IAN MILLER says Huddersfield Town are a work in progress but should not be fearful of doing battle in the Championship.

The 57-year-old coach – who joined in February with boss Simon Grayson and fellow coach Glynn Snodin – believes the squad needs to be strengthened but there’s every reason to be optimistic about next season.

Formerly part of Grayson’s staff at Leeds United, Miller said: “We know what the Championship is about and it doesn’t frighten us and it doesn’t scare us.

“We have to strengthen, but that’s the job of Simon and the chairman and I know they are looking forward to taking it forward.

“It is a work in progress with the club, but we’ve made the first step and now we have to make sure we compete in the Championship and, in the first instance, stay there and keep building.

“We will be up against some massive clubs with huge budgets and the expectation of getting into the Premier League, so first and foremost we have to make sure we compete.

“All of us are hungry for it, though, and we know the supporters are as well because of they way they have turned out in numbers.

“That’s what football does, it gives you heartache and joy and it raises expectations. It’s fantastic and we’ll enjoy the challenges ahead.”

Miller says his first impressions of Town are that the club gets a heartbeat from the fans – with Dean Hoyle leading the way in every sense.

“I enjoyed my time as a player and I’m very fortunate now to be in coaching, but winning promotions and the celebrations that go with them are for the players and the supporters,” said Miller.

“The players get a lot of abuse when things go wrong so they deserve all the credit when things go right, they deserve to enjoy it.

“I have to be honest that when we left Leeds United I never imagined we would be experiencing something as wonderful as this.

“We were desperately disappointed to have to leave Leeds because we were trying to get the job done there, but it’s water under the bridge now.

“I was out of work for three weeks and then I got the call from Simon. He said ‘I’ve got the job at Huddersfield Town, do you want to come with me?’ My answer straight away was yes.

“It’s a fantastic club and a friendly club and the chairman sets the tone.

“He is a very successful businessman but he is also a fan and he couldn’t be more helpful.”

Perth-born Miller was a right-winger in his playing days, spent with Bury and Nottingham Forest as a youth but then prolifically with Doncaster Rovers (124 games), Swindon Town (127) and Blackburn Rovers (268).

He finished his career with Port Vale, Scunthorpe United and Stafford Rangers and then went into coaching with Port Vale and Wolves (1994).

He later worked at Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool (assisting Colin Hendry), Bury, Leicester City and Manchester City before joining the staff at Leeds in 2008.

It was there he formed a very strong bond with Grayson and Snodin and they’ve brought their ideas to Town with very dramatic effect.