ANTHONY GERRARD won’t pull any punches if he feels any of his Huddersfield Town teammates are shirking their responsibilities over the last 12 matches of the season.
Rugged centre-back Gerrard will accept no excuses with Town in the thick of a relegation battle and needing to add further points to those gained this week against Ipswich and Burnley.
The former Cardiff City defender isn’t about to surrender his – or the club’s – Championship status without a fight and he expects the rest of the squad to feel the same way as they prepare for this afternoon’s clash with Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
"There is no time for any pussy-footing around or pulling of punches," said Gerrard.
"If anyone doesn’t think we are in a dogfight they have greatly misunderstood the situation.
"We are where we are for a reason – we haven’t been consistent enough – and the players have to show grit and determination week in, week out.
"I don’t think anyone can accuse me of not putting in a shift and if anyone isn’t pulling their weight I will have something to say about it."
Gerrard was a rock alongside skipper Peter Clarke at the heart of the defence against Ipswich and Burnley (where James Vaughan earned a first away win since November).
Gerrard was an unused substitute in the 6-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest the previous midweek and is nursing an Achilles injury from game to game.
"My Achilles was a bit sore after the Wigan game (in the FA Cup) but I had a choice whether to miss Wigan or Forest.
"It’s an on-going problem that I just have to manage. I just need some ice and some rest and to look after it. Hopefully it’ll be fine for the game at Brighton."
The game on the south coast is another big test for Town as the Saturday-Tuesday fixture regime continues (Middlesbrough are next at the John Smith’s in three days time).
"Every game is massive when you are down at the bottom," said Gerrard. "But if we can apply ourselves properly we can come away with the right result.
"As long as we remain focused and do what we are capable of doing I am sure we will get out of trouble."
Town now have two wins in the last 18 Championship matches – a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace under caretaker boss Mark Lillis and last Tuesday’s success over the Pennines – but Gerrard urged everyone at the club to stay positive and play their part.
"We’ve been a little bit ‘hit and miss’ but the players remain confident and everyone, the fans included, must keep looking forward and not get too downhearted if results aren’t as good as we’d like," he said.
"Everybody in the squad is trying and as long as all the players give 100% that’ll be okay with me."
