Huddersfield Town boss backing Northern Ireland international to rediscover goalscoring form after tough run
Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant is backing Northern Ireland international Dion Charles to rediscover his goalscoring form in League One and end his wait for a maiden club strike.
Charles joined the Terriers from fellow third-tier outfit Bolton Wanderers in January, but he has now went 20 league matches without finding the net for Huddersfield.
The 29-year-old was prolific for both Accrington Stanley and Bolton, netting 48 league goals in 127 appearances for the latter.
He has had to settle for cameo appearances off the bench at the start of Huddersfield’s new league campaign as they began with wins over Leyton Orient and Reading, but Charles did start in Wednesday’s EFL Cup triumph over Leicester City, missing a second half penalty.
Charles has been a consistent presence at international level, earning 29 caps for Northern Ireland, and has scored four times – the most recent of which came in November’s 2-0 win over Belarus at Windsor Park.
He faces stern competition from the likes of Ronan Hale, who has shone at Ross County, while Dale Taylor, Lee Bonis and Callum Marshall are also looking to force their way into Michael O’Neill’s side on a more consistent basis.
Former Manchester United goalkeeper Grant, who was appointed to his first managerial job at Huddersfield ahead of the new campaign, believes Charles can find peak form once again in the near future.
"What we’ve seen from Dion since I’ve been in the building is someone who is willing to work incredibly hard for the group,” he said. “I think all forwards will judge themselves on their goals and contributing at the end, so how are they contributing to goals and assists and those key moments?
"Of course, that’s the pride they have for their own position.
"For me, the first thing I’m looking at is the work, the collective effort, the contribution to the team and organisation, I’m looking at all those things first, and not once in pre-season has Dion let me down on any of that.
"I know Dion will want to find that last part as well, the same as all the forwards. That’s something Dion is working really hard on every day in training.
"We continue to help him work hard on it, that’s on the field as well as off it, so we do plenty of work with our coaching staff to help players really understand what’s going to help them be in those positions and we’ll keep working.
"That’s the nature of the business and Dion is no different to anyone else.”