STAN TERNENT will send his players into action against big guns Arsenal tonight with the message: “Think about yourselves, not the opposition.”
The prestigious centenary match at the Galpharm, which kicks off at 7.00 and will be seen by a 15,000-plus crowd, represents Town’s final tune-up before Saturday’s big League I opener at home to Stockport County.
And while Arsene Wenger’s star-studded squad includes what Ternent describes as “some of the best players in the world”, the home manager won’t worry about the opposition.
Instead, he’ll be thinking about the three E’s – experience, education and most of all, enjoyment.
“The match is a celebration of 100 years of a great football club, and the fact that another great football club provide the opposition will make it a fantastic occasion,” said Ternent.
“A lot of people are coming down to watch, and my big hope is that they will enjoy some great entertainment.
“Of course it’s also a chance for my players to pit themselves against some of the best in the business, and if they’ve any sense, they will be looking to learn as much as they can.
“I came up against Arsenal when I was at Derby (as assistant manager) last season, and there’s no doubt they are a fantastic football team.
“Some people seem to have written them off, but not me. They have some superb players, and like all good teams, their secret is in doing the basic things very well and very swiftly.
“But I won’t be placing too much emphasis on them and trying to second-guess what kind of side they’ll put out.
“There aren’t any points up for grabs tonight, but there will be three against Stockport, and one of tonight’s objectives is to make sure we’re right for Saturday.”
Ternent is unlikely to risk new midfield signing Michael Flynn, who suffered a slight leg tweak against Sheffield United on Saturday but should be fine for this weekend.Teenage striker Danny Broadbent and trialist goalkeeper Paul Gerrard are out.
Theo Walcott is in the Arsenal squad, which is:
Nacer Barazite, Kyle Bartley, Johan Djourou, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Lukasz Fabianski (Gkp), Rui Fonte, Emmanuel Frimpong, Kieran Gibbs, Gavin Hoyte, Justin Hoyte, Henri Lansbury, Vito Manone (Gkp), Havard Nordtveit, Aaron Ramsey, Mark Randall, Jay Simpson, Theo Walcott, Sanchez Watt, Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere.
In a bumper Huddersfield Town section today, we also have further interviews with Stan Ternent, Kiegan Parker, Chris Lucketti and Danny Cadamarteri as well as season predictions for all teams in League 1.
