Neil Warnock demands Huddersfield finish the job after moving to brink of safety

Posted Sunday, April 30, 2023 by PA

Neil Warnock urged Huddersfield not to let their rescue mission slip after victory at Cardiff took the Terriers to the brink of Sky Bet Championship survival.

Huddersfield won 2-1 at Cardiff through Joseph Hungbo’s super strike and a Jack Simpson own goal to leave themselves needing one point from their final two games to stay in the Championship.

When veteran Warnock took over in mid-February, Huddersfield were in 23rd place and just one point off the bottom of the table.

“We’ve come this far and it would be the icing on the cake (to survive). We can’t let it go now,” said the 74-year-old.

“The lads enjoy playing for us and the euphoria is there but, when you’re in relegation trouble, jobs are at stake. I do feel a bit of responsibility.”

Huddersfield finish their season with two home games against promoted Sheffield United and 22nd-placed Reading.

“I’ve always thought it would go down to Reading, it still might,” said Warnock, who admitted to being emotional after Cardiff fans clapped him at the final whistle in recognition of this three-year spell there between 2016 and 2019.

“Sheffield United are a good side, people said they might take the foot off the pedal now they’ve got promoted.

“Looks like, didn’t it? They really took their foot off the pedal on Saturday when they won 4-1.

“But it just shows what you can do. I think the lads have probably surprised themselves, we’ve got better players than what they were achieving.

“Sometimes you do under-achieve and they just need an arm around them. I’m glad I’ve come in and done my bit because we needed an old head.

“I think if I’d been there for three months we’d have had a good chance of the play-offs, as it’s such an open league apart from Burnley.”

Cardiff’s own relegation fears were over after Reading had failed to beat Wigan on Saturday.

And Sabri Lamouchi’s Bluebirds were thoroughly outplayed in the second half, scarcely deserving Isaak Davies’ late back-heeled consolation.

“It’s a massive club and they deserve to stay in the Championship,” said Lamouchi, who was appointed Cardiff’s third manager of the season in January and whose position remains unclear.

“I’m proud about that. It is job done, massive achievement.

“I am happy to work with this squad, but it (the future) is not about what I want to do. It’s about what the club want to do. It’s very simple.”