Caretaker Manager previews Watford trip
Huddersfield Town Caretaker Manager Mark Lillis wants his side to be positive as they aim to record back to back away victories.
Under the stewardship of Lillis, Steve Thompson and Steve Eyre, the Terriers produced an impressive performance to beat Reading last time on the road and Lillis believes a comparable showing can earn a similar result.
However, Lillis will have to run the rule over a number of players: “Lee Peltier, Tommy Smith and Jonathan Hogg are all struggling with little knocks, but are all progressing well," he said.
“Watford is an excellent side and they will be challenging near the top all season, but I want the focus to be on us, and on what we can do to them,” Lillis continued. “We have done our homework as always and expect them to line up 3-5-2. They have quality all over the pitch, but they are particularly strong in attack.
“It will be a challenge for us, but we have shown that we can compete on the road with our performance at Reading. I want the team to believe in their abilities and be positive; we have good players at this Club. We need better quality in the final third because defensively we have been ok. We have got good ball players including Conor (Coady) and Jacob (Butterfield) and I want to see us moving the ball quicker up the field."
Lillis went on to reveal that he will speak with Chairman Dean Hoyle after the Watford match, following six games in charge.
“My focus is on Watford and making sure that the players are prepared for the match. After that, I will speak with the Chairman.
“I have really enjoyed being involved with the First Team,” Mark added. “However, I am two and a half years into my Academy Manager role and we are making great strides; as a Club our reputation has grown significantly. The Academy is a huge part of this football club and will continue to be; we need to make sure that it continues to be strong. I would find it difficult to walk away from."
Jack Robinson was added to the group on loan from Queens Park Rangers late last night and Lillis is looking forward to working with the left-back.
“He is an exciting talent and he comes here with plenty of pedigree having been schooled at Liverpool. I spoke with him this morning and his attitude is good and he is ready to play.
“He will undoubtedly improve our squad and provide competition. There have been areas within the team that were lacking competition and Jack is someone who can improve our depth in a couple of positions. He is an England international player who plays naturally as a left-back, but has played in central midfield and central defence.
“I was made aware he was a possibility a couple of days ago and I gave my thoughts on him to the Board. The whole transfer was done quite quickly; Harry Redknapp believes in him and he believes in us to help continue his development.”
Finally, Lillis played down rumours within the media of Millwall’s interest in attacker Sean Scannell.
“I had a chat with Sean this week and he loves his football at the moment. You have got to trust young footballers and he is playing well at the moment; he enjoys life at Huddersfield Town.”
