Why case for defence will be key for Huddersfield Town, Barnsley FC and Rotherham United - plus promoted Yorkshire duo
SIR Alex Ferguson famously opined that while attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.
Not only championships, but promotion. Crunch the numbers in League One from last term and it bears this out.
It provides some food for thought for Yorkshire's five teams who will commence their new seasons at this level next weekend.
It's a particularly pertinent issue given that Barnsley, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United will possess realigned rearguards in 2025-26, most certainly at centre-half.
Defence has also been a key strand of summer recruitment for the promoted duo of Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers.
Back to the data. It is perhaps no coincidence that the two teams with comfortably the best goals against records in the third tier in 24-25 in Birmingham City (31) and Wrexham (34) occupied the top two come May.
The top-six teams had the best defensive records, almost in descending order in terms of goals conceded.
The one outlier in the rest of the division were mid-table Wigan Athletic, who conceded as many as third-placed Stockport County (42).
It was a different story for the Reds, Town and Millers.
The most extensive defensive make-over has arrived at Huddersfield following the departure of senior defenders Tom Lees, Matty Pearson, Josh Ruffels and Ollie Turton.
Another option at the back in club legend Jonathan Hogg has also left and Brodie Spencer was recently sold to Oxford United.
In his post-season address, chairman Kevin Nagle vowed that Town would bring in some physicality at the back and he has proved as good as his word.
At 6ft 5in, Joe Low can certainly be described as a 'strapping lad'. Loan recruit Josh Feeney stands at 6ft 4in, with Murray Wallace and Jack Whatmough being two other signings who should provide a renewed physical edge to the Terriers' backline.
For manager Lee Grant, keeping the back door shut will assume plenty of importance in his first season as a 'number one'.
The hope is that relationships and connections will be established pretty quickly alongside a new first-choice goalkeeper in Crystal Palace loanee Owen Goodman.
Town's defensive numbers in the second half of last season were lamentable.
After a watershed victory at Wycombe in early January, they registered just two clean sheets in their last 22 matches. Their last shut-out was in mid-February and they conceded 22 goals in their final 10 games.
At Barnsley, the case for the defence was also a damning one.
The Reds conceded 73 goals and their shocking tally of 54 concessions in the second half of matches was easily the worst record in the division.
They shipped 25 goals in the final quarter of league games and their goals against total on home soil of 36 was the second worst in League One. Only relegated Shrewsbury Town had inferior statistics.
It is to be hoped that the loan return of Jack Shepherd following a fine loan season at promoted Bradford will help ameliorate matters.
His presence could be akin to a 'new signing' and his partnership with Marc Roberts is likely to be key for the Oakwell outfit.
Two of the Millers' better operators last season in Hakeem Odoffin and Cameron Humphreys provided some element of consistency at the back in 24-25. Both have now moved on, although a commanding presence in Zak Jules remains.
Young defender Lenny Agbaire represents a new option.
But it is the first-team reintegration of a seen-it-done-it, central defensive pillar in 6ft 5in Sean Raggett which could well prove to be a significant as anything for the Milers, who kept just one clean sheet on the road in the first half of last season - and their record of conceding late goals across the season was not great either.
Raggett, 31, promoted from this level with Portsmouth in 2023-24, made only 11 appearances last season duo to a knee issue.
His rehabilitation is said to be going well and he could return to the first-team fray at some point next month, all being well.
Despite securing cherished promotions, the backlines of Rovers and Bradford will possess a new look.
Having seen Joe Olowu, Richard Wood and Tom Anderson all leave, Grant McCann has got busy, bringing in Sean Grehan and Connor O'Riordan alongside a seasoned defensive lieutenant in ex-Town man Pearson, busily embracing his new challenge in South Yorkshire.
Thimothee Lo-Tutala, who kept clean sheets for fun in his loan spell at Rovers in 2023-24, returns in goal.
Speaking of third-tier experience at the back, three new arrivals in Matt Pennington, Curtis Tilt and Joe Wright – provide clear ticks in the box for City.