Huddersfield Town coach Jon Stead on 'apologies', Liam Manning situation and update on Radinio Balker

Town's home campaign ended in dispiriting fashion in a 4-1 reverse to the Stags, the club's first league defeat at the Accu Stadium since October.

The club pull down the curtain on another disappointing season, which has seen them miss out on the top six, at Wimbledon this weekend.

Stead, who spoke about last weekend's result being a 'slap in the face' for him and the club's coaching staff following the game, said: "We received a lot of apologies, actually.

"I think they recognise that they let themselves down and I think the slap in the face is just all the work that goes into everything and I didn't see that result coming. I just didn't see it coming, so the shock of it was such a slap. It was just really difficult to kind of compute and understand.

"When you have a couple of days to look back on it and you kind of review it and we watch the games back two or three times as we do and we pick the bones out of it, you recognise that there was just a real lack of belief.

"I think after the results that went the way they did on the Tuesday prior to that game and kind of the mathematical kind of inevitability that we weren't going to make the play-offs, I think there was just a flatness and then just a bit of a lull and I think we felt that in terms of the result.

"There's been a complete turn in spirit, in togetherness, in passion, in fight for the club (previously) and we've seen it in abundance. So I'm looking towards this weekend now as that (Mansfield) game being a bit of a one-off."

Stead and Drury take charge of Town for a final time this season with focus to shift afterwards to the longer-term situation regarding the head coaching role at the club.

The duo stepped into the breach in late March to replace Liam Manning - who was granted compassionate leave for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Manning, who joined the League One outfit in January on a long-term contract, has been taking time away from the club for 'ongoing personal matters' relating to the tragic loss of his newborn son Theo in October 2024.

Stead added: "There's no timescales as such. I think we're all clear that they need to be resolved as quickly as possible. There's a lot that goes into big decisions at football clubs and they do take time.

"I'm sure some of those discussions and conversations have already happened. So I think they'll be working down the line in terms of when we can get that resolved. But again, our remit for me and Martin was very clear when we came in.

"Try and put a product on the pitch that can regalvanise everybody, that can reconnect the supporters with the players and the club and give us every opportunity to go and complete the objectives in very, very difficult circumstances when everything was probably against us."

Radinio Balker is back for the final-day trip to the capital, while Jak Alnwick is being assessed ahead of the journey south.

Stead continued: "In terms of injury-wise, I think Balks should be okay. Obviously, we missed him last week with some swelling in his knee, but that seems to have settled down.

"So touch wood, we get through this morning and he'll be okay to come back into the squad, which is really, really good.

"In terms of changes, can't see there being wholesale changes.

"We're still assessing Jack, so that'll go down to the wire on that. He had like a back spasm, so it's settling down, but whether he makes it for tomorrow, we're going to get back to the training ground this morning and we'll get the final assessment and see what he looks like in training today."