Chris comments on Leyton Orient win & Spanish training
- Chris Powell comments on Huddersfield Town's 2-0 win over Leyton Orient
- Manager happy with the effort his players have shown
- Return to action against Grimsby Town on Tuesday night
Huddersfield Town Manager Chris Powell is proud of the effort his players have put in during the week-long training camp in Spain, which culminated in today’s 2-0 friendly win over Leyton Orient.
Joe Lolley and an Orient own goal gave the Terriers a 2-0 win in La Cala in a game where Powell named two completely different sides in each half, much like at Guiseley last weekend.
Powell, who confirmed defender Joel Lynch wasn’t risked in the game due to a slight twinge, told htafc.com he could see the progression in his side during the last week:
“The players have definitely made steps forward this week; they’ve reached the levels that I want them to at this stage.
“45 minutes each might not sound like much, but after the difficulty of the training this week it was a real push for them – particularly in this heat. They’ve had three training sessions on three of the days this week.
“I must say that the players have been second to none this week. They’ve been a credit to the football club in the way they’ve trained and the camaraderie they’ve built. They’re enjoying each other’s company.
“They deserve the positive result in today’s game. Ultimately footballers want to play in matches and they’ve had two solid games so far at Guiseley and today. Today’s win over Orient was a tremendous workout to conclude the work here. I’m proud of the work the players have put in.
“We had a number of Huddersfield fans here today too, which was great.”
Today’s win over Leyton Orient featured Town debuts for the newest two recruits; Jordy Hiwula and Kyle Dempsey.
Chris continued: “I'm very pleased with them both.
“Jordy arrived in Spain on Friday lunchtime and trained with us in the afternoon before starting today’s game. He showed some good touches and link-up play with Nahki and the midfielders.
“He’s a clever player. He has a languid style and drifts past opponents, plus he also likes to play people in.
“Kyle has been with us for the week and I think he will catch the fans’ eyes when they see him. He likes to break the lines from midfield and get in the box, plus he’s tenacious. He’s a god young player.
“It’s great that he was involved in the second goal today too; his cross was intended for Jake Charles, who would have had an open goal, but the defender turned it in.”
The Terriers will return to England on Sunday ahead of Tuesday night’s friendly at Grimsby Town and Chris comes back a happy man, as he explained:
“The week in Spain has achieved everything we planned. It’s been a well organised training camp, during which we’ve struck a good balance between defensive and attacking work including finishing, passing and midfield play. Additionally, Nick Colgan has been doing great work with the goalkeepers.”
Upon the return to Huddersfield, Powell is keen to continue pushing forward with his pre-season goals.
“We’ve got three weeks until the start of the season, so the next steps now are to hone the team’s shape – we’ve played several different shapes so far – and to build up the players’ minutes from 45 minutes to 60 and 75.
“I expect Tuesday night’s game at Grimsby to be our hardest yet, as it comes on the back of today’s game and the travelling back to England. Regardless, I want to maintain our momentum; it would be nice to keep winning games.
“The players, led by the senior lads like Mark Hudson and Dean Whitehead, have worked really well so far and I’m sure they’ll push each other again.”
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