Why Huddersfield Town's Martin Drury felt he had to come out of the shadows

Drury has built a strong reputation in the game backed by an impressive and varied cv which has taken in Manchester United, Brentford, Valencia, West Bromwich Albion, Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue).

Although he was manager of the non-league side and caretaker boss of the Bantams, his other roles were in the academy or the backroom.

But when Huddersfield offered the chance to be their new head coach, the 40-year-old felt it was time to make the jump.

Despite only winning two of his seven matches in joint caretaker control with Jon Stead last season, Drury did enough to persuade the hierarchy he was the man to take them forward.

"A lot of people, when they get a job, they go ‘It was a no-brainer,’" said Drury, who is on a rolling contract with Stead now his assistant.

"Naturally, there was some scepticism from me because of the (turnover of managers in recent years).

"I've had a lot of people ask me, 'When are you going to do it?' It's never been something that I've been chasing. I love coaching that much that to be distracted by other things, I just didn't feel that real pull.

"I've taken so many good things from people, but I'm also quite strong-minded (so it was) how can I apply the things I truly believe in? I'm excited by the opportunity.

"I'm not somebody who enjoys the media side of things. It’s a distraction from football, the thing that I love doing – coaching and working with players.

"Ultimately, you come to a stage in your career where you start thinking that some of your ideas that you have, you might have to override some of those feelings to be able to apply the things.

"I feel I've been given that opportunity here at Huddersfield Town where my thoughts and feelings on football align very much with club's."

Despite seeing himself more as a coach than a manager, Drury does want a big say in recruitment, saying: “If I didn't think I could influence it, I definitely would not have taken the job.”

He is chairman Kevin Nagle's seventh full-time manager/head coach in three years, but Huddersfield has a special pull.

"I care deeply for this football club," he said. "I've enjoyed the time since coming in in January with Liam (Manning, the previous coach, who stood down for personal reasons) and the other staff.

"I'd wanted to work at Huddersfield for many years, albeit my journey's been across the globe in terms of Spain, the Premier League and the Championship.

"I feel optimistic about what can be done. I feel positive about the conversations that I've had with the football club and where the football club currently sits in terms of their mindset and thought process around short, medium and long-term thinking."

Town took their time over the appointment, but sporting director felt Chris Markham it was the right way.

"I was open and honest with him from day one," he said.

"Him and Steady almost welcomed it it. It was almost like, ‘Well, go and try and find someone better than us.’”

A 24-hour delay in the appointment Nagle promised on Tuesday led to concerns about cold feet.

"We actually were agreed on Friday,” revealed Markham.

"There was a bank holiday, there's procedural things that we've got to do, boring football logistical stuff that can sometimes take longer than it probably should have.

"To be absolutely unequivocally clear, there were no second thoughts on either side.

"We're backing Martin and we want to give him all the tools he can to be successful."