Huddersfield’s Max Murray turns throw-ins into a legitimate scoring threat
Huddersfield Town's Max Murray has revived the long throw-in as a scoring weapon, following tactics pioneered by Rory Delap. His precision deliveries have created viral moments and exposed a gap in defensive preparation.
Max Murray, a Huddersfield Town academy product, has built a viral reputation for converting one of football's most overlooked set pieces into a consistent attacking weapon.
The tactic isn't new. Rory Delap, the former Stoke City midfielder and father of Chelsea striker Liam Delap, weaponized the long throw-in during his four-year Premier League tenure, turning a mundane restart into genuine offensive pressure. Stoke scored 25 goals directly from Delap's throw-in deliveries, cementing a legacy so defining that his Wikipedia profile photo features him with the ball in hand rather than at his feet.
Murray's approach echoes Delap's. By treating throw-ins as set pieces requiring precision and delivery, he has generated significant defensive chaos. Brentford's Michael Kayode demonstrated similar effectiveness in the Premier League last season, but Murray's consistency has drawn wider attention.
The mechanics are straightforward: a long throw-in, when executed with sufficient accuracy and power, reduces goalkeeper distribution advantage and forces opposition defenders into compressed spaces. This creates numerical overload scenarios near the goal line and penalty box—areas where standard open play is difficult to replicate.
The resurgence of this tactic reflects a broader shift in how teams optimize marginal advantages. Set pieces have become increasingly systematized across football, with throw-ins historically underdeveloped compared to corners or free kicks. Murray's emergence suggests some academies are now treating them with equivalent tactical importance.
His viral status indicates the novelty remains intact. Most defenders and goalkeepers are trained for corners and free kicks; throw-in routines remain comparatively rare. This asymmetry—where an underexploited weapon meets unprepared opposition—creates temporary tactical advantage until wider adoption catches up.
