Wrexham Evening Leader

November nightmares for Terriers

26/11/04

Peter Jackson and Terry YorathHUDDERSFIELD TOWN will be looking to put another November nightmare behind them when they host Wrexham tomorrow.

Town are without a win this month but their traditionally bad run of results in November goes back further than just the present season.

Since the start of the Millennium, Town have so far played 24 matches in November and have won only two of them!

That has caused a stir in Yorkshire and Town“s inconsistency is derailing their push for the play-offs.

Peter Jackson“s side have hit a real sticky patch and they will look to put a run of five games without a win behind them when Wrexham visit the newly named Gawthorpe Stadium tomorrow.

Three league draws, coupled with defeats in the LDV Vans Trophy and the FA Cup, has seen Town slip to 11th place and Jackson knows they urgently need three points against Wrexham to get back on track.

Jackson steered Town into League One thanks to a play-off final victory on penalties over Mansfield Town at the Millennium Stadium, boosted by 26,000 supporters from Yorkshire.

But Town are expected to challenge for the play-offs this season and it is only their inconsistency that is stopping them. After a good run of for Town have not registered a win since beating Milton Keynes Dons on October 23.

Town have suffered off the pitch problems too and the fact that there is still a Football League club in Huddersfield will be of interest to Wrexham fans.

With huge debts, Town were rescued by the Huddersfield rugby league side owner, Ken Davy, who now owns both clubs.

Town only came out of administration successfully because previous owner Barry Rubery wrote off a £12.5 million debt.

Davy still had other debts to meet but he has been the football club“s saviour and Town fans will be able to sympathise with their Wrexham counterparts tomorrow.

On the pitch, Jackson experimented with a new system in last Saturday“s 0-0 draw at Colchester, playing with just one striker in leading scorer Pawel Abbott.

That ploy, different to their normal 3-5-2 formation, was in a bid to stop leaking goals. Their previous two away matches at Blackpool in the LDV Vans Trophy and Stockport in the FA Cup resulted in nine goals conceded.

Bolstering the midfield with Tony Carss was at striker Junior Mendes“ expense, though he is in the reckoning to return tomorrow if Jackson reverts to his normal system.

Former Wales under 21 midfielder Lee Fowler, who made his name at Cardiff and Coventry, is also back in contention.

Fowler has been on the fringes of the side this season despite scoring the winning penalty in that play-off final victory over Mansfield back in May.

Another player who has been he still figures in Jackson“s plans is the experienced Andy Booth.

Despite starting the season the striker has since lost his place to Polish under 21 international Abbot, who has 13 goals and is bang in form.

Booth, who returned to Huddersfield after five years at Sheffield Wednesday, could be a surprise inclusion after being left out for the last three matches and head the attack with Abbott.