Huddersfield Town chief Martin Drury's 'positive headache' ahead of Bradford City derby
HUDDERSFIELD Town head coach Martin Drury admits to having a selection conundrum ahead of Saturday's League One derby trip to former club Bradford City.
It revolves around who to play at centre-back with Joe Low having stepped in impressively for Radinio Balker, during the Dutchman's absence due to a hamstring niggle.
Low has deputised in the games against Plymouth Argyle, Peterborough United and Wigan Athletic, with Town winning all three.
Low's performance at Plymouth, a physically strong and direct side in a similar mould to the Bantams, is likely to provide Drury with particular food for thought.
Balker, who enjoyed a strong first quarter of the season ahead of picking up his injury in the home derby with Sheffield Wednesday on October 10, was an unused substitute in last weekend's win over Wigan.
Leaders Town, who will again be without Bojan Radulovic (hamstring) along with suspended captain Ryan Ledson, are three points clear of fourth-placed City, who have not conceded a goal during Michael Duff's first four league matches in charge.
On Balker, Drury said: "He's fit, so theoretically he could start and he could not start, same as any other player.
"But he's available as he was last Saturday. We chose not to start him last Saturday. He played really well prior to that, but he's back in contention for tomorrow."
On a selection dilemma regarding Balker, who was an ever-present at league level prior to his injury against the Owls, Drury continued: "I can say that about a number of players at this moment in time.
"So it's not just the back players, it's the players in midfield and the players at the top end of the pitch. Those that are playing and starting are doing well.
"Those that are coming off the bench and coming on are doing well. So it's a positive headache that I have. But again, it's full credit to the players and how they're training.
"They're all ready to play and they're all ready to go. So it's difficult for us to decide on that. And what I like is we've got different tools for different types of challenges that we'll face.
"And no doubt tomorrow we'll face some different challenges that we've faced previously. So we look forward to it. Yes, it's an interesting challenge."