Players need to overcome nerves says Clark

LEE CLARK believes the onus for banishing anxiety among Huddersfield Town supporters lies with his players.

The Terriers moved three points clear in the race for the play-offs with an unconvincing 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night.

Town were a pale shadow of the side that swept all before them at the Galpharm Stadium earlier in the season with an unusual nervousness evident in their play.

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It was a similar story in the stands with the home supporters enduring an anxious night before Theo Robinson sealed the points with his second goal of the night in stoppage time.

And Clark, who rated the performance as among the worst on home soil since he took charge 18 months ago, believes his players can help banish the nerves of the fans.

He said: "The supporters have had so many false dawns and been let down on numerous occasions. Maybe that nervousness has transferred to the players.

"But the players have to be stronger than that. We have to lift the fans and make them positive. We need to start the games better than we have the last two to get the fans right behind us.

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"Everyone feels a bit of tension because it is down to the nitty gritty. We have to look at what happened against Oldham and learn from it."

Tuesday night's victory ensured it was a maximum return from the Easter period for Huddersfield following the 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers three days earlier.

With Colchester United, Town's nearest challengers in the table, having suffered back-to-back defeats over the holiday period it means the initiative has firmly swung the way of the Yorkshire club.

Despite that, Clark appreciates his side will have to perform much better than they did against Oldham in the final six games.

He said: "We won 2-0 and it is all about winning.

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"But goodness only knows how because if that wasn't our worst home performance during my time here then it was certainly up there.

"Oldham could count themselves unlucky. We were flat and we didn't do many things right.

"I will make sure the players know they will have to do a lot better between now and the end of the season."

Town travel to Brentford on Saturday as Colchester host second-placed Swindon Town and will again be without Antony Kay, who picked up his 10th booking of the season against Wycombe.

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Despite the sluggish display against Oldham, Clark is unlikely to make too many changes at Griffin Park.

The Town manager does insist, however, that everyone still has a major part to play if the ultimate goal of promotion is to be achieved.

He said: "Everyone has a contribution to make. The players not in the starting XI are, in my opinion, the most important at the club.

"They have to be ready to step in. I need them sharp, fit and in tune with what we are doing. I say to the substitutes before every game – 'be ready to go on from the first minute'.

"The players are giving everything.

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"They looked tired and sluggish against Oldham, and I thought the substitutions helped us by giving us fresh legs.

"There wasn't a nervousness against Norwich, or against Swindon with all the opportunities we had."