Liverpool FC hot prospect and Socceroo join Huddersfield Town

Jan 28 2010 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LEE CLARK is hoping Australian World Cup hopeful Dean Heffernan and Liverpool loan striker Nathan Eccleston will be ready to make Town debuts at Yeovil on Saturday.

The Galpharm manager has agreed terms to the end of the season with versatile Socceroo Heffernan and, last night, took highly-rated Eccleston on an initial month’s loan from Anfield.

Clark has kept tabs on the 19-year-old England junior international for some time and is delighted to have added him to his League I squad with the trip to Huish Park just 48 hours away.

Eccleston’s loan is up to and including Town’s trip to Southampton on Tuesday, March 2.

The news comes alongside that of a loan move for Town wideman Lionel Ainsworth to League I rivals Brentford.

While Ainsworth was linking up with the Londoners, who visit Oldham on Saturday, Town were submitting the paperwork to clear left-back Heffernan for English action.

The 29-year-old from Sydney has been playing for Central Coast Mariners in his country’s national league and is desperate to stay in regular competitive action as he aims to seal a place in the Australian squad for this summer’s World Cup finals.

And Clark, who has been tracking the player for two months, believes there could be no greater incentive for his latest defensive acquisition.

“We’ve spoken to the Australian national coach (Pim Verbeek) as part of our homework on Dean, and we were told he has every chance of being involved over in South Africa,” said Clark, who has also brought in centre-backs Krystian Pearce (from Birmingham) and Neal Trotman (on loan from Preston).

“There is no higher achievement in the game than being involved in a World Cup, so Dean has every incentive to perform for us. He took part in a training session on Tuesday, and to say he’d only just arrived in the country, he really caught the eye with his desire and his application.

“We gave him yesterday off to catch up on some sleep, but he’ll be training again today and all being well, he’ll be available for Yeovil.