Next Up: Huddersfield Town vs Exeter City
City kicked off 2026 as they finished 2025, with a 1-0 win that was more comfortable than the scoreline suggested, to record successive league wins for the first time this season and push right up the congested table. With City proving a tough nut to crack, having the second best defensive record in the league, another tight contest is expected against a side chasing promotion. On the injury front Gary Caldwell confirmed that Ed Turns is likely to be back in contention for Sunday, while joking that everyone else is recovering in time for the match the following week…! Sil Swinkels came into the side in place of Luca Woodhouse against Luton, while Caldwell kept things fresh further up the pitch with Aitchison and Cox coming in for Higgins and Cole – this may be reversed again at Huddersfield wih the games coming thick and fast.
Lee Grant’s Huddersfield have appeared to blow hot and cold this season – at one point losing seven out of ten across four competitions – but go into Sunday’s encounter in decent form, unbeaten in six including three wins in a row against some of City’s relegation rivals before a 1-1 draw at high-flying Lincoln in their last fixture. In what is a low scoring division generally this season, the Terriers are the top scorers with an impressive 43 goals albeit they have conceded 32, which is more than bottom placed Port Vale (for context, City’s games have seen 44 goals in total) so, like how Luton were nullified before, City’s solid defence will need to stand tall once more. Goals have been spread around, with Leo Castledine (10) one of the division’s leading scorers, but a remarkable 17 different players have notched in the league so far. Bojan Radulovic is someone who has been hitting the net regularly in recent games.
It was Castledine who made the difference in the reverse fixture in September, bagging the only goal, while City will look to avenge the 2-0 defeat in West Yorkshire last season where goals in each half from Pearson and Wiles sealed the points. Huddersfield hold the lead in league head to heads with 13 wins to City’s nine, five matches finishing level.
The match officials for this game will be:-
Referee: Abigail Byrne
Assistant Referees: Kevin Mulraine and Samuel Clayton
Fourth Official: Ross Joyce
This will be Abigail’s first time in charge of an Exeter game. So far this season she has taken charge of 14 games, booking 54 players and sending one player off.
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Interview with Carlos Mendez Gomes