Business as usual for Chelsea

Feb 11 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT WILL be business as usual when Town head to Chelsea for their big FA Cup fifth-round clash on Saturday.

Boss Andy Ritchie, right, will stick by the travel rituals which have yielded success on the long-distance trips to Bournemouth, Millwall, Swansea, Cheltenham and Yeovil for League I games.

That means setting off on the previous morning, in this case Friday, training en route and then heading to the team hotel.

“We had toyed with the idea of going down there on Thursday,” said Ritchie, who takes his side up the M6 to Carlisle tomorrow.

“But having looked at the implications, both practical and financial, of doing that, we decided to stick by the tried and trusted routine.

“It’s paid off on previous away trips and it’s a way of doing things that the players are familiar with and have found helpful in terms of getting the right kind of preparation.”

Ritchie has also followed the normal procedures when it comes to running the rule over the Premier League giants.

Town have had a representative at each of the FA Cup holders’ games since the draw was announced, with yesterday’s Stamford Bridge showdown with Liverpool the last chance to run the rule over Avram Grant’s side in the flesh.

“Obviously the Chelsea players are all household names, and we’re used to seeing them on television all the time,” added Ritchie.

“We’ve watched lots of film, as we try to do with all future opponents, but it’s also crucial to watch them live as often as possible.

“TV tends to follow the ball, but we also want to see the overall movement of the players, both individually and as a team.”

Chelsea didn’t have a recorded representative at Town’s 1-0 win over Swindon.

The scouts present were from Premier League club Bolton, Championship outfit Watford, tomorrow’s hosts Carlisle and other League I clubs Cheltenham, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Swansea.

Town fans are being urged to wear the colours at Chelsea.

Replica home shirts are on offer at a reduced price of £24.99, and anyone buying receives a free limited-edition Terriers on Tour FA Cup T-shirt.

Town’s Under 18s drew 0-0 in Saturday’s FA Premier Academy League game at Derby.