Morrison aiming to put an end to Wembley heartache

AT the end of a week when his parent club Reading have been celebrating promotion, Huddersfield Town loanee Sean Morrison admits to being hungrier than ever to make it third time lucky in the play-offs next month.

The 21-year-old defender was part of the Royals’ squad which lost to Swansea City at Wembley last May, just 12 months on from being on the bench as Swindon Town were beaten by Millwall in the League One promotion decider.

Morrison obviously does not wish to go through those experiences again and believes Huddersfield, despite a worrying recent slump in form, can bring an end to his own play-off heartache.

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“I didn’t go down on Tuesday night,” said the Town loanee of the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Madejski Stadium that booked Reading’s return to the Premier League.

“But I have spoken to a lot of the lads and the manager. It was great to see the scenes on television as everyone celebrated.

“I was part of that team and that squad until the end of January when I came to Huddersfield and they are a great bunch of lads.

“They deserve the success, especially after the disappointment of last year at Wembley. To take 48 points from the last 17 games is unbelievable and I just hope they can now win the Championship.

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“That is what the lads are concentrating on. Once they do that, I think it will be party time down there. Getting to the Premier League is brilliant for the whole town.

“It would be great if Huddersfield could now go up as well. I am happy for the lads at Reading but my focus is on Huddersfield. They are my club right now and my aim is to help us win promotion via the play-offs at Wembley.

“Playing there would be a great experience. Wembley is not a nice place to lose, I know that from the last two years. I was in the squad with Reading last year and then on the bench the season before that with Swindon.

“Two years in a row and two losses is not nice. When you have worked so hard all year, losing at Wembley is awful. But, hopefully, it will be third time lucky.”

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Town, too, are desperate to ensure their season does not end in play-off disappointment for a third consecutive year.

Defeat to Millwall in the 2010 semi-finals was a blow but it was losing last year’s final to Peterborough United that left supporters, players and management crushed after a season that had seen Huddersfield claim 87 points.

Morrison added: “Reading have shown that losing a play-off final doesn’t mean you can’t be successful a year later.

“At first, maybe there was a bit of a hangover.

“I heard the gaffer (Brian McDermott) in an interview this week say that if they had lost against Doncaster (on September 19) then Reading would have been bottom of the league.

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“I remember that game and the lads were struggling a bit. But they came good in the end, and we can do the same at Huddersfield.”

Supporters will be hoping Morrison’s words prove prophetic as, in recent weeks, there is little doubt that Town have lost their way.

Four defeats in five games means automatic promotion is now no longer possible, while last week’s 1-0 reverse at Preston North End saw the Terriers drop to fifth in the table – their lowest position since New Year’s Day, 2011.

With three games remaining, the challenge now is to reclaim fourth place from Milton Keynes Dons, who host promotion-chasing Sheffield United today, and ensure home advantage in the play-off semi-final second leg.

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Morrison said: “I can’t put my finger on what has been the problem, if I am honest. Maybe the lads are not clicking in that final third to get a little chance.

“But we have the quality in the squad to pick up the points and finish strongly. If everyone is on their game against Scunthorpe (today), we will win.

“I don’t think you can read too much into what has happened over the last two or three weeks. It won’t dictate what happens in the play-offs.

“But we do have to try and get a bit of momentum going in these final three games. Then, once you are in the play-offs, it is two games where whoever performs the best gets to Wembley. Previous league form doesn’t come into it.”

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Asked if finishing fourth as opposed to fifth was crucial, Morrison replied: “I don’t know if playing at home second is a massive thing. When I was at Swindon, we had our second leg away at Charlton after drawing at home.

“It went to penalties in the end but we outplayed them at The Valley and had been unlucky not to win in normal time.”

Morrison spent two months on loan at Town last year but failed to make an appearance as Lee Clark opted to stick with the players who had begun an unbeaten run that would eventually set a Football League record.

By the time of Huddersfield’s play-off defeat, he had been back at the Madejski for two months but was still following events in West Yorkshire closely.

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Morrison said: “It was disappointing to watch Huddersfield lose the final, especially after beating Bournemouth in the semi-finals on what looked to be a brilliant night.

“But Reading have shown this season that you can bounce back and use losing as a positive inspiration. We now need to do the same here and ensure we finish the season with no regrets.”