Matty Pearson expects Huddersfield to bounce back against fellow promotion candidates Bournemouth in tomorrow’s top of the table clash at the John Smith’s Stadium.
A 2-0 defeat at Millwall on Wednesday brought to an end Huddersfield’s 17 game unbeaten run, but the centre half remains upbeat ahead of this weekend’s game.
He said: “Its not a nice feeling to lose, but you can’t win every game. There’s no time to dwell on it, its time to bounce back.
“Going on an unbeaten run gave us all a lot of belief. 17 unbeaten in this league is incredible and the momentum carried us through some scrappy games. We still have that belief. We still have that confidence.”
As good as the team has been over this unbeaten run, Pearson’s own performances have also been of a high quality and he credited his durability as the main factor for this.
“I feel the fittest I’ve been and I think my games prove that. My stats show that too. I’m running further and faster than I ever have before.”
Terriers’ manager Carlos Corberan confirmed that midfielder Carel Eiting would be back in contention for Bournemouth’s visit.
The Spaniard chose to focus on the positives from the defeat, pointing to the team’s intensity as something to be proud of.
He said: “As a team we couldn’t achieve the result we wanted to but it was actually one of the best physical performances we have had.
“You can say that this is the end of something or you can say that its one game. We don’t see that its any kind of frustration because this is not our mentality.”
Corberan was glowing in his praise for Bournemouth, who currently sit second in the Championship table, and the job that manager Scott Parker has done there.
He added: “They started the season showing that they were the best team in the league. At the start of the season they were around 11 games unbeaten.
“They have a manager who has achieved promotion to the Premier League.
“Tomorrow is one game that you have to be ready for and if you ask any of my players, it’s a game they want to be playing.”
The recent run of games coming thick and fast has seen a number of Championship teams looking jaded lately and both Pearson and Corberan are looking forward to the upcoming international break.
Pearson said: “The international break will do us all some good. It’ll give us some time to reflect on what we’ve done and where we are and get ready for the run in.”
Corberan was equally welcoming of the two week break, citing the time off as a chance for recovery after a gruelling period.
He added: “We’ll use the first days to recover and the next days to keep growing. This is what we do with all international breaks and we have consulted our medical department and this is the best way.”
It’s clear that confidence is still high in the Terriers’ camp and that will be a valuable asset for the team both for the Bournemouth game and the remainder of the season if they are to achieve promotion.