Huddersfield Town: Kevin Nagle comments will concern Michael Duff given Birmingham City factor | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town owner Kevin Nagle has set head coach Michael Duff a target of achieving automatic promotion this season.

It is fair to say it has been a mixed start to life back in League One for Huddersfield Town.

Huddersfield were relegated from the Championship last season after a disastrous campaign that saw three different managers take charge of the team in Neil Warnock, Darren Moore and Andre Breinreiter, but many expected them to challenge for an immediate return to the second tier under new head coach Michael Duff.

It was a strong summer transfer window for the Terriers, with eight new signings joining the club, and they made an excellent start to the campaign as they won their first three league games.

Town's form then declined dramatically, and a run of five defeats in six league games saw Duff come under serious pressure as his side fell down the table, but they have improved in recent weeks.

Huddersfield extended their unbeaten run to four league games with a 2-0 home win over Exeter City on Saturday, with goals in either half from Matty Pearson and Ben Wiles sealing all three points, and they are now seventh in the table, just one point from the play-off places.

The Terriers are in FA Cup action on Friday night when they make the trip to face National League side Tamworth, but there is no doubt that their main focus this season is on the league, and recent comments by owner Kevin Nagle highlight the extent of the club's ambitions.

Kevin Nagle outlines Michael Duff promotion target at Huddersfield Town

Nagle has been outspoken at times during his reign as Huddersfield owner, and he did not hold back when discussing his targets for the season, emphatically stating that he expected Duff to deliver automatic promotion.

When asked whether the club's current position is acceptable, Nagle told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: "No, not good enough, and I think everybody in the entire organisation knows that.

"We're going to move up to the next level or we're going to have to fight for it.

"That means we've got to be a play-off team, we've got to be first or second.

"I feel right now we're just getting our sea legs."

Nagle also gave his backing to Duff, stating: "I think the beauty is that he knows what's going on, when we hired him, he knew that our goal was to get back to up to the Championship.

"He knows what it takes to get out of League One, so we've really crafted a team, the players that were selected had everybody involved.

"We think we've got the right players, we're maybe one or two short, but we've still got that January window to look forward to."

Given the strength of the Terriers' squad, the top two is arguably a fair target for Nagle to set, but with incredibly strong competition at the top of League One this season, it will not be easy for Duff to meet his owner's demands.

After spending a reported total of around £24 million during the course of the summer transfer window, including £15 million on the permanent signing of Fulham striker Jay Stansfield, many have tipped Birmingham City to comfortably win the League One title this season.

There were some question marks over whether the Blues would be able to adapt to the third tier, but they have been as dominant as most expected during the early months of the campaign, and they already have a decent lead at the top of the table.

If Birmingham are able to maintain their current form, that will leave just one automatic promotion spot up for grabs, and Huddersfield do not look like the front-runners for second at this point.

Wycombe Wanderers currently occupy second place after a remarkable run of eight wins and two draws in their last 10 games, but they are not the only surprise promotion contenders, with newly-promoted duo Wrexham and Mansfield Town and Lincoln City all in the top six.

After a slow start to the season, Bolton Wanderers have improved significantly in recent weeks, and that is ominous for the rest of the league given the quality of the Trotters' squad, while the likes of Barnsley, Reading, Stockport County, Charlton Athletic, Peterborough United and Rotherham United may all still fancy their chances of challenging for automatic promotion.

With that in mind, it will be tough for Duff to lead Town to second place, and the 46-year-old may be concerned that he will be unable to achieve Nagle's target, which could put his job under threat.

For now, Nagle remains loyal to Duff, and if he was tempted to make a managerial change, he would surely have done so after the recent run of four consecutive defeats, so the ex-Barnsley and Swansea City boss seems likely to get time at the John Smith's Stadium.

However, Nagle's comments undoubtedly place big pressure on Duff to deliver this season, and his side cannot afford to fall too much further behind the top two as it will not be long until the scrutiny returns.