Kevin Russell has endured a challenging spell at Huddersfield Town.
Kevin Russell is now searching for a new club after a turbulent 16-month stint at Huddersfield Town.
A Stoke City favourite both on the pitch and in coaching roles, Russell joined Huddersfield in January 2024 to manage the club’s B team. However, after manager Darren Moore’s departure that same month, Russell quickly moved into first-team coaching. He continued to play a senior coaching role under Andre Breitenreiter and Michael Duff.
Russell was reinstated as assistant when Duff left and Jon Worthington stepped in as caretaker manager. Huddersfield had a disappointing season, finishing 10th in League One after a strong start that saw them sitting fourth in January and fifth in February. They lost six of their final games and 12 out of the last 15, missing out on the playoffs.
The club’s struggles also led to the exit of former Stoke technical director Mark Cartwright as sporting director. Andy Quy, Stoke’s former goalkeeper coach, and ex-Stoke striker Martin Paterson also left Huddersfield around the same time. However, former Stoke midfielder Michael Tonge joined Huddersfield as the new B team coach.
Russell’s ties with Stoke run deep. He was part of the team that won promotion as Division Two champions in 1993 under Lou Macari and later returned as a youth coach in 2014. He mainly worked with the under-21s and under-18s but occasionally assisted with first-team duties, especially during managerial transitions in 2018 and 2019.
His departure from Stoke in May 2023 came as a surprise during a restructuring led by then-technical director Ricky Martin. Russell played a key role in developing talents like Harry Souttar, Nathan Collins, Tyrese Campbell, Josh Tymon, and Connor Taylor.
Huddersfield released a statement saying, “All at Huddersfield Town thank Kevin for his efforts with the club and wish him well for the future.”
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