There are plenty of parallels between Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest as they prepare to go toe to toe in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday.
It’s not just that they sit 12th and 13th in the Championship (Forest are a place and two points better off than Town).
Both are better off financially but adjusting to life without key players.
While ex-Town midfielder Jacob Butterfield is now with Forest’s arch-rivals Derby County after his initial £5m move, City Ground chief Dougie Freedman lost flyer Michail Antonio as he completed a £7m transfer to West Ham United.
Like Town boss Chris Powell, Freedman has turned to the loan market.
Both managers will have four borrowed men available.
Town forward Jamie Paterson is ineligible against his parent club Forest, but keeper Jed Steer, centre-back Elliott Ward, midfielder Emyr Huws and winger Muzzy Carayol are all in line to take up from where they left off against Bolton Wanderers as Powell eyes a third win in the spin.
On a busy deadline day during which Paterson joined Town, Freedman brought in a quartet of loanees.
Midfielders Ryan Mendes (Lille) and Jonny Williams (Crystal Palace) and strikers Nelson Oliveira (Benfica) and Chris O’Grady (Brighton and Hove Albion) bolstered Forest’s firepower.
Having won at both QPR and Birmingham City (there’s a warning there for Town as Freedman chases a third away victory running), Forest were beaten 2-1 at home to second-placed Middlesbrough as Town defeated Bolton 4-1 on Saturday.
But seasoned defender Kelvin Wilson insisted: “It is a strange thing to say after we have lost, perhaps – but we do feel as though things are coming together for us.
“The gaffer has really stamped his authority on the team. He is clear in what he wants from us and I think he is getting what he wants from us. It is working.
“Anyone who saw the game will have seen that we deserved to win. The chances that we had were more numerous than they created.
“We had the penalty (Henri Lansbury missed from the spot) and Ryan Mendes has had a couple saved.
“Jack Hobbs had a chance from a corner – there are plenty of positives.
“Even (American right-back) Eric Lichaj had a couple of really good efforts. One day he will score one!
“He is getting himself in good positions, he has the chance to get forward a little more and he is obviously enjoying it. He is playing well.”
Former Celtic centre-back Wilson, 30, added: “All of the new signings have made a big impact for us. They look to have quality.
“We are less one dimensional now that Michail Antonio has left.
“If you put him in any side in the Championship, they would look like a one-man team, because he is that good.
“We certainly can’t rely on him to dig us out of a hole any more.
“But we have shown that we can cope without that. We have other players who can make things happen for us.
“It was tough to take against Middlesbrough with the chances we had and the few that we limited them to.
“A draw would have been a fair result. I am not sure they could have complained had we won, even. But we will take it on the chin and we will go again at Huddersfield, and look to bounce back.”
Freedman is keeping tabs on centre-back Matt Mills (hamstring) and midfielder Ben Osborn (groin) who were both forced off during the Middlesbrough meeting.
Forest quartet Andy Reid, Chris Cohen, Matty Fryatt and Britt Assombalonga are all out long term.
