Academy right back making the most of time in First Team training
- 20-year-old right Demeaco Duhaney speaks to #HTTV
- Defender netted a great goal against Scunthorpe United last week
- Former Manchester City man training often with Jan Siewert’s First Team
Demeaco Duhaney will go into Tuesday afternoon’s game against Brentford B with one goal in mind; to continue impressing the hierarchy at Huddersfield Town.
The full back is likely to be one of the senior players in the Under-19 squad that Dean Whitehead will lead to the capital to take on the Bees in the 2pm kick-off at their Jersey Road training ground, which will be streamed live on the Brentford YouTube channel.
On the back of regular training sessions with Head Coach Jan Siewert’s First Team squad recently, Demeaco smashed in a great goal in last week’s game against a senior Scunthorpe United side; a great left-footed half volley after cutting inside from his right back slot.
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“I wouldn’t say it’s too frequent an occurrence for me, but I have been practising more on my left foot as I do like coming inside,” Demeaco explained to #HTTV on Monday.
“I caught the strike well and it was a good goal; as soon as it left my foot, I knew it was going in.”
Having played senior football with previous club Manchester City in the Checkatrade Trophy, as well as appearances on the bench for Champions League and Premier League games, Demeaco is accustomed to training with Premier League squads. However, he admitted that he’s really enjoyed working under Jan Siewert at Town in recent weeks when he’s had the chance to train with the Terriers’ First Team.
“It’s a good chance for me, and I think I’ve done quite well with them. The senior lads are all good with me, so I feel quite comfortable. I’m just trying to impress everyone.
“When I heard (Jan) was coming in, I was excited because I know he has worked with young players. I just need to keep impressing everyone.
“Obviously Mark Hudson worked with us before he moved up to the First Team, so it’s good to have someone in that setup that we can talk to. I think that helps every young player.”
Duhaney also admits that he’s still learning his trade through Town’s challenging Academy games programme, which mixes technical tests against Europe’s best Under-19 sides with the physical challenge of playing senior English teams.
Scunthorpe was the latest of the latter, with the Iron’s team boasting 1,635 professional appearances compared to Town’s 22, which came through Duhaney and Abdelhamid Sabiri.
“It was a tough game,” Demeaco admitted. “Playing against older players is a different challenge – a good one – so you must get used to being roughed up and getting into different situations.
“Scunthorpe was definitely a good game. I thought we played well despite getting beaten; we stood up to the challenge well. We’ll keep learning.
“When we come against younger teams, we will probably win because we are quite technical. Against older opposition, it’s a real challenge.”
The latest challenge comes on Tuesday, with a fourth clash of the season against Brentford B.
DD continued: “They are quite like us in the way they play and the players they have; they are quite technical, like us. They’re probably a bit more physical than us, but we know how to play against them now and I hope this time we will win.”
As for his overall aim for the season, Demeaco is clear:
“Obviously it’s been difficult because it’s been a tough season for the First Team so far, so I just want to keep going and try to impress the First Team Head Coach and staff. You never know if you will get throw in towards the end of the season, so I just need to be as ready as possible.”
If you can't watch the game on YouTube, you can follow live text updates on the Club's official Academy account, @htafcacademy!
