After executing one of the upsets of the season last week against second placed Fylde, Huddersfield look to spur on their charge out of the relegation places in their away tie against bottom of the league Scunthorpe.
Field could hardly have had a tougher start to the year facing second and third place consecutively, but have have shown a wealth of character and produced the performances to match. Only a very narrow defeat at third place Sedgley Park and a heroic victory against Fylde set the tone for what could be a magnificent turnaround in the second half of the season.
Scunthorpe have suffered a real bruising in National League 2 North, having lost all 17 of their fixtures. The last time the two sides met, a Will Milner penalty salvaged all 4 points in the final kick of the game to scrape a 25-24 win, and head coach Gareth Lewis is not complacent going into what promises to be another tough game.
“it’s a huge game in the context of our season. Although Scunthorpe are enduring a difficult season for a number of reasons, we know they are a good team. We got out of jail in the game at Lockwood Park and they will be aiming to use this to kick start their season,” said Lewis.
In their last fixture, Scunthorpe were dealt a heavy 49-12 defeat at the hands of Wharfedale, and will be cautious not to suffer the same fate at the hands of another West Yorkshire side. After conceding 11 tries in the two games played in 2020, they will have to keep out a Huddersfield side in confident and prolific try scoring form, who have scored eight tries in their last two games.
Huddersfield will miss the services of Elliot Munnelly, who is out with a shoulder injury for at least four weeks as a result of his services. Will Milner’s creativity and work rate was a key component in last week’s win at Lockwood park, and Louis Frear produced the dog work to earn man of the match last time out also.
The evident step up in form by Huddersfield displays a galvanised change in mind set, that has proved to be the catalyst for good results. A win against Scunthorpe will further bring club and fans closer together in a joint push to see their side rise up the table to a more deserved spot for a club of Field’s size.
“For us it’s about keeping the momentum. Last week will count for nothing unless we back it up with a top performance away from home. We have a couple of players returning to the squad in the next week or two so we finally have options and competition for places” said Lewis.
By Ollie Mudd
