PREVIEW: ROTHERHAM UNITED (A)

29 September 2020

Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s game

- Rotherham vs Town preview
- A look at Paul Warne’s Millers
- Watch the game live on iFollow HTAFC

Huddersfield Town will be looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Sky Bet Championship this weekend when they face Rotherham United in a Yorkshire derby at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

The Terriers will make the short trip to the Millers’ home for the 3pm kick-off on Saturday (3 October) off the back of a first win of the season last time out against Nottingham Forest.

Fraizer Campbell’s goal was the difference as Town picked up their first win under Head Coach Carlos Corberán against the Tricky Trees on Friday evening.

Town will now go in search of successive wins in the league for the first time since February as well as looking to pick up a first win on the road since victory over Birmingham City at St. Andrew’s in July.

THE OPPOSITION

Paul Warne’s side will be looking to kick on from a September that produced plenty of positives upon their return to the Sky Bet Championship.

The Millers made their return to the second tier in the summer at the first time of asking, earning automatic promotion following a second-place finish in Sky Bet League 1 on the points per game system.

It was the second time Warne had helped the South Yorkshire club to promotion to the Championship since his appointment in 2016, having previously had two spells at the Club as a player between 1999 and 2005, as well as from 2009 to 2012.

Rotherham Paul Warne.jpg

With a view to not repeating the fate that saw them immediately relegated back to the third tier following their first return to the Sky Bet Championship under Warne in 2018/19, the Millers have brought in second tier experience in defence to help their transition to the division over the coming season.

Centre-backs Angus MacDonald and Wes Harding have joined from Hull City and Birmingham City respectively, whilst the Club have also looked to add talent from the Premier League, bringing in goalkeeper Jamal Blackman in on loan from Chelsea, whilst forward George Hirst has joined on a season-long loan from Leicester City.

Attackers Mickel Miller from Scottish side Hamilton Academical and Kieran Sadlier from Doncaster Rovers have also been amongst the Millers’ permanent summer additions as they look to continue to add goals to the side for the upcoming campaign.

Last season, Town’s no.19 Josh Koroma spent the curtailed second half of the season on loan at the South Yorkshire club, making five appearances for the Millers.

FORM GUIDE

The Terriers go into a first Yorkshire derby of the new season off the back of the aforementioned 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Friday evening.

The win was Town’s first of the campaign following prior defeats to Brentford and Norwich City in the opening two games of the season.

As for the hosts, they’ve had a promising start to their Sky Bet Championship return, picking up four points from their opening three fixtures.

Following an opening day win at fellow promoted side Wycombe Wanderers, the Millers were beaten 1-0 at home to Millwall before taking a point from their trip to face Birmingham City last time out.

ONES TO WATCH

Michael Ihiekwe

The centre-back is one of five Millers players to have played every minute of their Sky Bet Championship campaign so far. Having joined the Club in 2017, the 27-year-old spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at Accrington Stanley before making 33 league appearances for the South Yorkshire club during their promotion-winning campaign last time out. Ihiekwe has already had a significant impact in the opening weeks of Club’s return to the second tier, scoring a last gasp winner away to Wycombe Wanderers on the opening day of the season.

Rotherham Michael Ihiekwe.jpg

Chiedozie Ogbene

Ogbene has enjoyed regular minutes on his return to Championship football this season, featuring in all three of the Millers’ opening fixtures from his preferred right-wing role. The Nigerian-born wide man moved to Ireland at a young age, making his breakthrough on to the professional scene with Cork City and Limerick before he got his first taste of English football when he signed for Brentford in 2018. The 23-year-old spent time on loan at Exeter City in 2018/19 before returning to the AESSEAL New York Stadium for the following season, where he featured 25 times in Sky Bet League 1 during the Club’s promotion to the Sky Bet Championship.

Rotherham Chiedozie Ogbene.jpg

Freddie Ladapo

The forward was the Millers’ key man last season as the Club made its return to English football’s second tier. In his first season at the Club, having signed from Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2019, Ladapo netted 14 times, 17 in all competitions, to finish as the Club’s top scorer for the campaign. The 27-year-old is yet to rediscover his scoring touch since the return to competitive action this season however, only finding the net during a penalty shootout defeat to Salford City in the Carabao Cup at the start of the month.

Rotherham Freddie Ladapo.jpg

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

It’s the Terriers who hold the advantage in the record books for this Yorkshire derby clash, winning 29 of the 56 encounters between the sides to Rotherham’s 11 from the fixture (16 draws).

That record has been boosted by Town’s recent form in the fixture, losing just one of the last 19 competitive meetings between the two sides.

Last time the teams met, the Terriers ran out 2-1 winners in a Carabao Cup tie at the John Smith’s Stadium back in August 2017 with Philip Billing and Joe Lolley on the scoresheet for the Town that evening.

ACTION ELSEWHERE

Our short trip to the AESSEAL New York Stadium is one of 12 fixtures across the Sky Bet Championship this weekend.

Here’s a look at the full list of games in the division in this round of matches (all kick-offs are 3pm unless stated):

FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER 2020

Coventry City vs AFC Bournemouth (7.45pm KO)

SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER 2020

Norwich City vs Derby County (12.30pm KO)
Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City
Luton Town vs Wycombe Wanderers
Middlesbrough vs Barnsley
Nottingham Forest vs Bristol City
Reading vs Watford
Rotherham United vs Huddersfield Town
Sheffield Wednesday vs Queens Park Rangers
Swansea City vs Millwall

SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 2020

Brentford vs Preston North End (2pm KO)
Stoke City vs Birmingham City

TEAM NEWS

Carlos Corberán will provide an update on his side ahead of Saturday’s Yorkshire derby during his virtual press conference on Friday 2 October 2020.

