratch.  

Bracing the early kick-off

This weekend’s match will be the second out of four weeks that City have a 12.30 Saturday kick off. There are two reasons as to why this match was changed. One was because of police advice because it is a derby, and secondly because of Sky Sports coverage.

The atmosphere with the sold out away end, as well as a Town home end that is now selling quickly after the week’s events, will be intense right from the first whistle.

For Liam Manning, this game is going to be a massive moment for him as he steps out into the Town dugout for the very first time. Like I said in part two, he has only had a few days worth of training in order to get his points across to the Town players.

Also with the new appointment at Huddersfield, there is something that connects the two clubs. Manning has added ex-City assistant manager Martin Drury to his coaching staff.

Tactics and the Derby Day Edge

In a derby with this much intensity and significance, it can be easy for players to be caught up in the occasion and as seen many times in football within big matches, some players may well lose their heads. When the pressure is so high, you wonder if Town will stop thinking about the new tactics of Manning, and instead rely on fight if they’re to get something out of it.

This is where City have an advantage. We know our jobs well, and Town are still learning their new roles. You get the feeling that they may struggle to stick to their new system in front of a large crowd.

If City can start quickly this weekend, the pressure on a rather unconfident Town team will be huge. Even though everyone concerned with Huddersfield Town will be hoping for a new manager bounce, City actually possess something far more important, and that’s a team that knows how to win. We saw this in the superb 3-1 win back in September.

Even if Town try and play a slow possession based game like I touched on in part 2, this is where City’s strengths in terms of high pressing and energy will be a great opportunity to cause real problems for the Town players.

Final thoughts

Even though I’ll be watching this match from the pub instead of actually being in the away end, I still feel the exact same excitement as anybody else. The week leading up to the game has seen the chaos of a sacking which led to an appointment that had brought great interest to everyone concerned with the 2 clubs.  

Securing the double over Huddersfield would not only be great for our promotion push, it would genuinely be one of the best highlights of the season for me. 

Due to the unpredictability of local derbies I’m not going to make a prediction. I just hope the City players can put in a great performance in front of a sold out away end, as that would be what they truly deserve.

To anyone who is going to be there that reads this, enjoy every single minute of the occasion and back the team until the very end.