Terriers play game at Man City's Academy Stadium
- James Vaughan, Mark Hudson & Joe Murphy in match action
- HTAFC plays behind-closed-doors friendly at Man City
- Manager Chris Powell comments on the fixture
James Vaughan, Joe Murphy and Club Captain Mark Hudson all got in valuable game time upon their return from injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Manager Chris Powell led his XI against the Premier League club’s Elite Development Squad, with his side also including Nahki Wells, Jamie Paterson, Kyle Dempsey, Martin Cranie, Jonathan Hogg, Tommy Smith, Sean Scannell and Harry Bunn.
Youngsters Philip Billing, Jack Senior, Lloyd Allinson, Joe Wilkinson, Fraser Horsfall, Duane Holmes and Academy scholar Jacob Hanson also featured during the 90 minutes.
Striker Vaughan and goalkeeper Murphy have both been absent from Town’s First Team team-sheet for a number of weeks with calf injuries, whereas Hudson was an unused sub during last Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship defeat at Wolves upon his recovery from an ankle problem.
After the game, Town Manager Chris Powell told htafc.com:
“We’re really happy with the workout against a strong Manchester City team that featured a few First Team players and the cream of the country’s youngsters. This was a proper test for every player; everyone got what they needed out of it. We’ll play more of these games in the future, if we can.
“Mark came through the full 90 minutes unscathed, while 'Vaughany' and Joe played the planned 45 minutes and were both fine. Everyone applied themselves well. Having them back is a great boost to my options.
“They’ve now trained and played a game this week so, as long as they get through next week, they should be ready for the heavy schedule of games we have coming up. The more options we have, the better.”
Chris also hinted that the match gave him the opportunity to experiment with his side tactically.
“It was a good game to watch! We played the game at a quick tempo and tested a different formation, which worked well. Games like this let you fully test tactical changes.”
The Manager utilised a number of players from the Club’s in-form Under-21 side during the match to give a barometer on whether or not they are ready for further First Team involvement:
“A number of our younger players – Duane Holmes, Philip Billing, Jack Senior and others – also featured and I was proud watching them holding their own against top class opposition.
“I know they’ve been performing very well at Under-21 level, but ultimately I need to see if they can do it in the First Team. They still made errors at times, but you have to accept that young footballers will and help them to learn.
“This match has definitely given me food for thought on some of our players. I’m really pleased.”
Town's next home game against MK Dons on 20 October is just £10 adults at the gate!
