Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Town in line for £800k over virus shutdown

- By MEL BOOTH @examinerHT­AFC By RICKY CHARLESWOR­TH @examinerHT­AFC

EVERY so often, Town find a midfield sparkler the fans simply love to watch.

Wind the clock back half a century and you find Jimmy McGill, a Scotsman who never took a backward step and who invited colleagues to run over the rubble after he’d demolished the brick wall.

People like Brian Stanton and Mick Kennedy took up the cudgel for Mick Buxton’s teams and then

TOWN will receive £800,000 award payments from the Premier

League.

The EFL has released a £50m short-term relief fund to help clubs with cash-flow issues as a result of the coronaviru­s outbreak.

The announceme­nt was made after an EFL board meeting on

Darren Bullock captivated a new generation with Neil Warnock’s promotion winners – proving himself to be the heartbeat of a cracking side.

There have been others, too, who perfectly illustrate the point, and the Terriers are fortunate to have another one fast becoming a massive favourite of the fans.

Lewis O’Brien has made such an impact he’s pretty much the first name on the teamsheet for delighted boss Danny Cowley.

O’Brien, in fact, has made 20

Wednesday discussed the impact of the outbreak on clubs.

In addition, teams in the Championsh­ip – including Town – will also be able to apply for a £584,000 interest-free loan.

For League One clubs the figures are £250,000 and £183,000, and for League Two sides they are £164,000 and £120,000.

“As part of the League’s continued contingenc­y planning, the board more tackles than any other Championsh­ip player aged under 22 this season.

He has 94 to his credit – tweeting ‘Touch tackle, that’s the key’ – while the next in the list is Birmingham City’s much-vaunted Jude Bellingham with 74.

Bellingham is just 16 and said to be being targeted by Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund with a fee of £30m reported.

O’Brien’s value will also be spiralling as he tops a tackling list which, after Bellingham, includes Barnsley’s Luke Thomas (70), Middlesbro­ugh’s Marcus Tavernier (69), former Town player Jordan Williams of Barnsley and Leonardo Lopes of Hull City (both 59).

On top of the tackling, the ubiquitous midfielder has blocked 40 opposition passes, made 34 intercepti­ons, 926 accurate passes (31 of which have been key) and, as heard the comments and observatio­ns from EFL clubs, before discussing a number of issues including the current financial position and implicatio­ns, insurance, regulatory matters and broadcasti­ng arrangemen­ts,” an EFL statement read.

“Discussion­s centred on financial relief for clubs in the short term and while there is no one single solution, measures are to be put in place to he’s been targeted as a major threat by opposition, he’s become the most fouled Town player, winning 52 free kicks.

What makes it better for Town fans is the 21-year-old O’Brien is Town through and through despite being born in Colchester and brought up in Rochdale.

He came all the way through the Town Academy and was picked out at an early age as a potential star of the future.

Town’s promotion to the Premier League meant there wasn’t an opportunit­y for O’Brien to break through at the John Smith’s Stadium, so then boss David Wagner loaned him out to Bradford City for the whole of the 2018-19 campaign.

It was a tough but brilliant learning environmen­t for the all-action midfielder – who has the tremendous bonus of being left footed.

O’Brien played 46 matches for the

Lewis O’Brien has made such an impact he’s the first name on

the teamsheet

immediatel­y assist with cash flow via a £50m short-term relief package.”

Meanwhile, the EFL Trophy final between Portsmouth and Salford City, scheduled for April 5, has been postponed.

More then 50,000 tickets have been sold for the clash to be staged at Wembley.

No new date for the final has yet been announced.

 ??  ?? Jimmy McGill with Frank Worthingto­n and some of the 1971 Town squad
Mel Booth
Jimmy McGill with Frank Worthingto­n and some of the 1971 Town squad Mel Booth

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