Match Preview: Huddersfield Town v Sunderland - all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

---

Wednesday 2nd November 2022

(24th) Huddersfield Town v Sunderland (16th)

Championship

John Smith’s Stadium

Kick-Off: 19:45

---

Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets sold out.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via Sky Sports via the red button and via Sunderland AFC - SAFC.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

---

The build-up...

It’s our first trip to the John Smith’s Stadium since it became... well, the John Smith’s Stadium. In fact, this is our first trip to West Yorkshire to take on Huddersfield Town in league competition this century, going back to 1999 when we visited the McAlpine Stadium as it was back then.

To find our last defeat at Huddersfield in league competition, we have to go back to the days of the Terriers plying their trade at Leeds Road back in 1986, when Mick Buxton’s (yes, that Mick Buxton) side took all three points against McMenemy’s strugglers with a brace from Tony Curran.

Back to the present day and Saturday felt important for a number of reasons, but mainly the fact we halted a run of successive defeats and put another point on the board. We also withstood a Luton Town side who put the pressure on in the early stages and we were also able to hit back after falling behind.

These were all good signs going into tonight’s game, as is the fact that only two clubs have scored more goals away from home than Sunderland so far this season, suggesting if we keep Huddersfield out tonight, we may have enough at the other end to take all three points.

Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

It’s been a fall from grace for Huddersfield since the dramatic end to last season. After finishing third in the Championship under Carlos Corberán they would eventually lose out in the play-off final to Nottingham Forest in controversial circumstances.

Since then, it’s been one thing after another, that began with Corberán leaving the club to join Olympiacos in Greece in July. Former player Danny Schofield was the man picked to take the job on, but lasted around ten weeks which led to the appointment of Hertha Berlin’s assistant manager Mark Fotheringham.

It was exactly five weeks today since the appointment was made and seven out of the total of fifteen points Huddersfield have accumulated so far have come in that time. All four of the Terriers victories so far this season have come on home soil and they have won three of the last four on their own patch.

They may be bottom of the league, but their recent home form suggests we will need to be on our game to collect maximum points tonight.

Photo by John Early/Getty Images

---

The betting...

The bookies have the home side as slight favourites tonight at 6/4 for the win, with the Lads priced at 9/5 to pick up all three points and the draw is 11/5.

---

Head to head... at Huddersfield

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 12
• Draws: 14
• Huddersfield Town wins: 17
• Sunderland goals: 51
• Huddersfield Town goals: 67

---

Last time we met... at Huddersfield Town

Wednesday 21st October 1998

Nationwide Football League Division One

Huddersfield Town 1 - 1 Sunderland

[Stewart 42’ — Ball 42’]

Sunderland: Sorensen, Makin, Melville, Butler, Scott, Summerbee, Ball, Rae, Johnston, Quinn, Bridges (Dichio) Substitutes not used: Craddock, Mullin

Huddersfield Town: Vaesen, Jenkins, Edwards, Johnson, Morrison, Dyson, Beresford (Barnes), Horne, Stewart, Allison, Thornley (Phillips) Substitutes not used: Dalton

Attendance: 20,741

Photo by David Rawcliffe/EMPICS via Getty Images

---

Played for both...

Tony Norman

The Welsh international goalkeeper made his name at Hull City where he made well over 400 appearances in eight years before Denis Smith brought him to Roker in a record-breaking deal that involved Bill Whitehurst moving in the opposite direction.

Norman spent seven years at Sunderland and provided many memories of his talents, especially some of those created during the run to the 1992 FA Cup final.

After leaving in 1995, Norman was picked up by Huddersfield Town where he spent two more years before retiring.

Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images

Alex Pritchard

Our current creative midfielder will be returning to his former club for the first time since joining the Lads in July 2021. This came after two-and-a-half years in West Yorkshire following a big money move from Norwich City in 2018.

Before life at Carrow Road, Pritchard started out at Spurs where loan moves to Peterborough United, Swindon Town, Brentford and West Bromwich Albion kickstarted his career and resulting in his move to Norwich in 2016.

Photo by Isaac Parkin/PA Images via Getty Images

---