Taking Town up is Grayson’s sole Wembley focus

Instead, the Terriers manager has revealed how a burning desire to repay the faith of chairman Dean Hoyle and end the club’s 11-year absence from the second tier is all the inspiration he needs ahead of Saturday’s play-off final with Sheffield United.

Grayson, looking to claim a third promotion from League One, will take his side to Wembley less than 100 days after succeeding Lee Clark as manager.

Town moved for the 42-year-old just over a fortnight after he had been sacked by Leeds, who at the time were 10th in the Championship.

Being dismissed by the club he had joined as a teenager hurt but Grayson insists the Wembley showdown with the Blades is all about getting Huddersfield up.

He said: “It is not about me, it is about Huddersfield Town and trying to achieve something for the club. This club has been in League One for too long and it needs to get back into the Championship.

“What happened at Leeds doesn’t motivate me. I have never been the sort to be motivated by individual success, it is about the club.

“Of course, it is nice to have a promotion on the CV as it suggests you are doing your job properly. But there is no extra satisfaction in getting the team promoted, other than rewarding the chairman who brought me here in the first place.

“We have a chairman who has backed the club and deserves it more than anyone else. Personal glory isn’t in my mind, it is about the club.”

The Town squad headed to Derby last night, where they plan to train this morning before carrying on to Wembley to enjoy a look round.

Tomorrow will then be spent training at Brentford before the players head to their hotel base ahead of Saturday’s final.

Huddersfield, beaten in the 2011 play-off final by Peterborough United, have made a conscious effort this time around to keep everything as low-key as possible ahead of their biggest game of the season.

Club officials have admitted that was not necessarily the case 12 months ago, when more than 30,000 supporters poured across the Pennines in confident mood.

Those who were able to watch the players at close quarters also detected the same confident air, almost as if the joyous scenes of celebration that had followed beating Bournemouth on penalties in the semi-finals had engendered a belief that it was the club’s year.

A 3-0 defeat, however, punctured those dreams – hence Town have adopted a more level-headed approach this time.

Grayson, whose only injury doubt is Ian Bennett after Scott Arfield recovered from an ankle problem, said: “It has been deliberate to keep things low key. From the first leg at MK Dons, we set out to tell everyone that we hadn’t achieved anything. It was the same after we got through at home.

“You are only remembered by winning at Wembley. Maybe they lost focus last year, I don’t know. I wasn’t here. But we have been making sure the players know nothing has been achieved until we win at Wembley.”

Asked what he thought went wrong for Huddersfield at Old Trafford a year ago, Grayson, who is paying no attention to bookmakers having installed him as third favourite for the vacant Aston Villa job, added: “Did the players turn up? Did the best players play? Or was it simply that Peterborough played better?

“I was in the studio doing the game for Sky so I don’t know what went on in the dressing room or what the players’ reaction was. But I do feel the experience will benefit them.

“Maybe some were younger and went in thinking, ‘We will win it and just have to turn up’. Or maybe some thought, and no disrespect is intended, ‘they are only Peterborough’.

“This time it is Sheffield United, one of the biggest teams in the country. We will go in as underdogs, whereas last year maybe they felt they were favourites.”

One man who also set off for the capital yesterday was Town chairman Hoyle, who is undertaking a charity bike ride to Wembley to raise £50,000 to take 1,000 underprivileged children to the final.

Last night was spent in Worksop while Peterborough is tonight’s scheduled stop-off ahead of arrival at Wembley tomorrow.

Hoyle echoed his manager’s thoughts on the need to downplay things ahead of this year’s final.

He said: “We are delighted to get to Wembley for the town and everyone at the club. But, at the same time, we celebrated after getting to Old Trafford and ended up being so disappointed.

“We will keep our feet on the ground and go to Wembley hoping to win. I am sure Sheffield United will be a tough game but we will give it everything. Old Trafford didn’t bring us any luck so, hopefully, Wembley will.”

On the generosity that has seen this week’s bike ride already raise £40,000, Hoyle added: “If more football clubs could do half as much work in the community then they could make a big difference to lots of people.”