ADAM CLAYTON has enjoyed getting to know his new Huddersfield Town teammates over the last few days and believes they will make a significant mark in the Championship this season.
The 23-year-old midfielder – signed on a three-year deal from Leeds for £400,000 – has no doubt Simon Grayson’s squad can handle the hot competition of the second tier.
And while he impressed under Grayson at Elland Road last term, learning a massive amount about the teams Town will come up against, the Manchester City product and former England Under 20 cap is confident the Galpharm club will see even more from him this term.
Handed the No8 shirt for a campaign which gets under way against Cardiff in Wales on Friday, August 17, Clayton explained: “I can’t wait to get cracking really.
“There is definitely more to come from me, because last season was my first proper Championship season and I learned an awful lot from the experience.
“I’m fitter and stronger after playing a lot of games at this level and I’m going to be better prepared both mentally and physically.
“There is no reason why I shouldn’t be just as good or better than my best form last season and I’m really looking forward to everything that’s ahead.
“My first impressions of the club are that it’s a really good, friendly working environment and everything is so positive, with everyone pulling in the same direction.”
Clayton says he was massively impressed by chairman Dean Hoyle and believes the club owner is providing exactly the right backing to take the club forward.
It was Grayson’s presence, however, which proved the biggest draw to moving down the M62 instead of looking further afield.
“The gaffer is very ambitious and he’s just like me in that he wants to go to the Premier League,” said Clayton, who played in the same England Under 20 team as former Town loanee Martin Kelly, the Liverpool defender who was part of Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 squad in Poland and Ukraine.
“With him being here, I knew I would enjoy all the day-to-day sessions as well as the way he wants his team to play football.
“Snods and Dusty (Glynn Snodin and Ian Miller, the coaches) keep training really bright and enjoyable and it’s a nice environment to work in.
“They make sure you are ready and that you want to go out and win, not just for the team, but for them as well.
“The gaffer and coaches are also great in the dressing room as well. If things aren’t going so well, the manager will have a word and Snods will have his say and they really get you motivated to turn things around, letting you know exactly what you’ve got to do.