Huddersfield Town head coach Liam Manning says striker Alfie May is back in contention ahead of Lincoln City’s visit to West Yorkshire on Tuesday night.
City travel to Huddersfield looking to extend their superb run at the top of League One, while the hosts are attempting to sharpen up in front of goal after a frustrating spell.
Manning fielded several questions about May during his pre-match press conference on Monday, after the forward was absent from the squad in their most recent outing despite being fit. The former Charlton striker is one of the division’s most reliable finishers, so his omission had drawn attention.
The Town boss insisted there was no major issue, explaining that May has endured a stop-start period since his arrival but had impressed in training ahead of the meeting with the Imps.
“Alfie was first class today and he’s back in contention for tomorrow,” said Manning via We Are Terriers. “He’s had a very bitty start since we’ve been here, obviously with the red card, wrongly so, then obviously being ill as well. So it’s been very bitty for him, and I had a good chat with him on Friday about certain bits.
“I thought he was excellent in training today and he comes into contention for tomorrow.”
Huddersfield have created opportunities in recent matches without converting enough of them, something Manning admitted needs to improve if they are to challenge City on Tuesday night. He pointed to the need for greater bravery and intent in possession.
“That’s the message: in the right areas, be brave, take risks, ask questions,” he said. “There were a couple of moments where we could have played forward against Rotherham and afterwards we showed the video and said, ‘look, be brave, take the risk there, play it’.
“Sometimes it’s not easy. When you feel the energy and the atmosphere on you, how do you stay level? How do you keep those strong behaviours and take the risk at the right time?”
The Town head coach also spoke about the reaction from supporters after their most recent result, acknowledging it was not pleasant but insisting the focus must remain on the performance against Lincoln. Against Port Vale, Terriers players were barracked with ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ despite not losing the game.
“Of course it’s not nice,” he said. “We want a strong connection and first and foremost we want the fans on board. If the lads leave it all out there, I’ll always defend them.
“We need to show real bravery tomorrow night and show aggression, purpose and intent to play forward. The message for the players is to turn up and grab the game from the first whistle.”
In short, our task is to continue doing what we have done so consistently in recent weeks. Skubala’s side arrive as league leaders and with momentum firmly behind them, and another strong performance away from home would underline why they have set the pace in League One for much of the campaign.
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