Preview: Southend United v Huddersfield Town

Clarkey told his new clubs official site: "It is very strange the way things have worked out. Of all the teams we could've played first we got Southend, but in a way it's going to be like nothing has changed for me. It will be another game at Roots Hall but obviously I'll be in a different shirt this time and I must remember to go into a different changing room too. It will be a little strange playing against people I know so well but you have to remain professional. You have to concentrate on the game but hopefully I will get a decent reception from the Southend fans."

As well as the Blues Two, Terriers boss Lee Clarke has also brought in; Blue Square North Gateshead striker Lee Novak for an undisclosed fee, Tranmere Rovers former captain and midfielder Antony Kay on a free transfer, Coventry forward Robbie Simpson for £300,000 on a three-year deal, Yeovil right-back Lee Peltier, also on a three-year contract but for an undisclosed fee, another striker, Ipswich Town's Jordan Rhodes, on a four-year deal, again for an undisclosed fee.

Clarke set off for Southend yesterday with all seven of his new arrivals in tow and is confident his reshaped squad will do enough to win the game, telling the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: "Tomorrow at 3.00 is what six weeks of preparation have been all about, and we're all looking forward to getting things under way. But of course Southend will be looking at things exactly the same way, and if we aren't spot on, we'll get punished. It's important that doesn't happen, because we want to get points on the board on quickly as possible. Last season, this club had 14 points from 14 games, and as a result played catch-up for the rest of the campaign. That can't happen again."

Final Friendly

Wrexham 1 Huddersfield Town 3

This was no stroll in the Welsh sunshine as Town got a timely reminder there's a lot of hard work ahead this season.

Impressive Wrexham tested every aspect of Town's play and it was testament to the all-round strength of Lee Clark's squad that they finished with a flourish.

Two goals in the last seven minutes from Lee Novak - who again caught the eye - and Gary Roberts finally put paid to the spirited challenge of Dean Saunders' Blue Square Premier side in a hard-fought contest.

Perhaps Town got a false sense of well-being when Theo Robinson scored a wonderful opening goal with only 65 seconds on the clock, linking smartly with Robbie Simpson to shred the home defence in style.

But they were pretty soon knocked out of their stride as Manchester City signing Curtis Obeng and lively sub Adrian Cieslewicz clicked Wrexham into gear and, when experienced frontman Gareth Taylor equalised on 31 minutes, it was no more than they deserved.

Town were hesitant and inaccurate in thought and deed at that stage and the 224 travelling fans - Wrexham's second highest away attendance since they dropped out of the Football League - must have wondered what had happened to the fluency and rhythm which had marked much of Town's previous work in friendlies.

It took a few harsh words from the manager to regain the necessary focus and then amid a flurry of second-half substitutions, Town gradually assumed greater control.

The sharpness of debutant Jordan Rhodes and Novak up front, allied to the pace of Lionel Ainsworth down the left, clearly shook Wrexham in the final quarter and Town piled on the pressure in the closing moments.

They certainly didn't have it all their own way over the 90 minutes, however, and that might just serve them well when it comes to the action proper against Southend at Roots Hall on Saturday.

Skipper Peter Clarke and the solid Andy Butler certainly did enough to cement their places in the starting line-up with some forceful challenges and quick interceptions to halt some of Wrexham's best attacks as Town struggled through minutes 15 to 45.

Mark Jones and Hedi Taboubi were livewires in midfield, giving Michael Collins and Antony Kay plenty of headaches, and with Matty Wolfenden feeding nicely off the strong work of Taylor - who played against Town in the 1995 play-off final for Bristol Rovers - Wrexham found a tempo to put Town firmly on the back foot.

Substitute Cieslewicz, too, showed pace and ingenuity and his was his battling run past Robbie Williams which created the chance for Taylor to sweep home the equaliser.

By then, the early polish Town had shown had definitely warn off, although their goal - Alex Smithies, Williams, Robinson and Simpson were all involved before a sweet low finish - was worthy of any game in any season.

Wrexham went close on three or four occasions to taking the lead before the break - and only a brilliant block tackle by Lee Peltier prevented Mark Jones from netting - but it was clear in the second half that Town had a different mindset, with Roberts more prominent and Novak and Rhodes showing well when the chance came.

Matt Glennon got a baptism of fire when going on after 76 minutes, blocking a fierce Wes Baynes free-kick seconds after going on, stopping with his feet in the very next attack and then watching a Mark Jones thunderbolt fly inches over the bar barely 30 seconds later.

Those misses costly as Town re-took the lead on 83 minutes from a well-delivered Roberts corner which Novak expertly headed in despite a touch from keeper Sam Russell.

That knocked the stuffing out of Saunders' men and, only two minutes later, a lightning burst from Ainsworth took him to the goal-line and a neat cut-back was sensibly steered home by Roberts.

Wrexham - Russell, Obeng, Williamson (Cieslewicz 25), Fleming, Assoumani, Williams, Jones, Taboubi, G Taylor (Brown 74), Wolfenden (Baynes 61), N Taylor. Subs not used: Spann, Maxwell, Edwards, Fairhurst, Smith.

Huddersfield - Smithies (Glennon 76), Peltier (Berrett 75), Williams (Skarz 76), Collins, P Clarke (N Clarke 64), Butler, Roberts, Kay (T Clarke 64), Robinson (Rhodes 56), Simpson (Novak 56), Pilkington (Ainsworth 76).

(Report from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner)

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