Promoted: Huddersfield Town will play in the Premier League next season
Huddersfield Town have been promoted to England’s top flight for the first time since 1972.
The West Yorkshire club saw off opponents Reading in a tense penalty shootout at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Monday afternoon (May 29).
The win was a second consecutive shootout win for the Terriers after they defeated Sheffield Wednesday on spot kicks in the semis.
Christopher Schindler won the tie after Reading’s Liam Moore blazed high over the bar and Jordan Obita saw his kick saved by Town goalkeeper Danny Ward.
The game finished 0-0 after 120 minutes after a number of chances were missed by both sides. The most notable of which was Huddersfield’s Izzy Brown missed an open goal from close range early on in the game.
The win capped a memorable year and a remarkable reversal of fortunes for Huddersfield. The club finished 19th in the Championship last season and the club can now expect a windfall of at least £170million over the next three seasons by winning promotion.
The famous Wembley Stadium arch lit up in the colours of EFL Championship playoff winners Huddersfield Town
They will feel that they deserved the win on the balance of play after creating the two clearest chances, both of which came in the opening 10 minutes.
German defender Michael Hefele headed off target following an Aaron Mooy freekick, before Brown missed in the ninth minute.
This now leaves Reading, who finished four points and two places higher than the Terriers in the final league table, to reflect on a fourth play-off final defeat.
Managerial reaction…
Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner: ‘I’m one of the most happy men on the planet today. I’m so proud of this group of players, what they’ve done over the whole season.
‘There was no doubt about whether we were able to handle the atmosphere. After what they did in the semi-final, I thought the circumstances wouldn’t be a problem.
‘This competition is really hard. If you win it you like it, but my thoughts are as well with the other three teams which had unbelievable seasons, especially Reading.’
Reading manager Jaap Stam: ‘It’s always hard if you lose, even if it’s a league game or whatever. What we achieved this season is great. We’ve made progress, we finished in the top six and we played in the play-off final.
‘The boys have done what they’ve been doing all season, trying to give everything to get the maximum out of the game.
‘We got to the shootout, where it’s basically a lottery. What’s important for me is that the players took responsibility. They knew what they needed to do.
‘Of course everyone’s disappointed that we haven’t won and we haven’t gone to the Premier League. We need to give it another shot next season. It’s hard but that’s how it goes.’
Team lineups…
Huddersfield Town: Danny Ward, Tommy Smith (Martin Crainie 88′), Michael Hefele, Christopher Schindler, Chris Löwe, Jonathan Hogg, Elias Kachunga (Colin Quaner 66′), Izzy Brown (Kasey Palmer 98′), Rajiv Van La Parra, Nakhi Wells
Subs not used: Dean Whitehead, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Joel Coleman
Reading FC: Ali Al-Habsi, Thiago Ilori, Liam Moore, Joey van den Berg (Jordan Obita 64′), Chris Gunter, George Evans, Danny Williams, Tyler Blackett, John Swift (Liam Kelly 100′), Jan Kermogant, Lewis Grabban (Gareth McCleary 74′)
Subs not used: Roy Beerens, Joseph Mendes, Adrian Popa, Anssi Jaakkola
Emma Catherine (Sports Journalist) 