Huddersfield Town head coach Liam Manning is preparing to welcome two players back to fitness, with one of their star deadline day arrivals also closing in on making his Town debut.
The Terriers fought back from 2-0 down against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon to gain a point, marking their fourth match unbeaten since their new boss arrived.
It was a result, though, that leaves them vulnerable to sides outside the Play-Off places, particularly with the West Yorkshire outfit not playing in League One tomorrow evening.
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Instead, Manning’s side are in action in the EFL Trophy, hosting Doncaster Rovers for a spot in the last four. The Terriers progressed to this stage under their previous gaffer, Lee Grant, but the former Norwich City head coach will be looking to take his new side a step further in the competition.
And with Wembley just two wins away, it represents an excellent chance to reach the final of the competition, while balancing minutes for fringe players. That was a point, amid the injuries, that Manning was keen to emphasise, ahead of the clash against their League One rivals tomorrow evening.
“You have to look at who we’ve got out as well. We’ve some really strong players out and we’re still able to put out a really strong line-up and have strong options from the bench.
“We’ve got a few close to coming back. Sean (Roughan) and Jack (Whatmough) are out training now.”
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After consecutive 1-0 wins against promotion-chasers Bradford City and Luton Town in his first two games in charge, Manning’s side improved their goalscoring fortunes to win a thrilling encounter at Peterborough United. Last Saturday, he was indebted to the contributions of substitutes Lasse Sørensen and Cameron Ashia to help salvage a point against the Tangerines.
But one of their most exciting forwards is yet to make his Terriers debut. Ryan Hardie was highly-sought after man in the January transfer window. Fellow promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers were also thought to be interested in taking the Wrexham man on loan. But it was the West Yorkshire outfit who were able to lure the former Plymouth Argyle man to the Accu Stadium.
And Manning was able to give an update on how far away he is from making his first appearance in blue and white.
“Ryan (Hardie) is not a million miles away. So all of a sudden, you start adding some of those guys, it will feel like new signings and add more quality in competition as well.”
Huddersfield’s gap to the sides outside the top six places has been reduced to four points, having played more than everyone else in the third tier. But with players returning from injury, the Terriers have one of the best squads on paper to balance the promotion battle and cup commitments in the coming months.
