DANNY WARD and Neil Warnock go back a long way and the Huddersfield Town manager is confident enough to make a prediction regarding the experienced Terriers frontman.

Namely that if the club can 'wrap him up in cotton wool' between now and May 8, then relegation-haunted Town have a good chance of achieving their cherished aim of Championship safety.

Ward has successful experience when it comes to a 'Great Escape' from trouble at the wrong end of the second-tier under Warnock.

The Bradford-born player was part of the Rotherham United squad who overcame adversity in tremendous fashion in the final third of 2015-16 to retain their Championship status.

KEY MAN: Danny Ward could have a big role to play for Huddersfield Town between now and the end of the season. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Ward scored the vital winning goal in Warnock's first three points as Millers boss against Brentford in February 2016 and also chipped in with a key strike in a scarcely-believable 3-3 draw with Derby County when United memorably rallied from 3-0 down in miraculous style with all their three goals coming in the final seven minutes.

Warnock went onto sign Ward during his time at Cardiff City, with the frontman making a contribution in the first half of the Bluebirds' 2017-18 promotion to the Premier League before picking up a knee injury which ruled him out for the remainder of that campaign.

The veteran manager quickly called upon Ward upon arriving for his latest rescue mission at Huddersfield, with the 32-year-old making his first start since before Christmas in the recent 2-1 triumph over Birmingham City at the John Smith's Stadium.

Ward, who had been suffering with a hamstring injury prior to Warnock's arrival, also started last weekend's loss at Burnley and is likely to be any leading player in the club's safety quest in the weeks ahead, should he stay fit.

CONFIDENCE: Huddersfield Town boss Neil Warnock Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

Warnock, whose side now face critical back-to-back home games with Coventry City and Bristol City, said: "It's massive. We have to wrap him up in cotton wool between games really.

"If you'd told me Danny was going to be fit for every game between now and the end of the season, I think we'd have a really good chance.

"The way he played (against Birmingham), he occupied two centre-halves at times and still twisted away.

"He's got the bit between his teeth and he looks like the lad I had at both clubs."

Huddersfield Town striker Danny Ward key part of Terriers' battle to beat the drop, says Neil Warnock