Huddersfield Town defender Michal Helik was keen to stay in England this summer and although his experiences so far have been a bit more familiar than he might like, it means he has plenty of experience to pass on to his new team-mates.

The Polish centre-back joined from Barnsley on deadline day and if staying in Yorkshire was a definite positive, joining a team following a similar path is not quite what he was hoping for.

This time last year, Helik was playing for a Reds side which reached the Championship play-offs the previous season but was now suffering the mother of all hangovers. A poor start to the campaign ultimately ended in relegation.

Beaten by Nottingham Forest in May's Championship final, the Terriers have started down the same path, but Helik is determined to drag them off it, starting with today's game at home to Cardiff City.

EXPERIENCE: Michal Helik went through similar times when he was a Barnsley defender

It will be the Terriers’ first match under caretaker manager Narcis Pelach after the coach who brought Helik in, Danny Schofield, was sacked – another unwanted parallel with his time at Oakwell."I only worked the gaffer for a very short period of time,” says Helik. “It's always a shame when a gaffer leaves the club, he was a really good human being but that's how football is.

"I was thinking about it and I had the same situation when I joined Barnsley. Gerhard Struber left after a few weeks, basically.

"I was thinking it would not be easy for me but that's how football works sometimes. You cannot overthink the situation and you need to give good answers.

"I don't want to overthink it, my goal is to work hard in training under Narcis and I’m looking forward to doing my job as best I can.

"When Gerhard Struber left coach Valerien (Ismael) came in and we did really well and got into the play-offs so I believe we can repeat that with Huddersfield.

"It will be a new start with a new gaffer and there will be changes for sure but I believe it can be a positive change. I am a positive guy and I believe it could be good for us."

His Barnsley career at least means this is not a step into the unknown for Helik.

"That experience can help me to make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes," argues Helik. "I will speak with the guys to share my experiences and I will help as much as I can to give advice. But I still think it's a really good group of players and we are not so far away.

"We need to be more ruthless. If we have a chance we need to take it, if we need to clear the ball, we must clear the ball, we must defend our goal.

"I am pretty confident we'll be fine this season but it's not about being fine, it's about fighting for something with this club because it's a good club which has an ambition which more than just fighting to stay in this league.

"Our full focus must be on the game and hard work to sacrifice on the pitch and perform well."

Helik has a World Cup place to play for in the coming months – the quad injury which meant Tuesday's game against Wigan Athletic was his first of the season means he is not in Poland's squad for this month's Nations League games – and a move to Lech Poznan might have put him more in Czeslaw Michniewicz's eyeline but he feels England is the best place to push his case from.

"When I spoke with the Barnsley CEO even before the window opened I said to him clearly my aim was to stay in England," says the 27-year-old. "I've had two seasons here and I didn't want to leave the country after a relegation.

"I think I fit the Championship and I really enjoy the competition here. I think it's a good place for me to improve myself. I like the hard work.

"There was an interest from Lech Poznan but my aim was to stay in England and I am really pleased to be here at Huddersfield. They gave me my chance and I will do everything to improve every day, to work hard to achieve something with Huddersfield Town.

"It's not just the mentality, I really enjoy my life here. I'm here with my wife and she's happy here.

"I like to play every third day, I like hard work. To play 46 games in the league and two cups is something I really like – a lot of games, a lot of hard work.

"I think it's a good place to improve because if you play so many games you can learn a lot.

"In England there are great people in football.

"People come from all over the world to play good football and that's why I'm here as well."

That he is could be very good news for Huddersfield.

Anglophile Michal Helik's Barnsley de ja vu can help Huddersfield Town through tough period