Huddersfield Town v West Brom: 'Mr Quiet' Matty Pearson on why Terriers' tactics versus Leeds United are the Championship way to go

The person in question is Huddersfield Town defender Matty Pearson.

A working-class, salt-of-the-earth lad from Keighley, who has grafted for everything he has got in a football sense after rejection as a teenager at Blackburn Rovers and then at Rochdale, Pearson is not one for much chat at this time of year.

In his time at one of his former clubs in Accrington Stanley, Pearson acquired the nickname of ‘Mr Angry’ in homage to his serious approach when he crosses the white line. On a match-day or in training.

Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville might just vouch for that after last weekend.

Crunch time in a season is serious business for footballers at both ends of the table.

Pearson knows that better than most - after both relegation and promotion fights at several previous clubs.

His dad - who he used to work with fitting garage doors when he was playing part-time at Halifax before getting back into the professional ranks at Accrington - can appreciate the mood shift in March and April as well.

Pearson, a player who has plenty of perspective after sampling the ‘real world’ away from football, said: "My dad was speaking to me the other day, saying that I always go quiet at this time of year.

"It’s because of the stress and worry of football. I think I take it all home with me.

"You talk about jobs and stuff like that. There’s plenty of people at this club who’ve worked hard for their jobs and us getting relegated is not going to put them in good stead.

"This time of year is crunch time and everyone has got to be on it.

"My dad always asks if I am all right. It was obviously a bad result on Wednesday and he can just sense it. He’s just got that ‘dad’ thing.

"With the result, he knows.. But he knows what I am like after games.

"This is my job and you have got to give it everything you have got.

"I have two kids at home and sorting out my little girl to go to school does take my mind off it. But most of what I think about is football, most of the time."

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After the uplift of four points in Andre Breitenreiter’s first two games in charge, allied to the club’s on-pitch transformation under interim boss Jon Worthington prior to that, Town returned to some bad old ways at Cardiff City on Wednesday - and were called out for it by their head coach.

It served as a reminder that Huddersfield have a fair way to go before they are hopefully celebrating safety for the second successive season.

A side capable of getting results against anyone in the division when they are intense and high-energy, things can change somewhat when those levels dip slightly, as they did in midweek.

Pearson continued: "The key word is not getting too confident. Whenever you do, it can come back to bite you.

"Everyone is fully aware of what the consequences can be. We just need to be on it in every game."

Pearson and Town certainly were last weekend when they got into Leeds’ faces and made life distinctly uncomfortable for their high-flying neighbours.

Sometimes, they crossed the line. Jonathan Hogg’s red being a case in point, while Pearson’s first-half challenge on Summerville, which resulted in a booking, was borderline.

But what could not be doubted was that Town’s approach in getting up close and personal with their derby rivals and stopping them ‘playing’ worked - and overall, it merited a point.

On criticism of Town’s tactics from the Leeds end, Pearson continued: “Leeds are a good team. If we’d have been stand-offish and let them be on their game, I think they’d have run rings around us.

"We had to be on it and be as tight as possible and not give them a sniff. As if we did, they could have taken full advantage.

"Getting tight stopped them having a better day.

"That’s our best style, if you like. Us getting tight to people and we’ve got ‘legs’ in midfield and I think that’s our strength.

"We need to get back to that and getting tighter, running and putting everything out there."

Against a savvy West Brom side who are going for promotion under former Terriers chief Carlos Corberan and have plenty in their armoury, not countering the Baggies threats is a policy that would arrive fraught with danger.

Pearson excelled under Corberan and credits the Spaniard for improving his game, certainly on the ball.

His fastidious attention to detail on the training ground was a key successful traits of Corberan’s time at Town.

In Breitenreiter, Pearson sees another very tactically-minded coach with that same obsession with the finer details as Corberan.

Pearson said: "I do see a lot of similarities tactically. I was actually really pleased with how the manager presented himself tactically (when he came) and he made it really clear and that is exactly what I need.

"I need someone to tell me instructions of what to do. I’d rather have a manager who comes in and tells me what needs to be done and how to do this and it’s a breath of fresh air.”