Huddersfield Town head coach Michael Duff on the 'cheap wins' that he won't be pursuing and a pledge

In his role as head coach, Michael Duff will like nothing better than to be in position to assist in that and hand out opportunities - and will be happy to blood youth.

It will be an important part of his job, yet he also adds a very important caveat.

Last season, Town formally applied to the EFL to upgrade their youth set-up back to category three academy status under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) network - which would re-establish ‘schoolboy’ academy age groups from under-nine to under-16s alongside the higher age groups.

It’s part of a bigger picture for the Terriers in putting youth back at the forefront of the club’s football strategy.

Duff will keep a personal eye on emerging talent at the club and make it his business to keep abreast of developments and players to look out for.

But if academy players do get opportunities at the first-team level down the line, they must truly be earned and will not be gestures - certainly not on the part of Duff, who has signed a three-year deal with the club.

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The 46-year-old who has been wasting no time establishing connections and starting working relationships with individuals across the club since being appointed earlier this month, said: “I will be up here a lot and when I am, I am fully invested as I was at Barnsley.

"I watched nearly every under-18s game and under-23s game (there).

"I’ll spend time with the coaches and community. When I am invested, I am invested. This is not a job you can do 'half-cock'.

"It’s a really, really tough job because everyone else thinks they can do the job. I am not bright or good enough to think I can do it at 40 or 50 per cent. You get found out pretty quickly.

"With the academy, I will go and see what’s coming through.

"It’s really important. Every supporter wants to see one of their own, but they have to be good enough.

"You don’t just want to put a player in to get a cheap win with supporters.

"If they get in the team, it’s because they are good enough. The football club is so important to the town and community and if you can get a couple of your own through, even better.

"It’s learning the individual and what it takes to unlock their potential."