Huddersfield Town boss Lee Grant opens up on revealing discussions with Dion Charles

Those characteristics shown by Dion Charles amid his much-publicised travails at Huddersfield Town represent the perfect example for his team-mates to follow as the Terriers endeavour to get back on an upward trajectory following an undeniably difficult period of their season.

After the sunshine of the opening month of the campaign, Town have copped cold, hard reality since.

A litany of injuries have bitten into Town’s resources and form has gone south.

The forthcoming itinerary of seven matches in 22 days - including five away from home - offers scant respite.

It’s a time of the season where Lee Grant needs individuals to stand up and be counted and not be passengers.

Charles has drawn strength from his own adversity by way of three goals in five days - his first for the club - before heading off for international duty with Northern Ireland.

Grant is full of praise not just for the former Bolton Wanderers player’s mini-renaissance, but his mentality before that.

Some of Charles’ team-mates perhaps could do well to follow, you suspect.

Grant, whose side visit Mansfield Town this weekend, said: "Dion and I spoke probably a month or so ago.

"And what I had to do at that point was actually commend Dion on keeping going, maintaining a level of professionalism and keeping the fire burning, really.

"So that's always the key, regardless of if he's frustrated with me for not selecting him or he's frustrated with whatever else it might be.

"It could be a lack of opportunity or whatever else.. Maintaining a belief in himself or where we're heading as a football club and wanting to be part of that still. Which Dion didn’t waver on at any point.

"He was unequivocal in terms of sitting in front of me in the office and being very, very forthright in (saying): ‘I will get my opportunity, I'm going to continue to work for it. When it comes, I'm going to try and take it. If I don't take that one, I'll try and take the next one.’

"And he has had really good rewards for that.

"Fair play. I think everybody can enjoy a story like that. I think he personally can take a lot of credit."

Another mentally strong individual who proved an example to follow in his sterling service in the blue and white of Town recently returned ‘home’ in the shape of club legend and former captain Jonathan Hogg.

The midfield enforcer, who turns 37 early next month, has just started a new on-field role with the club’s academy which will see him mentor Town’s under-21s side - having played his 410th and final first-team appearance for the Terriers back in May.

Grant believes it’s a win-win for the club’s crop of emerging players and academy staff as Town seek to get the conveyor belt of talent between academy and first-team level fully operational and running smoothly again in the years ahead.

The Terriers boss continued: "Hoggy's had a terrific career and been a wonderful servant for the football club and (had) experiences that some of those young players will do really well to get anywhere near or have any idea of how to scale those sorts of heights that he's scaled.

"So, for those boys and for the staff, it’s just a resource they have to use well and lean on when they need to lean on (it).

"It's about drawing on those experiences and using it because, of course, that sort of knowledge and that sort of experience that he's had isn't widespread.

"You're not going to just walk into that everywhere. So use it well."

Town remain without the services of a number of players for the start of their hectic run of pre-Christmas fixtures at Mansfield this weekend. They visit Luton Town next Tuesday.

Players who have been busy on the international front will be assessed ahead of the trip to Field Mill.

Loan goalkeeper Owen Goodman, who was restored to the starting line-up at league level in the home game against Plymouth Argyle last time out, returns from his maiden international camp with Canada, having joined up with the squad for the two friendlies against Ecuador and Venezuela.

Defender Radinio Balker started Suriname’s Concacaf World Cup qualifier against El Salvador last week and was a second-half substitute in the game with Guatemala on Wednesday.

The Caribbean nation will take part in play-offs for the finals in the next international window in the new year, following defeat to Guatemala.

Grant said: "We've got to make sure we assess them and how they've come back and come through travel and games and everything else.

"We've got time to do that at the back end of the week and then make calls on the weekend."