Town’s Head Coach will likely address the fitness of Jonathan Hogg who was forced off during the Nottingham Forest encounter with an injury, as well as that of Ryan Schofield, Tommy Elphick, Terence Kongolo, Lewis O’Brien, Danny Ward, Christopher Schindler and Rarmani Edmonds-Green.

KIT

Town will be back in the yellow and purple third kit for Saturday’s trip to the AESSEAL New York Stadium – CLICK HERE to get yours!

HOW TO WATCH

With the game being played behind-closed-doors, Town supporters will again be able to watch live and in full on iFollow HTAFC.

Supporters can purchase a Match Pass for £10 – CLICK HERE for more info!

MATCH DAY PROGRAMME

Rotherham United have produced a match day programme for this weekend’s game.

CLICK HERE to get yours!

Match Reports

REPORT: ROTHERHAM 1-1 TOWN

3 October 2020

A deflected Pipa strike deep into stoppage time saw Huddersfield Town equalise late on and draw 1-1 with Rotherham United in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Spaniard’s effort cancelled out Ben Wiles’ first half opener to ensure the Terriers took a point from the Yorkshire derby with the Millers at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Carlos Corberán made two changes to the XI that produced his first win as the Terriers Head Coach against Nottingham Forest last time out.

Carel Eiting and Naby Sarr were both brought in to make their first Town starts, with the latter making his debut for the Club at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

With the first month of the season done and dusted, October got underway with a derby day clash under dark clouds and drizzling skies in the south part of the county.

Inside the opening 10 minutes, it was the Terriers who looked to slip into an early lead, having had the better of the chances.

After a neat exchange of play around the edge of the box, Harry Toffolo’s dragged effort zipped along the surface to Isaac Mbenza who kept it in play by dragging the ball back for Fraizer Campbell.

The striker met the ball before seeing his goalbound shot diverted from between the posts by a sliding block from Rotherham’s Angus MacDonald.

Having opened his account with the decisive goal in last weekend’s win over Forest, the forward continued to look in the mood in the early stages, again getting into a dangerous position inside the box but this time but this time the ball didn’t quite come to him from Toffolo on the left.

The Terriers had kept the hosts relatively quiet in the opening 30 minutes as both sides attempted to wrestle the momentum in what was a physical opening to Town’s first Yorkshire derby of the season.

However, shortly after the half-hour mark, the Millers took lead. A corner from the right was cleared to Ben Wiles on the edge of the box who drove his low shot through the crowd of players and into the bottom corner to give the home side the advantage on 33 minutes.

Chances were at a premium in the first half but came more regularly after the break as Town looked to get back on level terms.

Carel Eiting saw his free-kick from just outside the box blocked by the wall, moments before he turned provider for Josh Koroma, finding the forward with an inch-perfect ball over the top but Town’s no.19 couldn’t quite bring it down as the ball slipped off his boot.

As the rain continued to come down heavily on a gloomy afternoon in South Yorkshire, Town were only growing into the game further as they went in search of an equaliser.

The Terriers got numbers into the box to meet Toffolo’s cutback from the left, with the ball falling to Koroma whose effort skewed wide of the target.

Town’s push continued as Eiting and Mbenza both had efforts blocked, shortly before Koroma tried his luck once more, curling just wide of the far post after cutting in from the left.

With time ticking away, Pipa drove forward and crafted out Town’s best chance of the encounter so far.

The full-back was slipped in and fired a fierce effort at goal from a tight angle that was turned behind by Rotherham ‘keeper Jamal Blackman.

With six minutes of time added on, substitute Adama Diakhaby was the latest to get on the end of a Toffolo cross from the left side.

The latter leapt highest to meet the floated ball in, but his effort evaded the goal.

That looked to be the last chance of the encounter, until the ball broke to an advanced Pipa on the edge of the penalty area.

The full-back’s driven shot took a deflection off MacDonald and beat Blackman in the Millers goal to draw Town level in the dying moments of the game, ensuring Carlos Corberán’s side took a well-deserved point from the battle at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Next up for Town is a trip to South Wales and the Liberty Stadium to face Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship after the international break on Saturday 17 October 2020; 3pm kick-off.

ROTHERHAM UNITED (4-4-2)

Jamal Blackman, Joe Mattock, Angus MacDonald, Michael Ihiekwe (c), Wes Harding; Kieran Sadlier, Shaun MacDonald (Jamie Lindsay, 75’), Matt Crooks, Ben Wiles; George Hirst (Michael Smith, 52’), Freddie Ladapo (Kyle Vassell, 70’)

Unused subs

Viktor Johansson; Richard Wood, Mickel Miller, Michael Smith, Dan Barlaser

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-3-3)

Ben Hamer; Harry Toffolo, Naby Sarr, Richard Stearman, Pipa; Jonathan Hogg (c), Carel Eiting, Juninho Bacuna (Matty Daly, 78’); Josh Koroma, Fraizer Campbell, Isaac Mbenza (Adama Diakhaby, 83’)

Unused subs

Joel Pereira; Demeaco Duhaney, Romoney Crichlow, Jaden Brown, Mustapha Olagunju

REFEREE

Andy Woolmer