Huddersfield Town's Josh Ruffels uses history and doubters as motivation to work Terriers out of Championship relegation zone

That Huddersfield Town had not won at Preston North End since 1969 was fairly irrelevant when it came to the 2022 Boxing Day game between the two. Even Town's longest-serving player, Jonathan Hogg, had only lost their twice with them and both those games were in 2016.

But defender Josh Ruffels found a way to use the dire record as motivation for a victory which breathed new belief into a club which seemed to be rapidly running out of it.

As the Terriers prepare to welcome Rotherham United – one of four clubs nervously perched above the Championship's safety line, five points better off than Huddersfield from a game more – mind games are becoming an increasingly important part of the relegation equation.

Huddersfield’s team bus was nearing Deepdale when Ruffels saw their miserable record flash up on Sky Sports News.

"We were probably about 20 minutes from the ground when we saw it and it grinds on you a little bit," admits the left-back. "It stayed in my mind, I know that.

"I always think it's a bit of a character test to go there and beat them if that kind of stat's there. I don't mind things like that.

"If you see it and it's a motivation, it's a good thing.

"A lot of the lads don't want to look at it but it was kind of sprung in our face. It motivated me a little bit and we had a bite in our game."

With ground to make up at the wrong end of the Championship, anything that can add bite to the Terriers needs to be seized upon.

Coach Mark Fotheringham has talked about a "siege mentality" and something else the players can use is the expectation outside of the club – even amongst many of its own fans – that Huddersfield are going to "do a Barnsley" this season, and follow the Championship play-offs with relegation to League One.

"That's a massive motivation," admits Ruffels. "We wouldn't be professional footballers if we didn't care and didn't want to get out of this situation. We all care for the club massively and we've got so many games to get ourselves out of it.

"We know there are six-pointers which can really make a big difference.

"It's down to us to stay confident and find some consistency because we've not had it.

"We need those back-to-back wins which we really are desperate for."

As Huddersfield discovered in the Premier League under Jan Siewert, the most dangerous thing for a relegation-threatened club is when they lose belief. That team really did become hopeless.

But this squad has responded to what Fotheringham calls a "German mentality" – a nod to his coaching upbringing in the Bundesliga.

Bringing the players in for training on Christmas Day fit into the mentality the Scot has created at Canalside, where the work is as relentless as his self-belief.

"Training's been difficult because of a very German mentality," explains the former Karlsruhe, Ingolstadt and Hertha Berlin coach. "However, they've adapted really well to it and they're growing as athletes and as players. They have to continue that.

"If you look at my record over there and the people I've been involved with, it's been constant winning for the past three or four years.

"We know these games coming up are really important."

Ruffels adds: "Since he's come in training's been so different, very difficult and intense, but it's the only way you're going to get out of these situations.

"We're bottom of the league, unfortunately, and it comes down to hard work and grittiness to get us out of it. We've definitely got that and we've got a good squad around us, the young lads have been brilliant as well.

"We know we've got more than enough to get out of this. We worked hard in the World Cup break and I feel like we're all raring to go.

"It's good to have the likes of Hoggy back, it (the break) gave him time to recover and there's other players on the brink of coming back again. The squad's filling out, we feel good.

"In Spain (where Huddersfield went on a training camp during the break) we worked on certain bits and bobs – how we press and stuff. It's the fine details that make the difference and it clears things up a little bit so to have the time to do it, it makes a massive difference.

"You can either take it as a positive or a negative and I think we've taken it as a positive.

"It was a tough first two games (back) against Sheffield United and Watford (both lost) but now we've got the chance to get a string of results together and get a good feeling back in the camp and with the fanbase. We're looking forward to it.

"It's a really tough period of games and I feel like we're ready to go."

Sorba Thomas is available again after surprisingly being left out of the matchday squad in Lancashire.

Last six games: Huddersfield Town WLLDWL; Rotherham United DLLDWL

Referee: J Simpson (Lancashire)

Last time: Huddersfield Town 0 Rotherham United 0, April 10, 2021, Championship