A PROFESSIONAL’S professional, Tom Lees is the sort of understated player who you only truly appreciate when he is not around.

Michael Duff gets that sentiment and it did not pass the Huddersfield Town head coach by that he was not on deck when his side produced a lamentable performance at Northampton earlier this month.

Now the winter of his career, Lees remains the epitome of solidity and consistency. Players like him are the bedrock to all successful promotion sides.

Without banging his chest, the 34-year-old is also a leader, albeit a quiet one and with Michal Helik having moved on and Matty Pearson sidelined, his importance as the senior man in the Town backline should not be underestimated.

Barnsley's Clement Rodrigues takes on Huddersfield Town's Tom Lees, sporting a face mask after recently breaking his nose in the game with Birmingham City. 15th February 2025. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

placeholder image — Barnsley's Clement Rodrigues takes on Huddersfield Town's Tom Lees, sporting a face mask after recently breaking his nose in the game with Birmingham City. 15th February 2025. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

In a season in which injury disruption has bedevilled Town virtually from day one, only Ben Wiles has started more games than Lees.

Duff said: "There’s different types of leaders. Watching Leesy in training and warm-ups, he does everything perfectly and he is in the gym and never cuts corners. It’s another way of leading.

"Sometimes, he is easily criticised as people see the things he can’t do. What they don’t see is all the things he does.

"Is it a coincidence that we concede three goals at Northampton because Leesy is not in the team? He’s been really good; everyone knows he is quiet, unassuming and goes about his business.

Huddersfield Town's Tom Lees (right) is helped off the field following injury during the Sky Bet League One match against Birmingham at the John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

"He has made three, four or five hundred appearances in the Championship and you don’t play at that level and the one he’s at now and his age without being a good professional.

"I had a conversation with a player this week and said: ‘why do you think Leesy and Hoggy (Jonathan Hogg) are still playing now?’ It’s because of the way they train.

"Sometimes, players just want to coast during the week and be good at the weekend all of a sudden. It doesn’t work like that.

"Leesy leads by example and if you are not doing it, he will tell you, which is what you want. But he will do it the right way.”

Two away wins may have steadied the ship at Town after a testing spell, but Duff’s side are not yet out of the woods on home soil.

Town have not scored a goal in four matches at the John Smith’s Stadium in 2025, let alone win. They are winless since Boxing Day, with Duff believing that some of their recent issues are down to mentality as much as anything.

He continued: "Dealing with pressure and expectancy are things you have to deal with, playing for a big football club.

"When Huddersfield have been in the Championship in the last few years, it's been a completely different expectation. It’s fighting to survive and digging in.

"That won’t work (now). People turn up expecting us to win (at home) and we haven’t won enough games, there’s no getting away from that. There’s no hiding from it and we need to be better at home and win more and score more.

"It’s being aware of it without trying to make it a ‘thing’ as a lot of it is in between the two ears. You can’t be a good player away and not at home. It’s a mentality (thing).”