Huddersfield Town's display was not 'good enough for this league' admits Andre Breitenreiter - but 'anything is still possible' after rivals and next opponents Birmingham City slip up

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN head coach Andre Breitenreiter says that his side’s poor performance en route to an appalling 4-0 home defeat to Swansea City was ‘not good enough for this league’ – but he is clinging onto the fact that the Terriers have a precious chance to atone in next weekend’s ‘cup final’ with relegation rivals Birmingham City.

Third-from-bottom Town endured a calamitous final quarter and conceded four goals, with three scored by Swansea substitutes, with Jamal Lowe getting the ball rolling on 73 minutes.

Before that, Town had missed a glorious opportunity to take the lead at 0-0 when Delano Burgzorg failed to set up either Josh Koroma or Jack Rudoni with Swansea keeper Carl Rushworth stranded out of goal – in a huge moment in the game.

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Burgzorg was booed off when he left the fray shortly after when he was substituted.

Huddersfield Town chief André Breiternreiter at the final whistle after his side's wretched home loss to Swansea City. Picture: Tony Johnson.Huddersfield Town chief André Breiternreiter at the final whistle after his side's wretched home loss to Swansea City. Picture: Tony Johnson.
Huddersfield Town chief André Breiternreiter at the final whistle after his side's wretched home loss to Swansea City. Picture: Tony Johnson.

Boos also rang out after the final whistle along some chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ after Town went to pieces following Lowe’s opener, with Ronald, Jerry Yates and Liam Walsh adding further goals.

A saving grace was the fact that next Saturday’s opponents Birmingham, who are the team just above the drop zone, squandered two points after drawing 0-0 at relegated Rotherham United.

They are two points above Town with two games to go.

Second-from-bottom Sheffield Wednesday, level on points with Town, will move out of the relegation zone if they win at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

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Breitenreiter said: “The performance was poor and not good enough for this league. The fans were disappointed and frustrated and that is totally understandable.

"But we have two more games and are two points behind and next week we play Birmingham and it’s done for today.

"I can understand everyone who doesn’t believe in the team after the result and performance from today, but the team can show a different performance next week.

"I experienced in the last few weeks with this group that anything is possible, things I have never seen.

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"We have to prepare and then go for the next game and three points.”

On an extremely tough day at the office, Breitenreiter, who confirmed that Tom Lees went off late on with a knee issue, continued: "It was a hard result for sure and unnecessary in the last few minutes.

"It was the same reaction as WBA and Coventry and I was so disappointed. You have to keep clear (heads) over 90 minutes.

"We started not good and we knew about the quality of Swansea and the identity, but we didn’t stop it well.

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"The distances from the defenders to the strikers were too big and we didn’t press as a team and the individual players didn’t do the plan we discussed before.

"The will was not near to 100 per cent as a group, we have to be honest about this and it was not good enough, but it was 0-0 at half-time.

"We spoke openly and honestly and said we had no chance to win if play like that in the second half. With the substitutions, it changed and we created three 100 per cent chances at 0-0 and then we have to score a goal and hadn’t the quality like in most of the games in the last few weeks.

"The final pass let us down. Josh Koroma was totally free from 11 metres from Delano Burgzorg and you need the quality to score a goal when the game is close.

"When you don’t score, it’s hard. The goals we conceded were too easy. They were really bad individual mistakes and 4-0 is hard.”

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