‘No crisis’ at Huddersfield Town, insists Danny Schofield

The Scot was famously one defeat away from the sack at Manchester United until a goal from a future Terriers manager in Mark Robins in an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest in January 1990 turned around his fortunes. The rest is history.

Moments do not just change the result of games, but also fates of managers and head coaches and how Schofield needs one in his favour at home to Stoke today after three successive defeats in his first three matches in charge..

The latest arrived in thoroughly woeful fashion in a 4-1 home loss to Preston in the EFL Cup on Tuesday. While it is still early in his tenure to speak about the 42-year-old being under significant pressure, a positive result and performance against Stoke would aid his cause no end today.

Schofield, in his first role as a full-time head coach, said: “The start has been tough for myself and everyone else involved. But that’s what football is. I don’t think any club or coach goes through their journey or career without suffering at some point. This is all what it is and all part of it. It is always about how you respond. Questions from the media are tough and probing a reaction,but that’s inevitable.

“Moments happen in football. Alex Ferguson was one goal away from getting the sack and there might never have been an Alex Ferguson at Manchester United at one moment in time and Mark Robins scored the goal to keep his job alive. This is what football is and fortunes can be changed on moments. One magical moment or one defensive tackle can really kick-start the season and we are hoping to get that against Stoke.”

While Schofield is understandably concerned at developments thus far, neither is he panicking and he has dismissed talk that Town’s campaign has lurched into an early-season crisis just two and a half months from reaching the Championship play-off final under his predecessor.

He added: “It is certainly not a crisis. Two games into the Championship, we have not won any. But it is way too early. A win against Stoke and back to back wins can move you up the table really quickly.

“But we are not looking at the table, we are looking at what is going on daily and the standards we are implementing daily.”

Questioned on whether some players are going through the motions at the start of the season and if his former position as first-team coach has made him too ‘matey’ with the squad, he countered both charges.

He commented: “I don’t think that is the case. The group of players are great as people and the data shows that they are trying and putting in the full effort.

“In terms of being too matey or friendly, I don’t really understand that. It is all about your unique personality to get the best out of players and all successful coaches do things in different ways.

“The players are obviously very disappointed and there are lots of emotions after the game and everyone cares. Nobody goes out not to try and they try and perform to the best of their ability and try and give everything. There was disappointment (on Tuesday), but we have got to move on quickly.”