Huddersfield Town v Lincoln City: The heat is on – enjoy it

On Tuesday they host a Lincoln City side who have just pulled away at the top on the back of 19 games unbeaten since losing to the Terriers in the Football League Trophy.

Town know if they do not match Stockport County's result at home to Northampton Town, they could drop out of the play-off positions. A defeat and a Reading win at Burton Albion, and they could be eighth.

Even ninth-placed Wycombe Wanderers could overtake them with a surprise win at Cardiff City.

Add in the fact they got an earful from their travelling supporters after Saturday's 0-0 draw at bottom-of-the-table Port Vale and the pressure is seriously on a club which shouted from the rooftops about winning promotion this season.

"It would be foolish to say that there isn't a bit more pressure on but you have to relish it," argues Lasse Sorensen. "You have to enjoy it. I'm buzzing for the game.

"I'm first of all looking forward to putting right Port Vale.

"This is going to be a completely different game. You just have to go at it and take whatever comes. Be ready for it and enjoy it."

It is certainly much better than last year, where the pressure came off when a promotion push descended into nothingness.

"Last season was probably one of the worst experiences I've had, it was a horrible ending to the season," says Sorensen. "That cannot happen again.

"I think everyone's come to this club because they like the pressure, it's something they wanted to be involved with growing up. It's something you can use for motivation."

Rising to the occasion requires bravery in the words of coach Liam Manning, who has taken Milton Keynes Dons and Bristol City into their play-offs.

"We have to look forward to it," he insists. "We have to. You want to test yourself against the in-form teams and find out where you're at.

"Especially being at home – we've enjoyed playing here of late – it’s an opportunity to go and show what we can do. We should be excited."

Manning's job is to create an environment which frees players to show that bravery, but they still have to have it within them.

"You definitely you can create a culture where you feel confident enough to do it at the right times but then there also has to be a little bit within, a little bit of an edge to you," he says. "We (the coaching staff) can't play the game for you.

"No player's going to play the perfect game so if it goes wrong, then react in the right way – positive body language, work, back your team-mates up, get them out of trouble."

Manning is still learning how his players respond to a pressure which arguably comes more from the team's position than the opposition's, as Saturday suggested.

"To a certain extent, positions go out the window a little bit because the finish line's in sight and people respond in different ways to different pressures,” he argues.

"At the top, naturally, teams might feel the pressure a little bit, the same as at the bottom, where teams all of a sudden find an extra gear to fight.

"I always find it fascinating, especially in English football.

"I'm still learning about the group having been here seven or eight weeks, and how they handle certain situations.

"Numerous lads would have been in similar positions before which can be a strength and can probably be a weakness as well.

"It's how do you, to a certain extent, cut some of the outside noise and focus on what you need to do?

"The way you do that is by having the best preparation and making sure that your head's in the best place possible."

Likewise, having raised expectations with not just their pre-season talk but expensive recruitment, Huddersfield have to respond the right way when they let supporters down, like at Vale Park.

"I understand why there's frustration there, it gives us motivation to have a different reception after games," says Sorensen.

"We've got nine games (left) and I've seen plenty of times how good it is when everybody is together here.

"When the game isn't as it should be it's fully understandable why people are unhappy."

Those most under pressure are the strikers and the injured Bojan Radulovic apart, some expensive recruits have not yet delivered. Alfie May was left out of Saturday's squad completely but Manning has liked what he has seen since.

"Alfie was first-class (in training) on Monday and he's in contention," he reveals.

"He's had a very bitty start since we've been here, with the red card, then being ill.

"I had a good chat with him on Friday about certain bits, and he was excellent in training on Monday.

"(After taking over in January) we went quite hard in terms of the defensive side, which was quite key. Sometimes the attacking has been a little bit at the expense of that."