Huddersfield Town aware of Charlton Athletic 'inconsistency' as Birmingham City sent 'fairytale' fighting talk

Huddersfield Town head coach Michael Duff has praised Charlton Athletic ahead of welcoming the London outfit to the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts are four points and five places ahead of the Addicks in eighth following their relegation from the Championship last term and are looking to bounce back up to the second tier on the first time of asking. Duff used Charlton Athletic as an example as to why such an achievement isn't quite so simple.

Charlton Athletic were relegated to the third tier from the Championship in 2020 and haven’t finished higher than seventh since, placing 16th after a relegation battle in 2023/24.

Michael Duff praises Addicks boss Nathan Jones

Quoted in the South London Press, Duff said: “They’re a big club. They’ve had a lot of change.

“If you look at the last three or four years, they have had loads and loads of managers. If you go to the stadium, look at the budget, the amount of supporters they have got, and they have got an extra Premier League manager in charge. He wouldn’t go there if they weren’t a big club.

“I imagine Nathan is dealing with a number of similar problems in terms of inconsistency. If anyone knows a Nathan Jones side, you’re going to have to scrap and fight. They have pace in the team, and physically, they can hurt you in different ways.

“We’ve proved that when we’re at it, particularly at home, we can be more than a match for anyone. It’s going to be a tough game. They have been at this level for some time now. It goes to show that it’s not quite as easy as throwing money at it or changing the manager – you need to build something.”

Huddersfield Town get injury boost ahead of Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient

Huddersfield Town welcome Charlton Athletic this weekend on the back of a fresh injury boost from Duff. Lasse Sorensen, Joe Hodge, Radinio Balker and Lee Nicholls have all returned to training but might not quite be back in time to face the Addicks.

It's another London outfit next up for the Terriers with a trip to Leyton Orient on Tuesday evening. Providing an update on Thursday, Duff said: “They’ve all come back [from international duty], they’ve all trained today, so that’s a positive. Obviously Josh [Koroma] has been out for a while, so he’s coming back into the fold, Michal Helik’s back in now full training, Rhys Healey’s back in full training, so we are starting to get a few bodies back.

“Lasse Sorensen’s on the grass now, he’s not with us [in full training]. Hodgey’s on the grass, those two are getting closer and closer, the fact they’re doing full sessions with the physios now.

“Radinio Balker’s trained with us today, non-contact, but the fact that he’s actually joining in, in passing drills and unopposed sessions, that’s a positive that he’s on the grass Lee Nicholls did his first session on the grass today. Again, still a good few weeks off, but the fact that he’s allowed to put his boots on, because he’s been literally gym-based, just in case he slipped and obviously if you put your arm out, that’s not great for an elbow. Those are all real positives, they’re all good players on their way back.

“With the amount of games we’ve got coming up, we need them back as soon as possible, because there’s a good chance we will pick up more in the weeks coming. Hoggy’s back involved, Hoggy’s available, so that’s another one.”

Gareth Ainsworth eyes Birmingham City upset

Gareth Ainsworth is eyeing up somewhat of a giant-killing in his first match in charge of Shrewsbury Town this weekend as the bottom-of-the-table club take on promotion-chasing Birmingham City.

The Blues have lost just once in the league since their relegation from the Championship last term and have picked up 30 points in their opening 13 matches after splurging over £20 million this summer.

Birmingham City beat Shrewsbury 4-0 in the EFL Trophy last month, even with a weakened XI, but Ainsworth is determined. The former QPR and Wycombe Wanderers boss said: "We may have a little bit of pain but also we may have some magical moments and I firmly believe we can in that game on Saturday. It’s 11 against 11. It’s Birmingham, yes they have spent a lot of money, yes they’re a big club with a Premier League history and all that, but we’ve all been in teams where you’ve beat somebody.

“It’s not impossible, no way. I’m very much fairytale guy, and underdog guy, and there’s no reason we can’t win the game on Saturday. We’ll be going for it.”