Former West Brom coach Martin Drury a frontrunner for first permanent head coach role | OneFootball

According to ExpressAndStar.com, former Albion coach Martin Drury, 40, is a leading contender to secure his first league head coach post after steering Huddersfield Town in an acting capacity since late March.

Drury and assistant Jon Stead, the former striker, were elevated from the backroom staff when Liam Manning took compassionate leave. In early May the club confirmed Manning would not return, his absence linked to the death of his newborn son Theo in October 2024.

Huddersfield lost only once in seven matches under Drury, drawing four, and finished ninth in the third tier.

Huddersfield-born Drury retired at 28 then took his first managerial role at non-league Bradford Park Avenue, the final club of his playing career. He spent around six years at Bradford City, including a brief caretaker spell, before joining Manchester United’s academy in 2022.

He developed a working relationship with Carlos Corberan during the Spaniard’s time at Leeds and Huddersfield, and in 2024 joined him as an assistant at The Hawthorns. Corberan has since led Valencia for 18 months, finishing ninth in La Liga this term, with Drury following for half a season before returning to England as assistant first-team coach under Keith Andrews at Brentford.

Drury moved to his hometown club as assistant in January and oversaw the run-in with Stead. The Terriers are thought to have been pleased with how the pair handled the final month of the campaign.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com