Preston Grasshoppers vs. Huddersfield, 12th October, 2.30pm
Preston Grasshoppers will be looking to get back to winning ways after last weekend’s disappointment when they face Yorkshire side Huddersfield this coming Saturday at Lightfoot Green.
Our visitors haven’t had the best of starts this season, recording just one win which came in a narrow victory over current bottom side Scunthorpe last week at Lockwood Park, where although ending up on the losing side, the visitors outscored Hudderfield by four tries to three.
Hoppers on the other hand suffered single point defeat over at Grassington where the home side Wharfedale hung on to their narrow lead throughout the final half hour with Hoppers unable to convert their many visits to the home 22 into points.
Tyler Spence celebrated his fiftieth appearance for Hoppers running over half the length of the pitch to record his twentieth try and in turn clocking up one hundred points. Tyler’s next League appearance will also be his fiftieth. James Fitzpatrick reached a similar milestone in league games coming on as a replacement.
The first meeting between Huddersfield and Hoppers in Preston was at the Lea ground on the 28th of March 1959 after Preston Grasshoppers had made the initial journey over the Pennines to play Huddersfield twelve months earlier at The Waterloo Ground, which is now occupied by a Morrisons Supermarket.
It turned out to be a narrow home victory which avenged the heavy defeat from their first meeting when Huddersfield ran out comprehensive victors.
The playing record between this week’s opponents sits in favour of Huddersfield by thirty three victories against twenty six to Hoppers with two matches ending all square and one being cancelled. Our visitors did the double over Hoppers last season and have now won nine league games to Hoppers seven.
There’s been a reoccurring sequence in meetings between the two sides over the last five seasons the two have met, each team taking it in turns to win both games per season. Let’s hope the sequence continues!
There have been four other meeting between the two teams, all of which were pre-season practice games. The first three of these being played at Lockwood Park with the last at Lightfoot Green. Preston Grasshoppers won all three in Yorkshire whilst Huddersfield won the one in Preston.
Team News
Hoppers are forced into a number of change in the match day squad. PJ Millea is in at hooker for Chris Taylor who has a hamstring strain. Dan Madden comes in on bench.
Ryan Purcell is in on the bench for Tyler Sloane who took a knock to the head at Wharfedale.
Ben Dorrington moves to 10 with Joe Prior missing due to injury. Jake Squirrell returns at 9.
Alex Hurst is away with work so james Fitzpatrick is restored to the sentence.
Jacob Browne gets his first call up this season after impressing with the 2s and takes his place on the bench.
1. John BLANCHARD
2. PJ MILLEA (C)
3. Noah MILLER
4. Adam HOWARD
5. Sam WALLBANK
6. Ryan CARLSON
8. Matt LAMPREY
9. Jake SQUIRRELL
10. Ben DORRINGTON
11. Tyler SPENCE
12. James FITZPATRICK
13. Sam STOTT
14. Scott JORDAN
15. Jordan DORRINGTON
REPLACEMENTS: 16. PURCELL, 17. MADDEN, 18. PROCTER, 19. BROWNE, 20. CROW
