To say the next few days for Huddersfield Town are ‘big’ is something of an understatement.
The feelgood factor is everywhere around the district, not just because of the team’s great form but also, of course, because of the terrific home draw against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
These are happy days for Town fans.
And whatever happens over the coming days and weeks, it’s important supporters don’t get too excited or too down.
The players have over-performed massively to be in their present position, and this is a time when the head coach will be setting new targets and new challenges for his exciting young team.
To have a 9-2-2 home record ahead of the Brighton match tells you no team in the country will be happy coming to the John Smith’s Stadium at the moment.
When you consider one of those defeats came against Wigan, too, I’m sure David Wagner is still scratching his head as to how that happened.
At one point, the Sky Bet Championship title race looked like being a two-horse affair, with everybody else fighting for a play-off place.
But now, if Town can beat Brighton and Leeds (on Sunday), the excitement factor and expectations will go through the roof.
The great thing I like when I listen to David Wagner is his calmness and clever thought process.
You know what he expects of his team and how he approaches games.
At the top of the Championship it’s extremely competitive – and it will remain so whatever happens for Town and their rivals in this busy month.
We have a situation where one of the contenders has been able to spend the thick end of £10m on a centre forward (I think you know who I mean, but for those who don’t, Sheffield Wednesday on Jordan Rhodes), while Leeds United can drop themselves out of the FA Cup, and give up on the chance of a lucrative fifth-round tie, for the priority of three points at Blackburn.
Fulham have come from nowhere and are now looking like serious play-off contenders.
Reading just won’t go away and, of course, I haven’t yet mentioned Steve McClaren’s Derby County, who are improving week by week.
This looks like being one of the best seasons, and most exciting run-ins, we have ever witnessed in the Championship.
Let’s remember Town are up there on merit.
I regularly speak to people up and down the country – and down at Sky in London – and when you ask them who are the best away team they have seen all season, quite a few people come up with Town.
That is some compliment when you look at the list of clubs fighting for promotion.
We will be glued to the TV in our house tonight, my wife Lin will be off watching her recording of Holby City in one room and I'll be watching Town in the other.
Happy days indeed!
