Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant has piled the praise on Dion Charles after the striker has finally ignited his career in West Yorkshire in recent weeks.
The 30-year-old was a big money arrival at the Terriers in January when he was signed from Bolton Wanderers for a fee believed to be around £750,000. Alongside fellow signing Joe Taylor, it was hoped the duo would be the catalyst to pivot Huddersfield into the League One play-offs, but they fell off in spectacular fashion to eventually finish 10th.
Charles in particular struggled to adjust to his new surroundings. He failed to score in 18 appearances last season and the arrival of Grant in the summer saw him fall further down the pecking order.
With Alfie May joining from Birmingham City, the Northern Ireland international began the campaign on the fringes of the team. By September, he was out of the matchday squads altogether, with the attacker’s opportunities coming in the form of the EFL Trophy and Carabao Cup.
Dion Dion Charles 🎶#htafc pic.twitter.com/hIkbC8ji2P
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) November 23, 2025
Misfiring Strikers Offer Charles An Opportunity
After investing heavily in the playing squad over the last 12 months, Huddersfield started the season as one of the favourites to earn promotion. It’s been a tricky opening third of the campaign though, especially throughout October when they tasted 3 successive defeats.
A lot of this was due to Grant’s side’s struggles in front of goal. May has so far failed to replicate the kind of form that helped propel Birmingham to the League One title last season, whilst Taylor hasn’t scored since hitting the winner against former club Peterborough United in early September.
With May receiving his marching orders in a 3-0 defeat against Wycombe Wanderers at the end of last month, this opened up an opportunity for Charles. He was given a start in the EFL Trophy against Mansfield Town, where he grabbed a brace.
As a result, the former Accrington Stanley attacker retained his place for the visit of Plymouth Argyle. He played a part in all 3 goals in a 3-1 victory, scoring his first league goal for the club in the process.
Another clash with Mansfield followed on Saturday, where Charles found the back of the net for the third game in succession in another 3-1 win. This has seen Huddersfield move up to seventh, just 2 points behind Stevenage in that final play-off place.
Grant Delighted With Reward After Hard Graft
It’s been a long wait for the attacker, but he has grasped his chance with both hands. This hasn’t come as a surprise to the manager, who revealed that he has been knocking on the door with a combination of hard work and determination. Speaking to BBC Sport West Yorkshire, Grant said:
With four goals between them in their last two league games is Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant surprised at Bojan Radulović’s & Dion Charles’ recent form? 🎯
Hear from Grant ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Luton via @BBCSounds.
Listen: https://t.co/HhtL6umtfG#HTAFC |… pic.twitter.com/CbTZqI3JhN
— BBC Sport West Yorkshire (@BBCWYS) November 24, 2025
“Perhaps some of last season had leaked into this season in terms of his own level.
“Not at any point had Dion wavered in terms of his desire to be back to his own level and his trust and belief in the group. That was incredibly refreshing.
“I have to give Dion full credit, his work ethic and his willingness to keep his head down. He’s stuck at it and it’s paid off.”
Charles is expected to keep his place in the starting lineup tomorrow night when Huddersfield travel to Luton Town.
