Dougie Freedman has identified his former Crystal Palace striker James Vaughan as Huddersfield’s chief threat to Wanderers tonight.
Like his opposite number Mark Robins, who is praying his ex-forward Jermaine Beckford will not come back to haunt him, Freedman is hoping the Whites defence can silence in-form Vaughan after he netted his 12th goal of the season on Saturday as the Terriers shocked then league leaders Burnley.
And he revealed his inside knowledge of the former Everton forward he worked with at Selhurst Park shortly after taking the manager’s post in January 2011 has helped draft a plan of action for tonight’s game.
Freedman said: “Vaughany is a good player and has done very well this season.
“I had him when I first took over at Palace and he helped us in a relegation battle.
“He did very well and I have kept a close eye on his career.
“He is certainly capable of scoring goals at this level. He is a good, old-fashioned centre- forward and we have to be on our toes.
“I know his game so we did a lot of work on Vaughany in yesterday’s session and in the video room, looking at what runs he makes because he is one of the key players for them.”
Freedman knows the danger Vaughan poses but is also mindful of paying attention to his team-mates who arrive in Lancashire in search of a third straight win.
The Scot says his side will have to be at their best to get all three points.
He added: “They play with a certain style and are very flexible from three at the back to four at the back.
“They have good legs and energy in the middle of the park and we need to get on top of that.
“They also have the capability with Pats (Martin Paterson) and Vaughany up front to get goals.
“They have a good balance and the manager has done well there. I think he’s turning them into a confident Championship team rather than looking over their shoulder at relegation.
“You have to nullify what they have before we can take advantage of any deficiencies.
“We have to be really on top of our game tonight.”
Like his opposite number Mark Robins, who is praying his ex-forward Jermaine Beckford will not come back to haunt him, Freedman is hoping the Whites defence can silence in-form Vaughan after he netted his 12th goal of the season on Saturday as the Terriers shocked then league leaders Burnley.
And he revealed his inside knowledge of the former Everton forward he worked with at Selhurst Park shortly after taking the manager’s post in January 2011 has helped draft a plan of action for tonight’s game.
Freedman said: “Vaughany is a good player and has done very well this season.
“I had him when I first took over at Palace and he helped us in a relegation battle.
“He did very well and I have kept a close eye on his career.
“He is certainly capable of scoring goals at this level. He is a good, old-fashioned centre- forward and we have to be on our toes.
“I know his game so we did a lot of work on Vaughany in yesterday’s session and in the video room, looking at what runs he makes because he is one of the key players for them.”
Freedman knows the danger Vaughan poses but is also mindful of paying attention to his team-mates who arrive in Lancashire in search of a third straight win.
The Scot says his side will have to be at their best to get all three points.
He added: “They play with a certain style and are very flexible from three at the back to four at the back.
“They have good legs and energy in the middle of the park and we need to get on top of that.
“They also have the capability with Pats (Martin Paterson) and Vaughany up front to get goals.
“They have a good balance and the manager has done well there. I think he’s turning them into a confident Championship team rather than looking over their shoulder at relegation.
“You have to nullify what they have before we can take advantage of any deficiencies.
“We have to be really on top of our game tonight.”
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