Pre season Friendlies 2017... Thoughts?

Rather underwhelmed with this:

First Team
Weds 12 July - Parkgate FC (A)
Sat 15 July - Ossett Town (H)
Weds 19 July - Farsley Celtic (A)
Sat 22 July - Shaw Lane AFC (A)
Tues 25 July - TBC (H)
Sat 29 July - Gateshead (H)

In fact pretty rubbish to be honest.

What happened to the Leeds UTD, Sheffield UTD and Bradford City type games?

We really used to be tested pre season in these games and yet going full time next season and we have mostly lower league opposition, I mean not a bad thing and we have had some interesting games in the past, but really, we should have at least One or Two games against league teams.

Guessing league clubs aren't keen to play on 3G surfaces??? More concerned if we'll have enough players to play so many games in quick succession, or enough coaches to coach them.

Sulphurite has used the word I was about to - 'underwhelmed'. Not much activity at all at the moment as far as can be seen but as we keep saying, early days yet so let's hope more is happening behind the scenes.

Top Cat wrote:Guessing league clubs aren't keen to play on 3G surfaces??? More concerned if we'll have enough players to play so many games in quick succession, or enough coaches to coach them.

Not an excuse they could use according this:

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Really hope they can organise at least a game against league opposition!!!

They can host games on it against league clubs not a problem, what I was suggesting was perhaps league clubs don't want to play on the surface? If that's the case you can't force them to play on it.

Yes a really flat summer so far, only one 'big', or semi-big signing (Thomson), an incredibly dull set of preseason games. Talk about a big build up to going full time! So far it's been frankly rubbish. What is going on? I thought this would be a really exciting close season, so far it's a big YAWN.

paulstreet wrote:Yes a really flat summer so far, only one 'big', or semi-big signing (Thomson), an incredibly dull set of preseason games. Talk about a big build up to going full time! So far it's been frankly rubbish. What is going on? I thought this would be a really exciting close season, so far it's a big YAWN.

Especially if you compare it to the other team in our division who are making the leap to full time ( much quieter about it then our lot I must add) with a similar financial backing Salford

Yes, no point going full time unless you intend to increase the fan base considerably, what we have seen so far is hardly likely to excite Mr and Ms potential Town supporter is it?  No big name signing, a chance to see Ossett Town at the CNG (can barely control my excitement!) and so on. It seems to me that when (for example) Fylde went full time they didn't mess about. They did what had to be done to get promotion and achieved it comfortably, their attendances improved dramatically (I think!). If anything we seem determined to underplay expectations (nothing to do with the manager, of course!). No disrespect to Jordan and Ryan (decent enough players for sure), but re-signing them seemed a retrograde step, and signified a remarkable lack of ambition. I thought quality players (and their agents!), would be beating the door down to have a chance to go, or stay, full time. Seemingly not. One can speculate as to reasons, of course.

Still, as A1 drifter says, there is still time for this to change. Better not be too long about it. There are really only two close season months, May has gone, and we are into June already. The official website, needless to say, is about as exciting as a wet week-end in (name seaside town of your choice). Come on, we fans are desperate for news, stories, gossip etc. etc.

Surprised there's been nothing official about vill Powell leaving the club, or am I really that surprised??

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Is that official enough for you?

That will do, but I'd completely given up on our official site to find out any news, normally find anything town news related on twitter but even that's not great " communication"

Just read that Halifax will be entertaining a full first team Bradford City team, and also Rochdale, another league club. OK they are a league above us now, but even so. Wouldn't it be great to get Huddersfield down to the CNG (we have one home slot available!), that would really generate some publicity.

paulstreet wrote:Just read that Halifax will be entertaining a full first team Bradford City team, and also Rochdale, another league club.  OK they are a league above us now, but even so.  Wouldn't it be great to get Huddersfield down to the CNG (we have one home slot available!), that would really generate some publicity.

We used to have some very good pre - season games. Seems to have tailed off since Weavers reign.

What benefit would a league 1/2 team have playing us on 3G?

If we played the likes of Bradford/Huddersfield, it would be an U21 team. That would be of no benefit to us.

I'd be happy with a couple of games at home to National League teams. Pre season is for the team to prepare for next season, not the fans.

HTAFC Away Travel wrote:What benefit would a league 1/2 team have playing us on 3G?

If we played the likes of Bradford/Huddersfield, it would be an U21 team. That would be of no benefit to us.

I'd be happy with a couple of games at home to National League teams. Pre season is for the team to prepare for next season, not the fans.

Really? And how does the team benefit from playing lower league teams (apart from making them look better than they are, in some cases)?

As for, it's not for the fans, again they still expect the fans to turn out for these pre-season games and pay their hard earned cash.

My opinion only, but, I would rather see an under 21 Leeds Utd, Bradford City or Huddersfield side than Parkgate FC etc. I think a better mix of teams and abilities is required.

Shaw Lane seems an odd choice for a Saturday away match. Somewhere like say Whitby would be just as good for the team and a lot better for the fans.

Have to agree with sulphurite here. I take the point about 'big' teams not wanting to play on 3G pitches (but don't they partly train on them?). But if pre-season games are only for the team and not the fans, then 1) why not play them behind closed doors or 2) why charge people to watch them?

More importantly we are going full time this season, and surely we need all the publicity we can get to get new supporters in (we 'old lags' are going to be going anyway!). A high profile game at the CNG could really have done wonders in that respect, as it is Ossett Town at home is about as unexciting as you can imagine.

Good sense as always, Paul.

First Team
Weds 12 July - Parkgate FC (A)
Sat 15 July - Ossett Town (H)
Weds 19 July - Farsley Celtic (A)
Sat 22 July - Shaw Lane AFC (A)
Tues 25 July - TBC (H) Has to be Harrogate Railway, surely?
Sat 29 July - Gateshead (H)

The usual John Smiths Cup game?

The lack of communication and seemingly, ambition is overwhelming!!

COME ON TOWN, SURPRISE US WITH SOME NEWS

John smiths cup game will be railway v our u21s I'm led to believe

Top Cat wrote:John smiths cup game will be railway v our u21s I'm led to believe

Great, do you know when it might be?

July 13th

U21 Pre-season friendly fixtures.

Thurs 13 July - Harrogate Railway (H)
Tues 18 July - Notts County XI (H)
Weds 19 July - HTAFC Development Squad v Knaresborough Town (A)

The Railway game is the John Smiths Trophy game.
The Knaresborough game is some kind of charity game i believe but not sure on the exact details.

Can anyone remember a more unexciting and boring set of friendlies? I can't. The lack of any kind of news from the club is becoming farcical, apart from rounders and football training for the under 2 year olds (OK I exagerate a bit!), there has been nothing since Fallowfield re-signed. Just 3 weeks till the players come back. Crazy.

Maybe there are many exciting surprises being held back just to keep us guessing?