Clash of the Ugly Ducklings

Saturday will bring together the two Premier League sides considered most likely for the drop: Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. While the Bluebirds occupy the ‘surprise Championship promotion’ role, the Terriers are looking to avoid a second season syndrome cliche.

Goals were Huddersfield’s main source of strife in their inaugural Premier League campaign. Fans in West Yorkshire were treated to mere 28 of them last season, the joint lowest in the division. Indeed, the manner in which the Terriers were promoted was one rather devoid of goals. Over the course of their three playoff matches, they only managed to score once: an own goal courtesy of Sheffield Wednesday’s Tom Lees. In large, they had Liverpool loanee Danny Ward to thank. The Welshman was the penalty shootout hero in both the playoff semi final and final.

Following their promotion, it is a tad miraculous how Huddersfield survived last season. You’d have expected a strong defence to have been their saving grace, but the 58 goals they conceded is no better (or worse) than the other sides occupying the lower reaches of the table. A look at their results, however, sheds some more light.

The Terriers secured some impressive - and vital - results against some of the top sides. Draws against Manchester City and Chelsea late in the season along with a fantastic win over Manchester United earlier in October provided the West Yorkshire side with five vital points. Points made so vital by the fact that they were points that teams around them were unlikely to pick up. In addition to this, Huddersfield were able to hold steady against their relegation rivals. Their record against them was hardly stellar, but they lost only two out of the eight games played against fellow sides in the bottom five. Last season was a testament to how important getting the right results against the right teams can be.

Cardiff City’s Championship promotion campaign was, too, an unexpected outcome of last season. The Bluebirds were on a reported shoestring budget, but Neil Warnock managed to successfully implement his knack of getting promoted. It was the eighth promotion of his career, a record breaking figure for English football.

As with Huddersfield, goals will be a worry for Warnock’s side this season. Last season saw them manage only 69, comparatively low next to other teams in the promotion race. They did, however, have the joint best defence in the league as well as Neil Warnock’s footballing nouse, firing them to an impressive ninety points. Cardiff did not scrape promotion by the skin of their teeth.

The summer transfer window will, though, have left some fans worried. The Bluebirds have supplemented their squad but not made any massive improvement in quality. Four signings have been made from Championship clubs, so there is no guarantee they will provide Premier League quality. Neil Warnock maintains a merry facade based on the grit and spirit of his squad, but it is hard to determine whether this is blind belief in his squad or if his hands are genuinely tied by budget constraints. Clubs have before fallen victim to overspending on an ultimately fruitless Premier League adventure, so perhaps Cardiff are already preparing for potential relegation by not maxing themselves out on hefty wage bills and transfer fees. Shrewd loan acquisitions have, however, been made in the form of Harry After - who brings vital Premier League experience - and Victor Camarasa from the impressive Real Betis.

The match looks like it could be an early season six pointer for both sides. Huddersfield’s first two games against Chelsea and Man City could potentially be labelled as write offs, although last season showed how important stealing the odd unexpected point can be. The manner of the defeats are worrying too, having succumbed to heavy losses on both occasions. Cardiff did manage to pick up an opening game point against Newcastle, but they have failed to register a single shot on target in their first two games. It looks like goals will be tough to come by for the two teams as in all likelihood, they look towards a tough season ahead. Saturday will be a vital game.

(Photo: GiveMeSport)