Matt Pearson says Huddersfield Town have got back to right blend of youth and experience

When the Terriers reached the Championship play-offs, it was with a team bustling with experience and nous.

But important players were lost in the summer, Lewis O'Brien and Harry Toffolo joining Nottingham Forest and Pearson picking up a second injury.

Now, with Pearson finally fit again and the likes of Matt Lowton, Martyn Waghorn and Anthony Knockaert signed in January, Pearson can see the right blend returning, even with Lee Nicholls' season ended by a shoulder operation.

"We have added a lot of experience and I think that will definitely help," reflected the centre-back.

"The younger lads who have come in have all done well.

"I never made my Championship debut until I was 24. Some of these lads are 20.

"It's not fair to say they're not experienced enough, they've all given it everything and a few have done really well but now we're in a situation where we need the experience of a lot of league games and I think we've done the right thing bringing it in but we've still got those lads.

"I was in a young Barnsley team when I made my Barnsley debut so hopefully we can get the mix of young and old right."

Pearson is just relieved he can finally start helping the team on the field again having tried so hard to do it off it.

When he faced Hull City earlier this month it was his first appearance since March 19. He seems almost certain to make a second another at Coventry City on Saturday.But it speaks volumes for his contribution that even when he was injured, the club tried to keep him involved.Pearson injured his knee during last season's run-in but made the bench for the play-off final against Forest."I was close," he said. "I probably had about five days' training, which is not enough to go into a play-off final, but I think if I'd been a week earlier..."I think the manager's intention was to leave me out fully but I spoke to hima few times trying to persuade him and I think I talked my way onto the bench."Pearson then played a full part in pre-season until breaking his foot, keeping him out until now."It's been a while," he says. "It feels like forever."I felt like I was really fit in pre-season so to get the injury was tough."In football anything can happen, look at Yuta (Nakayama). He missed the World Cup two weeks before having been picked for it."There's no explanation, you've just got to deal with that. He missed a World Cup he'd spent all his life working towards."Asked how he tried to contibute when out, Pearson replied: "Just get round the lads."When you're playing you can get down quicker and you feel responsible. I was on crutches but I was talking to them because it wasn't affecting me as much as them. I was trying to help and give advice."It is difficult when a team's not doing well."Knockaert has still not joined in training after signing with a bruised foot, and Waghorn is ineligible as he is on loan from the Sky Blues.Huddersfield have recalled 23-year-old goalkeeper Ryan Schofield from a loan spell at Hibernian but it is thought to have more to do with not having payed for the Hibees this season than replacing Nicholls, with Huddersfield still keeping an eye on the goalkeeper's market ahead of Tuesday's 11pm transfer deadline.