Huddersfield Town boss Chris Powell sounded a battle cry for the festive derby at Rotherham United and demanded: “Let’s show our character and unity.”
Following the home defeat to Birmingham City, Town are bidding to improve a record of just one win in seven at the New York Stadium and Powell is in bullish mood.
“We are going to have brilliant support and the atmosphere will be bouncing, but it’s now all about our actions and we have work to do,” said the boss, who has Murray Wallace available after suspension and possibly Joel Lynch back from injury.
“It’s important we give ourselves a good start and then we want to show people we can play our football.
“We are going to be as positive as we can and after the last couple of results, it’s important we show our character and unity.
“We know it’s important we start winning because the table is so tight and we are now at the half-way stage of the season.”
Young keeper Lloyd Allinson will again be on the bench as Joe Murphy needs another two or three weeks to recover from a foot injury.
“It’s not great when you look at the table right now, but wins can move you up very quickly,” added Powell, whose side are 20th but behind Rotherham only on goal difference.
“We should have a few more points than we have, but we need to forget about what’s gone and focus on getting points on the board sooner rather than later.
“The Championship is a bumpy road, especially with a young squad, but we have a talented group of players and we are constantly striving for consistency of performance.
“We have to recognise it won’t always click, so we have to be patient and cajole them and encourage them to believe in their ability at this level.
“I think we have a number of lads who are capable of playing higher, and I would love that to be with us, so we will continue to work to make 2015 more positive and brighter than 2014 has been and we want to do our work positively against both Rotherham and Bolton.”
