Huddersfield Town manager Mark Robins reserved special praise for Duane Holmes after watching the youngster come on and make a real difference on his league debut in last night’s 1-1 draw with Blackpool.
Holmes who also appeared off the bench at Hull last Tuesday, entered the fray in the 57th minute with Town a goal behind and made an immediate impact on proceedings by teeing up James Vaughan for the equaliser.
With the game delicately poised the youngster then sent Sean Scannell clear to win a penalty and while Vaughan’s spot kick cannoned off the bar, the Terriers boss was more than pleased by the youngsters contribution:
“He gets on the ball, he’ll turn, he’ll twist, he’ll beat people like they’re not there and he’ll commit defenders and slide things through like he did for the goal and the penalty,” said Robins.
“He’ll score goals eventually but he’s only 18 so we’re mindful he’s got to be nurtured properly and hopefully we’ve got a player on our hands.
Holmes and fellow substitute Sean Scannell provided Town with much needed impetus after a poor first half showing and Robins admitted that he had earmarked the youngster as a potential first-team player last season.
“He’s a bottle of pop, he comes in and he brightens your day up,” said Robins.
“I saw Duane last year when I came in. You know there’s a player with ability there it’s just a case of how they handle things and move forward.
“He’s gradually getting stronger and he’s got really good ability, we’re not going to get carried away and he’s not going to get carried away otherwise we’ll be clipping his wings.
“He’s got good potential and he’s not on his own we’ve got quite a number of lads showing some signs of promise so hopefully we can nurture them.
“It’s part of the ethos of the club and it’s what the owner demands, we’ve got to try and produce players and the balance is trying to bring them through in to the first-team while winning game,” added Robins.
