Huddersfield Town’s Jonathan Hogg delivers Nottingham Forest verdict ahead of play-off final

Huddersfield Town are well aware of Nottingham Forest’s strengths having faced them three times already this season ahead of Sunday’s Championship play-off final between the two. 

Carlos Corberan’s squad have lost on two of those three occasions but, in a one-game shootout, Jonathan Hogg is experienced enough to know that whoever turns up and handles the occasion of the play-off final will be victorious.

“They’re a good team,” Hogg said of Forest at Thursday’s media day.

“They are solid team, good going forward. They like to counterattack the space in-behind you, there’s some good fast players and some young talent as well.

“It is what it is, if you turn up on the day, you’ll win. The team that turns up and handles the occasion best will win the game.

“There’s not a big difference between the teams.”

The meeting at the John Smith’s Stadium in September saw Forest run out 2-0 winners thanks to Lewis Grabban’s strike and a Lee Nicholls own goal. It was Forest’s first win of the season and came in the build-up to Steve Cooper’s appointment at the City Ground.

That day, Brennan Johnson’s pace on the counter was a particular problem for Carlos Corberan’s side. At Wembley, it’s something that Huddersfield are going to have to be aware of, with Johnson going from strength-to-strength this season.

Wembley’s enormity gives the illusion that the pitch is far bigger than the standard in the Championship, potentially handing Forest something of an advantage given how they thrive on the counter.

Yet, as Hogg pointed out, it’s only your eyes that give you that impression about the dimensions of the national stadium’s pitch.

“Our pitch has the same dimensions,” Hogg pointed out.

“Because the stadium is that big we thought the same, but