Schindler in, Hefele out: The dream Huddersfield Town XI from the last decade – Do you agree? | OneFootball

The season is not done yet for Carlos Corberan’s Huddersfield Town, not by a long way.

They are seven points clear of the bottom three at the moment but Rotherham United’s games in hand mean they could be dragged back down into the relegation battle again soon.

The Terriers’ future isn’t going to be decided by their two tough games over the Easter weekend – Brentford and then Norwich City – but any points could be a huge boost looking ahead.

To take your mind off that, however, we’re looking back over their triumphs and successes of the past decade to highlight just who makes their dream XI from that period.

It’s been an eventful 10 years, to say the least, and has included promotion to the Championship and the Premier League, relegation back down to the second tier, and numerous fights for survival.

Here it is then, our dream Huddersfield XI from the last 10 years…

We start with a homegrown Terrier between the sticks.

Nearly a decade ago, Smithies played a decisive role in helping Huddersfield get back to the Championship – keeping a clean sheet in the play-off final before saving two penalties in the shootout and scoring his own to all but seal the win.

There were a few other candidates but having come through the club’s academy and tallying up nearly 200 appearances for them in the last 10 years, the 31-year-old gets the nod.

Not only did he help win promotion to the Championship, but he was also ever-present in the side that established the Yorkshire club in the second tier.

Given he arrived on a free transfer and went on to play an integral role in their 2016/17 Championship promotion-winning season, featured in the Premier League, and took the captain’s armband, there’s an argument to be made that Smith could be the Terriers’ signing of the decade.

But that’s not what we’re here to discuss.

There’s no doubt that the defender that notched up 200 appearances for Huddersfield needs to be in at right-back in their team of the decade.

Reliable defensively and a threat going forward – particularly in 2016/17 when he finished with four goals and eight assists – Smith deserves his recognition.

We go back to the early part of the decade for our first centre-back selection, which is Peter Clarke.

Not the sort of ball-playing centre-back that Carlos Corberan favours now, Clarke was a no-nonsense defender but one that never failed to give his all for the shirt.

He was named club captain soon after arriving from Southend United but despite receiving personal accolades, his first few years saw some play-off heartbreak – losing first in the semi-finals and then the final.

Those only made him hoisting the trophy in 2011/12 all the sweeter as he led the Terriers back up to the Championship and then helped them establish themselves in the division in the next two years.

There may have been more technical players but Clarke was a phenomenal servant to the club and surely a selection that few fans will argue with.

Michael Hefele may feel aggrieved to have not been included in this side, having produced an excellent single season with the Terriers but Christopher Schindler slots in next to Clarke at the heart of our back four.

The German may be nearing the end of his time at the John Smith’s Stadium but what a five years it has been.

A brilliant, rounded centre-back, Schindler has been ever-present in the side for the majority of his tenure.

He etched his name into the club’s history by firing in the penalty that sent Huddersfield to the Premier League but he’ll be remembered for far more than that.

Another German player that arrived just ahead of the 2016/17 promotion-winning campaign, Chris Lowe completes a pair of full-backs that highlight just how successful free transfers can be.

A defender that never seemed to panic and one whose reading of the game meant he had the knack of popping up at the right place to rid his side of danger.

Lowe doesn’t have the longevity that some of the players on this list do – and Harry Toffolo may well surpass him in years to come – but it’s hard to imagine a Terriers defensive line of the decade that doesn’t have him in it.

Gary Roberts may have left the club in 2012 but even so, his performances in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns mean it’s impossible to leave him off this list.

The winger, who was comfortable playing on either flank, was a constant threat and – as with the other winger in this side – made more of an impact in the last decade than any other of the wide players that featured for the club.

There are more technical players in this side, those that are more exciting to watch, and certainly those that command bigger wages and transfer fees, but it’s hard to argue that any have been a better servant to Huddersfield than Jonathan Hogg.

A central midfielder that was happy to do the dirty work and does it so well.

A leader in the centre of the park that knew when the right time to produce a crunching challenge was and when things needed calming down.

In more than 250 appearances for the Yorkshire club, Hogg helped them establish themselves in the second tier, win promotion to the top flight, battle for survival there, and is now part of the side looking to turn their fortunes around.

The perfect accompaniment to Hogg in central midfield, Aaron Mooy dazzled in his three seasons at the Yorkshire club and produced moments of magic that often left you rubbing your eyes in disbelief.

It wasn’t just about his attacking production – though that was indeed significant – or his ability to pull the strings and unlock defences, there was a fire in the belly as well.

Mooy oozed quality during his three seasons with Huddersfield but his performances in the 2016/17 promotion run and the first season in the top flight were the pinnacle.

His brilliance was vital as they battled their way to the Premier League and then proved an important bit of quality as they stayed up the following season.

There’s an argument to be made that not enough of his contributions came in the last decade but it didn’t feel right leaving Anthony Pilkington off this list – and his brilliance in the 2010/11 campaign certainly means he’s deserving of it.

As technically gifted a player as the Terriers have seen over the last 10 years, there’s no doubt about that.

Two fantastic feet and a player that never failed to get bums off seats and excite the fanbase, Pilkington represented everything that watching football should be all about.

It’s certainly a selection that our strike partnership would be happy with, that’s for sure.

There’s talk of a comeback and if he can return to the sort of form he showed for Huddersfield early on in the last decade, it would be a masterstroke.

The term goal-machine is banded around a fair bit but it’s hard to think of someone it sums up better than Jordan Rhodes in a Terriers shirt.

35 League One goals in the 2011/12 season is a frankly ridiculous achievement and the striker proved a man for the big occasions, by popping up with two more in the play-off run.

A proper EFL marksman, Rhodes was impossible to leave out of our XI.

4-4-2 was not the natural choice for a Huddersfield team of the last decade but when you have two strikers of this quality, you need to squeeze them in.

It’s crazy to think that Karlan Grant is still only 23 and though he made just 57 appearances for the Terriers, his quality was clear.

Grant’s tenure came during a difficult spell for the club, arriving in January 2019 ahead of their relegation from the top flight and then was a mainstay in the side as they made a shaky return to the second tier.

But despite the issues around him, the striker just continued to score goals and no one was more integral to the side remaining in the Championship last season than him.