Church certain he made right choice after derby triumph

The Terriers returned to the play-off places in the Championship with a 1-0 victory at Barnsley.

Jermaine Beckford scored the only goal of the game as Town claimed an eighth victory of the season and Church, a loan arrival from the Madejski Stadium on Thursday, has seen enough already to suggest Simon Grayson’s men can last the pace in the promotion race.

Church said: “It is always great to start with a win and it was a good performance from the boys.

“The manager has said to me, ‘Come in, enjoy it and score goals’. That’s what I am about and I want to play every week.”

On Huddersfield’s promotion prospects, Church, who turned down a move to Oakwell to join Grayson’s men, added: “I could tell against Barnsley there is a lot of quality in the side. Last season at Reading, we won the Championship by winning games like this.

“Going 1-0 up and then working our socks off by defending that lead. That is what we did last season and what Huddersfield need to do.

“At Reading, the squad did it really well and I don’t think that we got the praise we deserved for that last season.

“Seeing a game out like we did against Barnsley was exactly what a team needs.

“Obviously, I have the experience of winning promotion but so do a lot of this team. Huddersfield came up from League One last season (via the play-offs) so know what is needed.”

Church, who has joined Huddersfield on loan initially until December 8, impressed on his debut and created the winning goal for Beckford with an incisive cross.

On his own future, he added: “I have been offered a contract at Reading but it is all about deciding what is best for my career at the moment. I will be 24 in December and I want to be playing regular football.

“I am at the stage where I need to be doing that now. I don’t want to be on the bench or sitting in the stands. So, I am biding my time and keeping my options open.”

In contrast to the optimism sweeping through the Huddersfield camp, Barnsley are suffering a slump in form. Four straight defeats means the Reds are sitting just one place and two points above the drop zone.

Keith Hill had been hoping to bring in Manchester City youngster Alex Nimely before the derby with Huddersfield only for injury to put paid to the loan deal.

Barnsley may revive the transfer and Hill also wants to strengthen in other departments before the closing of the loan window.

The Reds chief, who was linked with a move for former midfielder Jacob Butterfield before the Norwich City man joined Bolton over the weekend, said: “I want another midfield player as David Perkins is out and Jacob Mellis isn’t hitting the form that he was. Maybe his relationship with Craig Davies is being a little bit missed. I am looking for another midfield player and possibly a wide player, too.”

On Nimely, 21, Hill added: “We were trying to hurry the deal through and, as a consequence, there wasn’t communication between departments in respect to where he was in terms of his training programme.

“He’s come back from a tightening of his hamstring in one of the games he played in just over a week ago. So, he is a week behind where he needs to be.

“It is no-one’s real fault but he needs that extra week under his belt before he can consider himself 100 per cent fit. We might go back to look at it. We have a little under two weeks until the loan window closes. I do want to re-energise.”