Former favourite Andy Holdsworth believes Huddersfield Town have the back-up resources to mount a sustained challenge in the Championship this season.
Now 30, the man who played 231 times in blue and white stripes – and was a play-off promotion winner at Cardiff – is impressed with the progress he is seeing under manager Mark Robins.
Holdsworth captained Guiseley as they were beaten 4-1 by a young Town line-up at Nethermoor on Monday night, having led his team in their 2-0 defeat by Leeds two days previously.
“It was tough, because we’ve all said Huddersfield were much the better team (compared with Leeds), especially going forward,” said Holdsworth, Town’s Player of the Year in 2007-08.
“Probably half the players who played might not get a start on the opening day of the season, so it shows Town have got strength in numbers to fill in.
“The club have progressed massively over the years – you can see everything is really well run – and the manager will be looking to progress into the top eight or nine if possible this season.
“Town have had fantastic starts to each of the last two seasons and have then hit a bad spell in the second half, so they need to get over that and make sure the foot stays firmly on the pedal.”
Click below to listen to the full interview with Andy Holdsworth.
Holdsworth feels some of Town’s emerging starlets are at the right age and experience to now make an impact.
“It’s a fantastic league the Championship with a lot of big-money clubs, so Town have to compete the best they can and they’ve got a lot of talented kids coming through,” he added.
“Duane Holmes has shown he can step up, so has Matt Crooks and some of the other lads in there – and they’ve got to be pushing for starts because they’ve got to make a living out of the game and make a career, and hopefully that will be with Huddersfield Town.
“If they need to go out on loan to continue their development then so be it, but they have the ability to do a job for Town.
“I was particularly impressed with Duane, because he kept getting in pockets of space and we couldn’t mark him.
“If you are going to play with three midfielders in there, then Duane gives you an option because he can turn and drive and find gaps.
“Harry Bunn, too, looks a good, strong young striker and he was hard to pick up, linking well with Duane and working very hard.
“We all know the quality of the experienced players like Martin Paterson, Oli Norwood and Joel Lynch, but the young lads applied themselves very well.”
So how can Town improve in the Championship?
“I watched them a few times last season and they moved the ball really well up to the final third, but then it kind of broke down,” said Holdsworth.
“They need to show more of a cutting edge and score more goals and, if they can keep a strikeforce together of James Vaughan, Nahki Wells, Martin Paterson, Jon Stead and Harry Bunn, then they’ve got the tools there to score plenty of goals.”
Guiseley 1-4 Huddersfield Town - click here to read our match report
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