Huddersfield Town persistence pays off as Danny Cowley is appointed as new manager

The former Lincoln City chief will be joined at the John Smith’s Stadium by his younger brother Nicky, who was his assistant at Sincil Bank. The pair will be unveiled to the media on Tuesday morning.

The dramatic developments come less than a week after Cowley revealed that he has rejected the overtures of Town after a compensation fee had been agreed with the Red Imps.

This came after the League One club gave Huddersfield permission to talk to the 40-year-old, who said at the time that the Yorkshire club ‘were not the right choice’ for him.

But Town were clearly intent on bringing the brothers to West Yorkshire and, said chairman Phil Hodgkinson, their persistence paid off.

“From the outset, David Webb and I knew how important this next appointment is for the club,” said Hodgkinson. “We undertook a very detailed and thorough process to identify the right person.

“Our research, due diligence and work resulted in a shortlist of four candidates, and Danny Cowley was No 1. His track record is there for all to see – he has led his previous teams to five promotions and several cup successes – and our character references revealed a man who is one of the most detailed managers around; meticulous in his preparation, and highly regarded by his peers.

“Having approached Lincoln City and gained permission to speak to the Cowleys, they initially decided they wanted to continue the superb job they had done at that club and turned down the opportunity to discuss our job.

“But David and I felt it was important to try and persuade them to talk to us. We firmly believed that they were the best men to take us forward, and we didn’t want to give up on them.

“Our persistence paid off and when we spoke, there was an obvious chemistry. They believe in the way we operate as a club and it affirmed that they would be a superb fit for us.”

There are no current details regarding the length of his deal.

Cowley guided Lincoln to promotions from the National League and League Two in his three full seasons in charge.

He led Lincoln to a historic FA Cup quarter-final while they were a non-league club, with victories over Championship sides Ipswich and Brighton and Premier League Burnley en route to the last eight.

Cowley also led the club to success in the Checkatrade Trophy in 2018, beating Shrewsbury in the club’s first ever appearance in a Wembley final.

Only last month, Cowley presided over Lincoln’s 1-0 Carabao Cup win at Huddersfield in Jan Soiewert’s penultimate match in charge of the Terriers.

Huddersfield have won just once in all competitions since the end of November and are currently on a 17-match winless sequence.