Huddersfield Town are stepping up their preparations for the new season and manager Mark Robins remains on the lookout for new signings as he moulds together his first-team squad for the 2014/2015 season.

Town have made two close season signings so far in the shape of Joe Murphy from Coventry City and the returning Lee Peltier from Leeds United but there are other voids to fill before the make-up of the playing staff is complete.

With that in mind, we asked our sports editor Mel Booth and online sports reporter Tom Marshall-Bailey to pick their current starting XIs based on the players Robins currently has available to him.

You can compare the two teams below before having your say via either our survey or our Huddersfield Town Twitter page.

Mel Booth - Sports Editor (4-4-2)

Mel's starting XI
 

I am banking on James Vaughan and record signing Nahki Wells to provide the firepower for Town in a 4-4-2 formation.

All seems to be well with Vaughan since his return from America for rehab following a knee operation at the beginning of April and, with some careful handling, manager Mark Robins will be hoping to keep him on the pitch for more than half a season this time.

In midfield, I like the look of Joe Lolley and it's a shame he wasn't able to appear more often last season because of shin splints. With a first full professional pre-season under his belt, I reckon Lolley will create plenty of chances from the right flank and also offer plenty of goal threat, cutting in on his left foot.

Danny Ward just gets the vote ahead of Adam Hammill on the left flank, although both of those players need to be more consistent if Town are genuinely to push on.

In central midfield, Jonathan Hogg still needs to show more of the form which made him a popular figure at Watford, so my initial slots go to Adam Clayton, Town's Player of the Year, and Oliver Norwood, who played in Northern Ireland's South American tour.

There is plenty of young competition waiting in the wings, however, with the likes of Phillip Billing, Sondre Tronstad, Duane Holmes and Matt Crooks, so the midfield is a hot area of competition.

At centre-back, having thought about possibly playing Lee Peltier there, I've gone for Joel Lynch and Anthony Gerrard, who have the talent to be a strong partnership at Championship level.

Peltier gets the right-back slot and, on the left, I've gone for young Tommy Smith courtesy of some encouraging performances last season.

Paul Dixon will be happy to take that shirt if Smith doesn't perform well enough, while I've gone for Alex Smithies ahead of Joe Murphy in goal (although that's another extremely close call).

Tom Marshall-Bailey - Online Sports Reporter (4-2-3-1)

Tom's starting XI
 

Perhaps the most surprising exclusion from my starting lineup is Nahki Wells, who demonstrated since his move from Bradford City in January that he can more than hold his own at this level.

Instead I have opted for another January purchase in Joe Lolley, who I firmly believe can make huge strides during the 2014/2015 campaign under Mark Robins' guidance.

The reason I have chosen to leave Wells on the bench is to offer Town some pace and invention coming on as a substitute when the chips are down and he is more than capable of changing a game in an instant with his clinical finishing.

James Vaughan, providing he proves his fitness in time, is an automatic starter up front while Adam Hammill finished last season as Town's chief goal creator with 10 - only four less than Blackburn Rovers' Craig Conway, the Championship's best in that field.

That Danny Ward was next up with six assists within Town's ranks means the man who signed off the last campaign with a treble at Watford retains a spot in the XI ahead of Wells, with Jonathan Hogg also proving another casualty.

Adam Clayton's player-of-the-year status, coupled with Oliver Norwood's international standing, results in no room amongst a busy-looking midfield, where Town's crop of promising youngsters will also provide competition.

At the back, I expect Lee Peltier to oust Tommy Smith from the right-back berth but, due to his versatility, it remains to be seen whether or not Robins' preference is to field his new signing in the centre of a four-man defence.

Paul Dixon's attacking ability marks him out as the clear favourite for the left side while Anthony Gerrard and Joel Lynch form a sturdy enough central defensive duo.

It's a close call between Town's other new acquisition Joe Murphy and current No.1 Alex Smithies, but I believe the former should be made to prove the experience he has been brought in for, before displacing a man who has become accustomed to life between the posts at the John Smith's Stadium.

What do you think? Are we on the money with our choices? Send us your team and formation via the survey below or our Huddersfield Town Twitter page.

What Huddersfield Town fans think of the squad as it stands - click here to see the results

How Huddersfield Town's squad is shaping up ahead of 2014/2015 season - click here to find out

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