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Huddersfield Town head coach Martin Drury on avoiding squad 'unrest' and his favourite time of the day SQUADS come into focus at many clubs at this time of year, usually because they are too small. Huddersfield Town could well face a different type of problem and it is something Martin Drury is aware of. Town’s resources are the envy of most at third-tier level and most of their bases across the pitch are pretty well covered. They still remain in the market for players. This week, they have been linked with a move for midfielder Archie Collins, who left Peterborough United earlier this summer. Their central midfield stable is a pretty comprehensive one already. Captain Ryan Ledson and David Kasumu started in last weekend’s EFL Cup tie against Preston North End, with summer signing Ethan Brierley on the bench alongside Marcus McGuane. Herbie Kane and Antony Evans also both remain at the club and then there’s emerging young players such as Tom Iorpenda and Daniel Vost. Iorpenda, who is out of contract next June, is said to be on the radar of Championship club Derby County. The 21-year-old had an impressive season-long loan at Notts County in 2025-26. Drury is conscious that squads can be too big as opposed to too small and getting the numbers and balance right is not lost upon him. Providing a pathway for up-and-coming players is something else to consider. That is not so straightforward when numbers are congested in certain areas and it is not just in centre midfield where Town are well stocked. Overall squad harmony is another facet which Drury is wise not to ignore. The Terriers head coach said: "If you want to try and create a culture and you've got too many players in the squad that are not playing minutes - that want to play minutes - then you're going to get some unrest. "It's very difficult to have a competitive and winning culture when people are not happy. "We need to find that balance of what that (right) number looks like, but also what the quality and the dynamics of the group look like. "We'll be continuing to work on that between now and the end of the window and hopefully we keep as many players as we possibly can. "But if any do move on, then we'll make sure we do right by them. We'll look after them and we'll make sure that the moves are right for them as well. "If people (new signings) come in the building that we feel complement us in a way (fair enough). "And then we might have good players in the building that might come knocking on the door and say: ‘Where does that leave me? I want to be playing more regular football.’ "And if those conversations take place, then I'll have those conversations." Huddersfield-born Drury leads out his hometown side at the Accu Stadium on Saturday for the first time in a competitive fixture as permanent head coach - when AFC Wimbledon are the visitors. He is not going in ‘blind’ in fairness after a bit of a dummy run in interim charge in the final six weeks of last season alongside Jon Stead. Stead is part of Drury’s backroom team which also includes former Barnsley and Rotherham United assistant head coach Dale Tonge and the vastly-experienced Alan Knill, widely considered to be the tactical brains behind Sheffield United’s magnificent rise during Chris Wilder’s epic first spell at the helm. Still, it is Drury’s name above the manager’s door, so to speak. While his temporary stint holding the fort in the spring - after Liam Manning was granted compassionate leave, was one thing - the 40-year-old admits that being in full charge is a wholly different scenario. It’s one he is ready for, that said, even if he has been plunged head-first into a 24-7 world where you rarely get time to truly switch off and everyone wants a piece of your time. Drury continued: "I think the back end of last season was quite surreal, just in terms of how the circumstances presented themselves and the roles that myself and Jon were sort of thrown into. "It did give us a brief insight into what it's like. I must admit, it's very, very different (since). It's been very, very different to the back end of last season. "Once you're in this role and it's confirmed, then my respect for head coaches across the country has dramatically increased. "From what I've seen over the last six weeks, it’s not so much the pressure, but the decision-making and constant dialogue every single day. You get very, very little time to think and to debrief alone. "The drive home at the end of the day is probably my favourite part of the day, when you're alone and you can have no noise and you're free to have a little think. "Because day-to-day is pretty full-on; it's pretty hectic, but it's work that needs to be done. If you want to be successful, then that's all part and parcel of it.”