Huddersfield Town's season should be celebrated regardless of what happens at Wembley

Whether next Sunday ends in triumph or despair for Huddersfield Town one thing is for certain. Whilst the final 90 minutes of the campaign will determine which league the Terriers will be in come August (or the last weekend of July this time thanks to the Qatar World Cup) whether it’s triumph or despair come the final whistle it has been a terrific season. That can be celebrated either way, and it’s the result of several people’s hard work.

Going from pre-season favourites for relegation with more than one bookmaker to one game away from the Premier League has been a triumph of several things. On the pitch Town have been controlled, measured, and unafraid regardless of opponents. On the bench they have been tactically excellent, willing to compromise, and calmer than last season at the right times.

Off the pitch at all levels the pattern has been followed with some eye-catching results at B Team level and a notable graduation by Jon Russell. The style of football is consistent, the nature of recruitment is consistent, the attitude is consistent, the voice on social media and beyond is consistent. That has not always been the case. The final Premier League season was less a death by a thousand cuts and more like being tied to the track with the train coming except it’s going to take ten months to arrive. That left a two-year hangover during which fans, players, and staff suffered together and thanks to Covid in isolation for a chunk too.

During those two years managers arrived and left, the ownership changed and is still in the process of being resolved, coaching staff moved through the levels and sometimes away from the club, and the squad was recycled with the wage bill in mind first and then an upscaling of quality