Huddersfield Town manager Chris Powell spoke to the media this afternoon at the club's PPG Canalside training complex ahead of hosting former league leaders Nottingham Forest this weekend.

The Terriers entertain a Forest side without a league win in seven as they look to extend their own unbeaten run to seven - which would be the longest sequence without defeat since returning to the second tier in 2012.

This weekend's clash with Stuart Pearce's men kick-starts a tricky-looking spell for Town, who also have to travel to both Derby County and Fulham in the next week.

But what were the main talking points from what Powell had to say?

Here are our three main headlines as we pick the bones from the press conference.

James Vaughan still no closer to a first-team return

Powell refused to put a timeframe on his return, with the suggestion that it would place an unfair and unnecessary pressure on a frontman whose injury ills refuse to pass.

The striker has been sent to England's state-of-the-art St George's Park training complex in Burton to step up his recovery with the manager keen for the 26-year-old to spend some time away from PPG Canalside.

It is testament to the job Powell has done, the impact of loan signing Grant Holt and Nahki Wells' continued goalscoring exploits that Vaughan's absence has not been keenly felt by Town but fans are itching to know when he will return.

The answer at this point is unclear but it would appear his layoff with a calf injury will not end in the imminent future and Town will be forced to wait a little while longer before welcoming him back into the fold.

His return is met with as much fear by supporters as it is eagerly anticipated due to his chequered injury record but Powell was clear that he would not rush him back into action and if patience ensures he comes back fit and firing, the manager knows he will have a strong attacking department at his disposal.

Forest's recent slump means nothing to the manager

Pearce's charges may head into this game out of form and with the honeymoon period of his return to the club having been and gone, but Powell is wary of the quality this weekend's opponents possess across the field.

He name-checked various players who he has been impressed with and pinpointed the division's joint-top scorer Britt Assombalonga, the quicksilver winger Michail Antonio and new loan signing Tom Ince as the primary threats to his side's unbeaten run.

He described the next week as a barometer of how far his side have progressed under his tutelage and the series of litmus tests that await Town are certainly difficult ones, with an out-of-form Forest side every bit as dangerous as high-flying Derby County and a resurgent Fulham in Powell's eyes.

While not being able to put his finger definitively on why they had experienced a bad run, the absence of Andy Reid and Chris Cohen - two players Powell played alongside - was one factor that Powell indicated may have been responsible.

It changes nothing from his perspective, though, and his message was that it is his side's responsibility to impose themselves and dictate the tempo of the game to prove they are more than capable of mixing it with the teams vying for promotion.

Nottingham Forest have completed the loan signing of Hull City winger Tom Ince in time to face Huddersfield Town
Nottingham Forest have completed the loan signing of Hull City winger Tom Ince in time to face Huddersfield Town

Set pieces not a cause for concern but have been worked on

It was interesting to hear that Town's recent struggles from set pieces have not been a particular worry for Powell, with the manager brushing it off as a quirk which occurs every now and again.

Town certainly were not affected by corners during the early stages of Powell's tenure but the fact the last three goals conceded have come as either a direct or indirect result of a set play suggests something is not quite functioning as it perhaps should.

But instead of focusing on drilling his players all week on one aspect of the game, Powell has chosen to discuss it with the group as a whole and refused to concentrate too highly on it, especially given the other threats Forest pose.

Captain Mark Hudson and his defensive partner Joel Lynch are clearly experienced enough and hold the know-how to put a halt to Town's set-piece woes and if they can, it will serve to augment an improving team.

Confidence was spoken about at large by both Powell and midfielder Jonathan Hogg at the press conference and the feeling was that belief alone can help the players work for one another and prevent anymore avoidable goals from being conceded.