SIMON GRAYSON will send his Huddersfield Town players into their latest play-off campaign at MK Dons tomorrow telling them: "Enjoy the challenge ahead."
A League I promotion winner with both Blackpool and Leeds, the boss scoffed at suggestions his side are under pressure after losing in the semi-finals in 2010 and the final last time around.
"It’s great to be involved," said Grayson, who will put his squad through their paces at the Galpharm this morning before heading South ahead of the semi-final first leg at stadium:mk (12.30), where Town are likely to be backed by around 4,000 fans.
"If that’s pressure, then I want more of it, and my players should as well. We might have missed out on automatic promotion, but we have this chance of doing it through the play-offs, and everyone at the club is up for it."
Experienced left-back Gary Naysmith (knee/calf) is Town’s only fitness concern, and the travelling army will be keen to discover Grayson’s starting XI.
Jordan Rhodes, the club’s 38-goal top scorer who is fresh from another Scotland Under 21 call-up, is ready for a return after being left on the bench for the last two league games.
Rugged frontman Alan Lee, credited for a vital support role in Rhodes’ remarkable season, is pushing for a recall after a knee problem.
But Grayson also has Lee Novak eager to net for the fourth match running and Kallum Higginbotham offering a frontline alternative after two bright displays.
MK Dons, aiming for a first win over Town in eight attempts, have injury worries over French defender Matthias Doumbe and former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick as they bid to avoid successive semi-finals defeats.
