Lee Clark Looks Ahead To Tonight

Lee Clark

Town manager Lee Clark spoke to his club's official website and the Daily Examiner ahead of his side's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final first leg match between Carlisle and the Terriers at Brunton Park this evening, Clark saying Huddersfield will be giving it all they have got to get to Wembley :


"The game is vitally important to us, just like the first round fixture was. We are going to give it everything we have got to reach the final of what is an important competition to us - just like I am sure it is for Carlisle. They made the final last year and it looked like their fans and the club enjoyed themselves massively. They took lots of fans and I know if we managed to get there then we would be pushing the 40,000 mark in terms of fans travelling to Wembley to watch us.

"I believe if teams set up in a defensive manner then they bring pressure on themselves. If you go into a game playing for a draw then they will keep coming at you and you risk the chance of the opposition eventually breaking down the 'defensive door' and scoring. We will go to Carlisle looking to achieve a positive result, but it is not going to be won or lost in the first leg, or it shouldn't be if we do the job right.

"We have got to make sure that there is still a game to be had when we come back to the Galpharm in February. But, we won't change our approach, we will go there to attack and put them under pressure, we know they will, that is what happened on New Year's Day, that is what happened in the Carling Cup and that is what happened in the games we had with them last season.

"We know from experience that they will prove tough opponents; they also had a good result in the League on Saturday, which is great testament to them because they have just lost a couple of their best players but they have bounced back with a fantastic result. So, we know it is tough, they will know it is going to be tough and it is going to be a bit of a ding-dong for those two games.

"We are looking forward to it, the lads are looking forward to the challenge, they realise the prize at stake and will give it a good go. An opportunity like this to play at such an impressive Stadium may never come around again for some of my players, hopefully it will, but you have to take your opportunities when you get handed them. I'm not the pounds and pence man, but in conversation with the board, it's been mentioned that if we get to Wembley, we could top £2m in income from our various cup exploits this season."



"Carlisle will set up the same I imagine, Gary Madine left them last week who is a very good player - the 'Andy Carroll' basically of the lower leagues. He was a big threat, a big player, a lot of their play did go through him and he was a big plus point for them, however, they do have other players that can cause us a threat and we are well aware of that.

"The position we currently find ourselves in the League and both cup competitions is one I am very proud of, I would prefer to be one place higher in the League but second is still a fantastic position to be in. We are always striving for better, for perfection, but it is very hard to reach perfection because when you get close to it you always try to raise the bar. We are aiming to reach the top League in English football because if you don't aim high you will never reach those heights.

"We asked the players to become more consistent during the second half of the season and up to date we have done very well with four wins in a row. After our performances in the first half of the season we knew we were capable of competing against the top teams in the League and the only thing missing was consistency.

"Over the last few weeks, we haven't been playing to our full potential, but we're still winning matches and ultimately, that's what it's all about. The last few performances certainly haven't been vintage, but over the course of a season, successful sides have to grind out wins, and we're doing that. We're pleased. It's been a good start to 2011 and we're still unbeaten."



"Lee Novak came off against Walsall for tactical reasons - he is not injured. We wanted to create some extra width in the second half and replaced Lee to do that. Tamas' (Kadar) situation is slightly different; he had a tight hamstring, which meant we had to replace him.

"We have monitored his condition over the past 24 to 36 hours and are liaising with Newcastle to work out the best possible solution. We haven't made a decision about his participation in Tuesday's game, we are still unsure about the extent of the injury so we will make a decision about it on the day of the game.

"Working with the players each day, you see how they do things and how they respond to certain situations. You get to know there are some players who can make an impact as a substitute and some who can't, and you weigh these things up when making your decisions.

"He is a very talented young player who is still working on two or three areas of his game.I want him to develop into an all-round striker, not just a poacher. I want him to be able to play as a lone striker, to be physical and to be able to hold the ball up, if we decide to play that way in certain matches."