By Peter Hampshire
Back to back 1-0 victories for Huddersfield Town sees the Terriers within touching distance of an automatic promotion spot, following a slight blip by this season’s remarkably high standards.
The win adds to an astonishing stat that 20 of Town’s 22 victories this season have been by a single-goal margin.
A win for David Wagner’s men against Bristol City leaves them just three points behind both Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion, who play away this weekend at Birmingham City and Leeds United respectively.
Warnock quote
"You can't just put someone in The Championship who has never been there"
Aye.
That'd never work.#htafc pic.twitter.com/6pSJMhu4vL
— Carlito Brigante (@trickytown113) March 15, 2017
German boss Wagner has no fresh injury worries for the 412 mile round-trip. Their well-drilled defence has marshalled Welsh international keeper Danny Ward so well, that he has faced fewer shots than any other in the Championship this season.
Quizzed on the inevitable thoughts about his future by German media at Sky Deutschland, Wagner said: “I am a child of the Bundesliga, that is a goal and a dream, but the Premier League is also cool. This would be the biggest fairytale after what Leicester City did last season.”
In a bid to increase firepower in a team that has only managed two goals in its last four, Robins manager Lee Johnson will be unable to call upon Bosnian striker Milan Djuric, ruled out for six weeks with a hernia. Johnson called off a proposed loan move to Sweden for summer recruit Gustav Engvall, yet to score this season.
Recent Town addition Izzy Brown was handed his first England U21 opportunity by Aidy Boothroyd. Brown will square up against his opposite number 9 Tammy Abraham, the Robins’ top scorer with 18 – before the pair don their England kits as strike partners.
Honoured to get my first @England u21s call up🙏🏽🙌🏽
— Isaiah Brown (@izzyjaybrown) March 16, 2017
With the spotlight increasing on the 20-year-old Chelsea loanee, Brown told The Huddersfield Examiner: “My ideal scenario would be for Huddersfield to get to the Premier League and I come back here next season. Every game is like a cup final and we know that if we win all the remainder of the games, then you never know what can happen.”
Abraham’s goals haven’t helped former Barnsley manager Johnson’s Bristol City steer clear of the relegation zone, but a vital win in their last outing at Wigan Athletic has brought renewed hope to Ashton Gate.
The Robins’ first win in eight came courtesy of defender Aden Flint’s 88th minute goal, with speculation that the scrambled goal could have saved Johnson’s job. City are now just one point adrift of safety.
https://twitter.com/Lee_Goose/status/840609071376060417