KEVIN KILBANE says the chance of sealing a first trip to Wembley was a big factor in his decision to join Town.
The on-loan Hull midfielder heads to Carlisle for tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northern final first leg aiming to make it six games unbeaten as a member of Lee Clark’s side.
It’s estimated a trip to the national stadium for the JPT final in April, combined with Town’s other cup exploits this season, would rake in more than £2m.
And Republic of Ireland ace Kilbane explained: “It would be fantastic for everyone concerned with Huddersfield Town to get there.
“We know it’s going to be tough in both legs. I made my Town debut in the 2-2 draw at Carlisle on New Year’s Day and they gave us a real game.
“But we’ve got fighting spirit and character in this squad, we’re unbeaten this year and have won four in a row, and we want to keep that momentum going.
“It won’t be settled tonight, but we want to put ourselves in as good a position as possible for the second leg.
“And the incentive of a trip to Wembley is huge.
“It was a big consideration in coming here, because I’ve never played there and I would love to change that.
“I remember thinking about the chance of getting to the final of this competition in my Preston days, and now we’re within two matches of doing it, it’s not an opportunity we’ll pass up without a real fight.
“I came to this club to have some success, and while winning promotion is paramount, the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is a big thing for us as well.”
Town will give a late check to on-loan Newcastle left-back Tamas Kadar (hamstring) while Carlisle could field Kilbane’s Hull teammate Liam Cooper, a defender freshly signed on loan.
