'He’s coming to the prime of his career': Huddersfield Town head coach Michael Duff on midfielder Ben Wiles

In campaign number two in the colours of Huddersfield Town, Ben Wiles is already showing that second season might just mean something else entirely as far as he’s concerned.

The Swinton lad is starting to finally display evidence as to just why the Terriers forked out a significant fee to bring him over the South Yorkshire border from boyhood club Rotherham United last August.

Two milestone goals have already arrived in 2024-25 - his first competitive strikes for the club - and his career looks to be moving in the right direction again.

Head coach Michael Duff, whose side are aiming to maintain their 100 per cent league record at home to Shrewsbury this weekend, observed: “I think he’s a good player. There was a lot of noise about a lot of people and things when I walked to the stadium.

"I think Wilesy has been great and most of them have, I haven’t had a problem with any of them.”

Wiles - the grandson of late Sheffield United captain Eddie Colquhoun - is from proud footballing stock.

Football was ultimately tough for him in a fraught first season at the John Smith’s Stadium in 2023-24, as it was in the year before that when the Millers were also toiling at the wrong end of the Championship.

Wiles’s difficulties began in the 2022 close season. He was the subject of several failed bids from Burnley and candidly admitted that things affected him for a time.

That was compounded when he suffered a serious ankle injury on Boxing Day, which required surgery and ruled him out until mid-April 2023.

His new start at Huddersfield was not the precursor to a change of fortune. He was again part of a side fighting fires towards the bottom of the second tier.

As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent.

A player with energy, drive and goals and assists in his locker, the 25-year-old, always considered by ex-Millers chief Paul Warne as the club’s class player during his time there, is starting to rewind the clock to happier times.

Like in 2021-22, when he helped Rotherham to a notable League One promotion and Papa John’s Trophy double and contributed ten goals.

Wiles may have struggled last term, but it didn’t stop former head coach Andre Breitenreiter from praising his ‘technical quality’ and ‘good character’ either.

The ‘player’ in there just needed some luck, but injury and form issues stymied matters. Playing in a deep midfield role at times did him few favours either and leaving your hometown club is often not straightforward.

Despite that, Wiles’ athleticism and natural go-forward always suggested that he was a player who would fit into the ethos of Duff and so it is proving.

As for the past, Duff has empathy.

He continued: "He had a difficult last year, but hopefully he’s come through that wiser and with more experience and better for it.

"I was exactly the same, I had a difficult year myself last year. The club did.

"We have all had a bit of shared hardship and it’s how do you make yourselves better for the benefit of us and the football club.

"He’s come back and looked fit. I know he had a difficult time being in and out of the team and injuries and things, but I have asked him what he wants and told him his responsibilities in the team with and without the ball, which is my job. And it’s his job to execute it.

"He’s done it well so far and can hopefully be a big player for us. He’s coming to the prime of his career with his age."

Wiles is making the most of what is effectively a new start at Huddersfield and so are several of his team-mates, judging by their early efforts in 2024-25.

Alongside the new vibe on the pitch, there’s a new look off it, with the John Smith’s Stadium having been refurbished and rebranded in the off season. The transformation is striking.

Ever the grounded football man, Duff has noted the changes, but adds a caveat.

He continued: “The club have been really good in terms of that.

"But as we’ve said all along, it’s still sort of the honeymoon period where everything is shiny and new and it’s the same with the messaging from the players. It’s all ‘new’. Do they get bored of it?

"Painting the ground doesn’t score you goals, but hopefully it energises the crowd, which gives them the mentality and energy to go and support the players and a by-product of that is that it energises the players and they go and deliver a performance.

"Hopefully it leads to a brilliant atmosphere and good performance and leads to a win.”

Three wins out of three in all competitions is not a bad start. Just don’t expect Duff to be jumping through hoops. Not in August. Maybe May.