Huddersfield Town Manager Lee Clark spoke to htafc.com this morning and admitted that he and his players are relishing the test that MK Dons will pose his team this Saturday.
"Karl (Robinson) has done a terrific job at MK Dons - I like him a lot," said Lee. "He is a good manager who has got a good guy next to him in John Gorman - who in my opinion make one of the best management teams in the League. They play some of the best football in the League and it will be a very tough test. We are looking forward to it and are relishing the test.
"The fans are going to be incredibly important for us from now until the end of the season. Our general performances over the last couple of games haven't been quite there but we have managed to grind out results and I believe a lot of that is down to the fans. They have stuck by us and helped us get the results."
Lee was busy on transfer deadline day signing two players from Scottish outfit Falkirk. 19 year-old Murray Wallace joined the Terriers and Lee believes the defender is set for a bright future.
"He is a future Scottish international," commented Lee. "He is a fantastic young footballer who will only get better. He is a left-sided centre back and we had to beat off some stiff competition to capture him. We are absolutely delighted with the business we did during the window.
"The deal with Murray is very similar to the Lee Novak transfer, which worked well for Lee. It was the only way that Falkirk were prepared to sell him in January and all three clubs who had the chance to speak to him, ourselves, Ipswich and Brighton all had to adhere to those terms. We would have liked him to be with us from day one, but they were in the driving seat and that was there stipulation."
Wallace has returned to Falkirk, whereas Clark's second signing Kallum Higginbotham will be available for this weekend's game.
"Kallum will play the role just in between the midfield players and the striker - in the classic number 10 position. He is very good at finding space and distributes the ball well. He is quick, bright and likes to take players on and we believe he will act as a fantastic foil to the current strikers at the Club.
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New boy Kallum Higginbotham in training with his new teammates |
"Kallum had a number of options. The two Old Firm teams had showed an interest in him and there were a couple of clubs in the Championship. His performance last week against Celtic certainly gained him a number of admirers. We knew that we had to move quickly; we were thinking about a pre-contract situation because he was on a Bosman at the end of the season. We had to act quickly though - we feared we may lose him if we didn't. We are delighted with both players."
Lee revealed that Alan Lee is 100% fit following his knock against Tranmere and that Danny Ward and Alex Smithies are both in contention.
"I put Alex on the bench last week and he will be in consideration for this Saturday. He played a behind closed doors game at Blackburn and did really well and it will just come down to whether we feel he needs another game before we put him in the starting line up. Alan Lee is fine and will be involved. We have got to be wary of Danny Ward and the injury that he has, but he does stand a chance ahead of Saturday."
Finally, speculation has once again risen over the last few days regarding Lee and another vacant Manager's position - this time at Leeds United. However, Lee told htafc.com that he is fully focused on this Saturday's game and batted off the speculation as pure paper talk.
"There has been no approach. I am aware of all the speculation, but ultimately, like the last time, it is because people believe I am doing a good job. I have been linked to a number of jobs over the last 12 months and I believe two defeats in 53 games is a great record. The value of the squad is much higher than when I first arrived.
"Speculation is something that I have been used to since I was a young boy. I was captain of England Schoolboys, when I was at Newcastle. It is pure speculation and until I am told otherwise I am the Manager of Huddersfield Town.
"It is part of the job and my only focus is to win the game tomorrow. It is a fantastic game for the Club and everyone involved. To be honest, if my name wasn't in the running I would be doing a bad job for the football club.
"This is football; we all know what happens. We need to make sure we keep focused and don't take our eye off the ball. The most important thing for me is the football match tomorrow at 3pm.
"I haven't spoken to the Chairman about it. I can't keep coming out with statements regarding what I think of the football club, because everyone knows what I think of Huddersfield Town and the people at the Club. If I keep making statements every time my name is mentioned with a different club, where would I draw the line? I don't ask to be associated with these jobs."
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