Favourites tag means nothing as Kay plans final route

Five years ago this week, the 28-year-old was in the Barnsley side who headed to Huddersfield for a League One play-off semi-final second leg needing to overcome a one-goal deficit.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher’s late strike at Oakwell the previous week meant Peter Jackson’s Terriers had, it seemed, put one foot in the Millennium Stadium final.

Just a draw would have been enough for Town to finish the job, hence the bookmakers making the home side overwhelming favourites to go through. The reality, however, was rather different with a topsy-turvy second half seeing the Tykes initially level the tie on aggregate through a Paul Hayes penalty before Jon Worthington restored Town’s advantage on 65 minutes.

At that stage, the tie again seemed all but over only for two goals in seven minutes from Daniel Nardiello and Paul Reid to ensure it was Andy Ritchie’s Barnsley who went through to the final.

Kay, now of course a Huddersfield player, readily recalls the wide-ranging emotions that both sides went through that night, which is why he is adamant that there is no such thing as a favourite when it comes to the play-offs.

“Shocks happen every year in the play-offs,” said the Barnsley-born defender to the Yorkshire Post ahead of tomorrow night’s eagerly-awaited semi-final second leg between the Terriers and Bournemouth.

“No team can ever consider themselves through to a final until the final whistle blows. That is why there are no favourites when it comes to the play-offs, I know that from my days at Barnsley.

“We had lost at home (in 2006) and everyone expected Huddersfield to go through due to the second leg being at their place, where they had been in good form.

“But we played very well on the night and won 3-1. That shows what a lottery the play-offs can be. The only thing, as a player, that you can do is perform on the day and hope that is enough.

“That is why no-one here at Huddersfield will be thinking we are favourites against Bournemouth, just because we managed to draw the first leg and have been in good form. That is not what this group of players are about.”

This season sees Town, priced by Skybet as 6-4 on to win in normal time tomorrow night with the Cherries rated 4-1, competing in the play-offs for the seventh time.

They have gone on to win promotion twice – in 1995 under Neil Warnock and then again nine years later when Jackson was in charge – but are yet to win a home tie, either at Leeds Road or the Galpharm.

Four of those half dozen games have ended in draws, including last year when a goalless stalemate against Millwall was followed by a 2-0 defeat at The Den in the return, while Peterborough United in 1992 and Barnsley five years ago both left with victories that were enough to book a trip to the final.

On tomorrow’s game, Kay said: “We are still very much in it at 1-1, which is what you have to aim for before a first leg. Before the game, we would have probably taken a draw so the result (at Dean Court) was okay.

“We have been in good form at home and, hopefully, we can extend that and go on to reach the final. The Galpharm will be rocking with 20,000 plus fans at the second leg so it is up to us to deliver.”

For Kay, Saturday’s draw at Dean Court was extra special as it marked his first start in more than two months.

He added: “It was great to play. I had been training hard since my ankle injury, hoping for a chance. But the team was playing well and that always makes it difficult to get back in.

“Luckily, the chance came for me came against Bournemouth. All the hard work I did in training meant I was able to step back in and I thought things went well.

“As a team, I felt we had the better of the first half but then they probably edged the second half. A draw was probably a fair result, and it really sets the game up nicely for Wednesday.”

The draw in Dorset extended Huddersfield’s unbeaten run to a phenomenal 26 league games, comfortably eclipsing the previous best of 18 in the same season that was set in 1924-25.

Town’s all-time record run stands at 27, meaning history will be made if Lee Clark’s men do go on to clinch a place in the Championship by triumphing in the May 29 League One final.

As pleasing as breaking records has been, however, Kay insists all that matters to the players is winning promotion.

“We are a strong group of players, he added. “There’s a lot of determination here and a lot of quality.

“You only have to look at the bench most weeks to see that.

“Some of the lads who can’t get on the bench would get in a lot of teams, too. So, that shows the strength in depth we have. That keeps the lads on their toes.

“To go 26 games unbeaten is great and means our confidence is high. But it will not count for a lot if we don’t go up.”

Huddersfield’s play-off history

2010-11, League One v Bournemouth: drew 1-1 (a) ?? (H).

2009-10, League One v Millwall: drew 0-0 (H), lost 0-2 (a).

2005-06, League One v Barnsley: won 1-0 (a), lost 1-3 (H).

2003-04, Division Three v Lincoln City: won 2-1 (a), drew 2-2 (H); Final (Millennium Stadium) v Mansfield: 0-0 (won 4-1 on pens).

2001-02, Division Two v Brentford drew 0-0 (H), lost 1-2 (a).

1994-95, Division Two v Brentford drew 1-1 (H), drew 1-1 – won 4-3 on pens (a); Final (Wembley): v Bristol Rovers: won 2-1

1991-92, Division Four v Peterborough: drew 2-2 (a), lost 1-2 (H).