DEAN HOYLE is ready to break Huddersfield Town’s budget by backing a dip into the loan transfer market – possibly before Saturday’s showdown with leaders Cardiff.

The Football League window for temporary deals reopens today – and as the Championship club grapple with mounting injury problems, the owner-chairman says if the right deal is possible, the club will try to do it.

Hoyle is in the process of appointing a new manager, but says caretaker Mark Lillis and head of football operations Ross Wilson are scouring the market and have his full support.

“We have said all season that consolidating Championship status is our priority,” said Hoyle, who has confirmed that even if a new boss were to be appointed beforehand, Lillis will take charge of 17th-placed Town against Cardiff, who are 10 points clear at the summit.

“We are up to our budget in terms of recruitment for this season (Town have brought in 12 players permanently or on loan since the League I play-off final win over Sheffield United).

“But you can’t account for injuries, and in the space of the last two matches, we have lost two of our four strikers in Jermaine Beckford (torn hamstring) and Lee Novak (foot).

“That’s clearly a major problem, and if the right players become available in whatever position, we will fund their recruitment, because we have to stay in this division.”

As well as Beckford and Novak, Town will be without winger Danny Ward (foot) and midfielder Keith Southern (Achilles) against a Cardiff side who are chasing a sixth successive away win and a fourth double of the campaign, having beaten Town 1-0 in the Championship opener in South Wales in August.

There’s a big question mark against captain Peter Clarke, who suffered concussion in the 3-0 loss at Derby last Saturday, while his fellow centre-back Joel Lynch (hamstring) and midfielder Oliver Norwood (foot) face fitness tests.