Huddersfield FC

REPORT: Huddersfield Town caretaker Jon Worthington on benching captain Jonathan was a ‘big decision’

Published

5 months ago

February 15, 2024

Worthington opted to elevate Ben Wiles to the starting lineup while giving Hogg, aged 35, a rest before bringing him on in the final quarter to aid the team in securing a crucial 1-0 victory against the Wearsiders.

Considering Hogg’s workload, Worthington made the decision to have him start on the bench, especially with another home match against Yorkshire rivals Hull City looming within the next 72 hours.

Worthington, who has amassed six points out of a possible nine during his commendable temporary tenure, including victories over Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, along with an impressive showing against high-flying Southampton, remarked, “It was a strategic move to have such a reliable substitute to call upon during a pivotal moment of the match to help us control and ultimately secure the win.”

“But ultimately, with people like Jonathan Hogg, it was a big decision.

“But it was to protect him as he’s such an important player for us and a player who will be needed in the run-in. The game against Southampton exerted a lot of physical effort from players.”

Given the amount of effort Town has put in over the course of a hard week, he went on, “We’ll see if there is any more rotation this weekend. Throughout the three games, I’ve made an effort to evaluate each one on its own merits and determine where we can have the biggest influence.

Worthington was justified in starting Wiles and giving the captain’s armband to goalkeeper Lee Nicholls during Hogg’s substitutions. On this particular night, Town moved five points clear of QPR, who dropped points against Stoke City.

Worthington conceded that it was a difficult decision to start Wiles off the field in last weekend’s match at Southampton, given that the former Rotherham United player had shown the best performance in a Town jersey in his prior meeting with the Owls.

He added: “Absolutely. I spoke to him (Wiles) before the Southampton game to tell him he wasn’t playing and should be pretty annoyed he’s not playing as I would have been as he came on and had a real big impact in that game.

“But sometimes, you have to make those decisions. I knew there would be another opportunity coming soon.”

Worthington stated, “That’s why he was captain (his performance)” in reference to selecting Nicholls as the team’s captain and beginning Hogg on the bench against the Wearsiders. I said that he was captain because he was a significant contributor and a commanding presence, and he lived up to that.