Lee Grant says Huddersfield Town need to get back to clean sheets – but not by sacrificing attacking
Getting back to keeping clean sheets is important for Huddersfield Town, but Lee Grant says not at the expense of scoring goals too.
The former goalkeeper is under pressure after the Terriers' attempts to keep a second clean sheet in 11 games backfired on Thursday, conceding a lead they held for 86 minutes en route to losing 2-1 at home to Bolton Wanderers.
Huddersfield have won one of their last seven games.
It is a far cry from the start of their League One campaign, where they kept clean sheets in four of their first five games, all leading to victories.
And whilst Grant says his players prize shut-outs, he is not prepared to park the bus to get a result at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, where former manager Michael Duff will be waiting for them.
"They're important, that's for sure," said Grant. "I think this group take great pride in them.
"They should do, because we know there is strong correlation between not conceding goals and giving yourself an opportunity to win games. So let's do that as often as we can and let's make sure that gives us an opportunity to stay in games, win games.
"I see absolutely no harm in the group putting real value on that and taking great pride in it.
"We've got to make sure that we also balance that with everything we do going in the opposite direction as well.
"We encourage the team to take pride in those values and do everything they can to keep the ball from going in our own net but also make sure we've got the right level of focus and determination on forcing the ball into the opposite net.
"We've done okay on that. We've kept a good amount of clean sheets in the division. We're proud of that.
"We want to make sure we keep pushing in the opposite direction to keep that balance right."
Lynden Gooch says the key to getting out of their current dip is not to lose their nerve.
"We don't need to start making crazy decisions, playing different shapes or whatever,” said Gooch, who played for Sunderland in League One
"We just need to get back to doing what we were doing well at the very start of the season. We started really well, kept a lot of clean sheets.
"Any team that wants to achieve any success, their defensive record is what really gets them there.
"And we've got great players at the top end of the pitch that can make the difference."