Martin Drury has been appointed as the head coach of Huddersfield Town.
Drury, aged 40, took caretaker charge of the team after Liam Manning was granted compassionate leave. The club had announced earlier this month that Manning would not be returning to his role.
Drury’s Leadership and Appointment
Drury led the team to two wins from his seven matches in charge. Huddersfield Town finished ninth in League One under his leadership.
Chris Markham, the club’s sporting director, stated they had the benefit of seeing Martin’s work for the last six months. He added it was immediately clear why Drury has a reputation across football as an elite coach, and that his leadership over the final seven games in difficult circumstances was impressive.
Markham said that a full process was run to identify their next head coach, and Martin entered that process alongside other potentials with very different experiences and profiles. Having interviewed several, including Martin, over the past three weeks, he was the unanimous choice.
Drury’s Coaching Background
Huddersfield-born Drury started his coaching career with non-league Bradford Park Avenue.
He has had coaching roles with Bradford City, Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion, Valencia and Brentford.
Stead’s Assistant Role and Club Context
Former Town striker Jon Stead will be Drury’s assistant.
Drury joined Huddersfield as part of Manning’s staff, along with Stead, in January. The pair took over until the end of the campaign in March.
Drury is the club’s third different head coach in just under a year after Lee Grant and Manning.