Former Sheffield Wednesday youngster secures permanent League One head coach role
Former Sheffield Wednesday youngster Martin Drury has landed the Huddersfield Town job on a permanent basis.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield Town, have appointed former Owls youngster Martin Drury as their head coach ahead of the 2026/27 League One campaign.
Drury, 40, has landed the job on a full-time basis after overseeing the final seven games of this season. He was put in caretaker charge back in March after former Terriers head coach Liam Manning was granted compassionate leave.
Huddersfield, who are one of four Yorkshire counterparts Wednesday will face in League One next term, announced earlier this month that Manning would not be returning to the club. The Terriers, confirming Manning had been granted compassionate leave earlier this year, said in a statement that the former Norwich City boss had "made the club aware of ongoing personal matters relating to the tragic passing of his newborn son Theo in October 2024".
Following confirmation that Manning would not be returning to the Accu Stadium, the West Yorkshire outfit have now installed Drury as his permanent successor. The former Manchester United academy coach, who is from Huddersfield, won two, drew four and lost one of his seven games in interim charge at the end of this season.
Drury, who was with Wednesday as a youngster between 2004 and 2006, failing to make a single first-team appearance before moving on to join Gainsborough Trinity, will be supported by former Sheffield United striker Jon Stead, who has been appointed as his assistant.
Next season will mark Huddersfield’s third in succession in League One following relegation in 2024. After finishing 10th in 2024/25, the Terriers finished ninth this time around, eight points shy of the play-offs.
Next season will mark the first time since the 2011/12 campaign Wednesday and Huddersfield will have met at League One level. That season, as they both secured promotion to the Championship, they played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at Hillsborough in December before the Owls won 2-0 at what was formerly known as the Galpharm Stadium in April via goals from Miguel Llera, who scored a fantastic free-kick, and Nile Ranger.