Deeney eager to shed hot-head tag

The forward is in line to face Huddersfield tonight, after making his 100th appearance in Saturday's disappointing 3-0 defeat at Hartlepool. He is aiming to hit the goalscoring trail again after the weekend's blank, as the Saddlers search for their first home win in six months.

Deeney has become the front-line striker this season but believes the benefit has come from the guidance of Tommy Mooney, Michael Ricketts and current partner-in-crime Darren Byfield.

And the 21-year-old admits he needs that experience to ensure he remains cool.

He said: "It's just little things that I need help on, because I'm still a little bit of a hot head at times.

"Obviously I'm human and everybody gets angry because you want to do your best. When it's not going right you get annoyed with yourself, that's when I start making more and more mistakes.

"Misplaced passes and stuff like that annoy me, because we all want to be the best and that's what happens."

But Deeney, the Saddlers' top scorer with three goals, admits getting riled too easily and lifted the lid on a changing room dressing down which inspired him at Tranmere two weeks ago.

He said: "At times I let things get to me. When we played Tranmere, I didn't have the best of games in the first-half, so our assistant boss Martin O'Connor decided that he was going to single me out and that winds me up.

"But Daz Byfield came over and had a little word, so did Rhys Weston, then I ended up getting two goals and sticking the words back down his throat."

Deeney has scored his three goals alongside Byfield, picking out Mooney and Ricketts as other big career influences.

The young striker said: "Tommy taught me a lot of off-the-field professionalism, because when I came here I was a bit naive, but Michael Ricketts has been the main influence both on and off the field.

"Every year I've been here I've been working with somebody experienced. First year it was Mooney, last year it was Ricketts and now it's Darren. I enjoy working with people who have been at the top level and are now coming down in their career.

"They always give you good advice and any advice is good. It's just about taking it onboard and learning from there."

Although their understanding was missing against Hartlepool, early signs of the Deeney and Byfield partnership have been encouraging.

But the youngster knows they must keep producing if they are to keep Sam Parkin on the bench.

He said: "When the ball comes into Sam he's a very tidy player, so I've got a lot of that to work on in my game. While Daz is just as sharp as anything in the box, he only needs one or two chances and he puts them in the net."

Defenders Manny Smith, knee, and Clayton McDonald, virus, are doubts for Chris Hutchings' men tonight but winger Steve Jones is pushing for a start.

Huddersfield are sweating on the fitness of seven-goal striker Theo Robinson after three games without a win.

The sixth placed Terriers, pre-season promotion favourites, have picked up just two points from their last three games but boss Lee Clark has urged them to keep the faith after a goalless draw at home to Stockport on Saturday.

Clark said: "I've told the players not to be too despondent. Of course you want to win every game you play, and it's disappointing when you don't, especially at home. But I believe in these players.

"We created some very good situations, but didn't always make the right decisions. I think when they look at the film of the game, the lads will be even more disappointed."

The stalemate with Stockport was their second successive blank at the Galpharm Stadium, but Clark believes his men have the ability to succeed.

"With the kind of attacking quality we have, it's frustrating not to score and, with one goal in the last three games, we have certainly dried up a little bit.

"But I cannot criticise the players for their effort and application, and we will continue to work hard with them.

"After 46 games, we will have the right results, no danger. Let's all stick together and take the opportunity to put things right."