Crystal Palace 2 Huddersfield Town 0: Siewert "to go through all the details" as to why Terriers were relegated

Huddersfield manager Jan Siewert believes a full examination is required of the club's relegation after a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace consigned them to the Championship.
Huddersfield Town relegated from Premier League.Huddersfield Town relegated from Premier League.
Huddersfield Town relegated from Premier League.

Second-half goals from Luka Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt means Town join Derby - relegated in 2008 - in becoming only the second Premier League team to lose their top-flight status before the end of March.

A difficult season, in which Siewert's popular predecessor David Wagner resigned, has resulted in Huddersfield collecting a miserable 14 points from 32 matches, to leave them 19 points from safety with six games remaining.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Siewert refused to talk about a potential immediate return as he said: "I will not talk about bouncing back because at the moment it's disappointment first of all.

"We need to go through all the details - what happened, what were the reasons.

"We were so close to winning here, and (Milivojevic's) penalty brings the game in another direction with the quality of a player like (Wilfried) Zaha.

"In the Premier League, players like this decide the matches."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Siewert has at least vowed to do all he can to ensure Huddersfield's return to the Championship is as quick as possible.

"To make the club stronger is not just going down directly or going up," added Siewert. "You can't promise it.

"But I'm willing to work as hard at it that we come back to the Premier League. As a manager. if you are ambitious, of course, yeah.

"We tried everything to avoid relegation but at the end we couldn't do it. It's hard to take after such a performance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We were very equal. First half was ours, second maybe theirs. But we had chances to win this game. In the end it's the quality of players like Zaha who decide these games with a quick movement.

"It's hard to take but it shows we are on the right way. Although we have lost and it's a big disappointment, the way we performed we didn't give up at any minute."

Victory edged Palace closer to safety after successive defeats had left them at risk of ending the season with a disappointing run.

At 0-0 at half-time Palace were booed off, to which manager Roy Hodgson said: "First half we couldn't recognise the team because of the errors we made. We played against a team who passed the ball well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"At half-time things were bleak but we should give the players credit for the way they came out in the second half.

"We made some slight adjustments, and we were much more like ourselves in the second half but I was worrying.

"Moving Zaha further (forward) and bringing (second-half substitute James) McArthur into the team helped our play.

"I don't believe (our season will sizzle out). From what you've seen from that team, a poor first half to then get yourself together to produce that second half tells me I don't have to worry too much about complacency.

"I don't think too many of our players can play the next seven games without getting something like a point a game. They won't need a lot of persuading."