Lee Novak loving life at Huddersfield Town

Oct 3 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Lee Novak

LEE NOVAK knows a thing or two about being resilient in the face of setbacks, so he’s far from fazed by Town’s recent dip.

A year ago, the striker who has quickly become a crowd favourite at the Galpharm was playing for non-league minnows Newcastle Blue Star, his dreams of appearing in the Scottish Premier League in tatters.

Novak, now 21, had been an academy player at Gretna, whose collapse in 2008 came just two years after they played in the Scottish Cup final and one after winning promotion to the country’s top flight.

Finding himself in the UniBond League, he feared his chances of playing senior football might have passed him by.

But a move to a Gateshead side set on winning promotion to the Blue Star Premier put him on a bigger stage – and his fine form was rewarded when Lee Clark came calling.

“You never give up on an ambition, because that’s the thing that drives you on,” said Novak, who moved to the Galpharm in an undisclosed six-figure deal in January before being loaned back to Gateshead for the remainder of last season.

“But I have to admit, I was worried that my chance might have gone, because in footballing terms, I was getting older.

“I had a great time at Gretna, who were a progressive and driven club until their financial problems began.

“They went a long way in a short time, but it’s like any business, if the money dries up, there’s trouble ahead.

“It became clear that they were in serious trouble, and when we were warned that the club might go to the wall, I decided to move back to Newcastle.

“Some of my friends stayed on, hoping that somehow Gretna would be saved, and it was very, very said to see them being made redundant.”

Novak, a Newcastle United fanatic as a child who like so many Geordies, grew up worshipping Alan Shearer, resigned himself to UniBond football – until Gateshead boss Ian Bogie moved to boost his frontline options.

“I’d got a few goals for Blue Star, and it was a big boost for me when Gateshead came in,” explained Novak.

“They had clearly set their stall out to win promotion, and while it took me a few games to get into the groove, finally the goals started to come.”

A tally of 17 in 19 games alerted bigger clubs, and Scunthorpe United were reported to have made a £90,000 bid by the time recently-installed Town chief Clark made his successful move after watching Novak play on a wet Wednesday night at Workington.