ALL Huddersfield Town’s senior back-up talent will be under the microscope in today’s development game at Sunderland.

Manager Lee Clark – preparing for Saturday’s tough trip to Leyton Orient – has goalkeeper Alex Smithies pencilled in for an important 90 minutes against the Black Cats.

But he will also involve strikeforce duo Alan Lee and Lee Novak on Wearside, along with midfielders Anton Robinson, Damien Johnson and Joey Gudjonsson.

The defensive line-up in front of Smithies will include Tom Clarke, Nathan Clarke, Antony Kay and Calum Woods.

On a day when club captain Peter Clarke undergoes double hernia surgery, Clark reported: “It’s an important exercise for us at Sunderland and we are glad to get the game on.

“It’s important we keep our squad ticking over and playing matches, although the senior pros won’t play the whole game.

“They will have an hour, or maybe 70 minutes in some cases, and then we’ve got some good young players we want to give some game time to as well.

“It’s just another part of keeping the playing side going as we want. We came out of the reserve league a while ago so that we could organise these quality games when we wanted them, and as a result of where we are based and the contacts we’ve got, we are getting games that suit us.”

Clark answered “nothing has changed” when asked about his name continuing to be linked with the vacant managerial post at Leeds United.

Meanwhile, Town’s League I trip to Stevenage has been re-arranged to take place on Tuesday, February 28 (7.45).It’s a blank date a week on Saturday because Stevenage are in the fifth round of the FA Cup.