"Must be really difficult" - Dion Charles' situation at Huddersfield Town debated | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield Town pundit gives his take on Dion Charles' start to life at the John Smith's Stadium.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Dion Charles made the big move from Bolton Wanderers to Huddersfield Town in January, but it hasn't gone to plan for the Northern Irish striker so far.

After being given several starts in his first few games, Charles, alongside his new club, struggled with a poor run of form, and in recent matches, he has been left to make an impact from the bench.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post about his lack of opportunities in recent weeks, Huddersfield head coach Michael Duff admitted that the striker had been given sufficient chances to make an impact in the starting XI.

"It's not quite working for him at the minute," Duff said.

"It’s a difficult decision, but at some point, it’s not about him and you are making what you think is the right decision for the team. We’ve tried to support him, but there’s only so long and there’s a tipping point."

Duff is also a man under pressure, having faced heavy criticism from fans in recent weeks for his style of play amid a poor run of results for the Terriers. However, the head coach would have surely expected more from his £750,000 striker, who is yet to find the net in his eight appearances.

Huddersfield pundit admits Charles has been "unfortunate"

To get a Huddersfield point of view on Charles' initiation at the John Smith's Stadium, Football League World spoke to their resident Terrier, Graeme Rayner, who admitted that the timing of the striker's arrival hadn't been ideal.

"Dion Charles has actually been very unfortunate," said Rayner.

"He joined the team at a time when we were creating a lot of chances, but since he has been in the team, we have stopped creating those chances. The chances he has had, he is creating for himself and are often half-chances at best.

"The atmosphere around the club is quite negative, and this must be really difficult for a new signing.

"I think he will come good. He has pedigree at this level, and he will get among the goals. It will be that football cliché of 'he gets one off his backside' and then he will go on a run of scoring.

"He looks like he is lacking in confidence and familiarity – he has rarely played with the same partner or the same system because of the impact the many injuries have had on the squad."

Dion Charles can still have an impact on Huddersfield's season

Eight games and 493 minutes of action is a short period in which to judge a player, and Charles still has another 14 matches to prove his worth to Duff and the fanbase.

At present, the Terriers remain just inside the play-offs, but they will be desperate to turn around their recent poor form, having won only two of their last eight fixtures. The main issue during this run has been a lack of goals, with Duff's side managing just seven in that time and failing to find the net at home since the 29th of December.

If he finds a way of being the man to restore Huddersfield's previous fortunes, then the Terriers fanbase will quickly turn to favour him and his early struggles will be forgotten.

Ideally, Charles' experience in the play-offs will prove invaluable, and if the Yorkshire club are to secure promotion back to the Championship, they will need their big-money January signing to step up.