Admirer Duff warning Huddersfield to expect a tough test against Cobblers
"I understand supporters and people in the area won't know a lot about Northampton Town, well I do."
Michael Duff understands that the Huddersfield Town supporters will be expecting their team to just turn up and roll the Cobblers over at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday - but he is warning them they could be in for a surprise.
Relegated from the Championship last season, the Terriers have made a strong start to their first season back in league one since 2012, winning four out of five to sit fourth in the table, a point behind leaders Wrexham.
Just five years after their relegation after a two-year stint in the Premier League, Huddersfield find themselves entertaining the Cobblers in a league clash for the first time in 16 years.
And their fans will be expecting another three points as they target an immediate return to the second tier.
But Terriers boss Duff is somebody who has locked horns with the Cobblers, and Jon Brady, on many occasions in his time as boss at Cheltenham Town and Swansea City, and he is an admirer of both club and manager.
And in particular he was impressed by the club's reaction to their final day disappointment in 2022, when Bristol Rovers' freak 7-0 final day win over Scunthorpe denied Town promotion on goals scored.
Duff is confident his team will be good enough to secure another win this weekend, but he knows the the Cobblers are going to provide stiff opposition, and he wants the Terriers fans to know that too.
"I understand supporters and people in the area won't know a lot about Northampton Town, well I do," said Duff.
"My job is to prepare the team properly, and it is the players’ job to execute.
"If we turn up and deliver everything right, I would like to think we have enough to win the game, but it doesn't just happen.
"We played two lower league teams in cups, we weren't quite at it, and we got beat.
"Anybody who has played against a Jon Brady team, and he is a typical Aussie, will tell you they will be dogged, tough.
"You look at the strength in adversity that he and his team have shown, in terms they get beat (to promotion) on the last day of the season in league two because somebody won 7-0 out of the blue, and they come back and get promoted the next year.
"That tells you a lot, that, about a team and a club's mentality.
"They will be coming here to a big stadium, they will be underdogs because everyone here is like 'oh, you'll beat them', but it is not that easy."
Confidence will be high in the Huddersfield camp after their impressive 4-0 win at Bolton Wanderers last Saturday, but Duff insists that result means nothing.
"Just because we were good last week, doesn't mean we will be good this week," said the Terriers boss.
"Just because we won last week away against a supposedly tough opponent, doesn't mean we are going to win at home on Saturday.
"I want a Bolton performance every week, but you are not going to get it.
"Whether it is a refereeing decision, the weather, the opposition score a worldy, somebody makes a mistake, and it's about finding a way to win, that's all I'm interested in."