GARY ROBERTS could get the chance to put the boot into the man who gave him his big footballing break as Huddersfield Town aim to strengthen their promotion bid at the expense of basement side Rochdale tomorrow.
John Coleman brings his team across the Pennines desperate for the first three-point haul in six games which would boost hopes of keeping League I football at Spotland next season.
Roberts was doing the rounds of Welsh non-league clubs following his release by Liverpool as a teenager when Coleman resurrected his career by taking him to upwardly-mobile Accrington Stanley.
The now 27-year-old winger was a key man in the side who won promotion from the Conference to the Football League in 2006 and he won England semi-professional honours before moving to Ipswich, who then sold him to Town for £250,000 in 2008.
Having started Simon Grayson’s first match at the helm against Exeter a fortnight ago, Roberts, who had an operation on a double hernia in January, has been on the bench for the three games since.
But the manager pointed out: “Given his relatively recent surgery, we just thought that at this stage, it was a bit too much to have him playing Saturday, Tuesday.
“It’s given us a chance to look at other players and other systems, but there’s no doubt Gary will be a major player for us between now and the end of the season, because he has fantastic quality.”
Fourth-placed Town also have captain Peter Clarke back in the mix after he came through Wednesday’s development match at Chesterfield unscathed.
“Pete played 65 minutes, which was always the intention, and feels he is ready to be considered for selection again,” said Grayson, who both played alongside and managed Clarke at Blackpool.
“It’s tough to change a defence which has just kept a clean sheet, but it’s a great option to have.”
