The Verdict - Danny Ward saves his best until last to send delirious Huddersfield Town to Wembley at expense of Sheffield Wednesday
Last night, the former England striker’s words had an extra resonance as a Huddersfield Town side with a distinctly Teutonic flavour held their nerve to book a place in world football’s richest game.
David Wagner’s side will face Reading at Wembley on May 29 with the prize of Premier League football – and a cash windfall of £200m – at stake.
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Hide AdPenalties, perhaps fittingly considering Germany’s record in shoot-outs down the years, decided a White Rose contest that had been in the balance throughout 210 minutes of sometimes cagey but always absorbing football.
Danny Ward was the hero for Town, saving from Sam Hutchinson and Fernando Forestieri in front of the Kop.
Jack Payne was also denied from 12 yards by Owls goalkeeper Kieren Westwood but successful spot-kicks from Chris Lowe, Michael Hefele, Nahki Wells and Aaron Mooy were enough to send Huddersfield through.
Ward may have been born in Wrexham but with Wagner at the helm and five of his countrymen involved in what was, on the balance of play, a deserved victory, then this was a success forged as much in Germany as Huddersfield.
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Hide AdWhether Wagner can now conquer that great footballing cathedral of English football a week on Monday remains to be seen but his place in Terriers history is assured.
“He’s better than Klopp,” sang the elated 2,000 away fans at the final whistle and they may have a point.
Certainly, the Liverpool manager is unlikely to have made as much of an impact as his best mate has in 18 months at the John Smith’s Stadium.
For Wednesday, the night ended with a familiar sense of ‘what if?’ Most of those moments to rue came after Fletcher had broken the deadlock early in the second half to spark the game into life.
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Hide AdUntil then, only the third all-Yorkshire semi-final in three decades of the play-offs had been a cautious affair.
Considering the prize at stake was a place in football’s only £200m game, perhaps this was understandable.
Both sides certainly seemed more intent on stopping the other than trying to make something happen for themselves.
Huddersfield went close to breaking the deadlock first, Chelsea loanee Isaiah Brown shaving the outside of Westwood’s right-hand post with a close-range shot after Wells and Rajiv van La Parra had combined to great effect down the left.
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Hide AdWells also had a shout for a penalty turned down by Andre Marriner after tumbling to the ground after colliding with Westwood, a split second after the Bermuda international had got a touch on the ball.
Like Town, Wednesday’s attack was forced to live on scraps before the interval with only Barry Bannan looking capable of creating an opening.
A wonderfully flighted 40-yard pass just before the half-hour from the Scot created the home side’s only decent opening of the first half. Fletcher should have been the beneficiary, but he hesitated when a shot was needed, his subsequent attempted pass to Forestieri bringing scorn from the 32,625 crowd.
Those jeers, however, were transformed into cheers six minutes into the second half.
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Hide AdAfter spreading play to Daniel Pudil on the edge of the area, Fletcher quickly turned and dashed into the box.
It meant, as Bannan’s beautifully flighted cross arrowed towards the six yard box, Fletcher was in exactly the right place to power a header beyond Ward.
Suddenly, we had a contest worthy of the play-offs with Town’s response being typical of a side who have made a habit of proving the critics wrong all season long.
The equaliser came on 73 minutes. Brown, collecting the ball 40 yards from goal, rolled a delightful pass for Collin Quaner. He, in turn, drilled a low cross that was diverted into the net by Tom Lees under pressure from Wells.
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Hide AdPlay raged from one end to the other as Brown showed great awareness to cut out a cross intended for the unmarked Kieran Lee and then Westwood brilliantly turned away a Wells drive.
Wells was denied again by the Owls goalkeeper, whose brave dive at the feet of the Town striker ensured the tie went to extra-time.
Town had the first effort, Brown’s 30-yard shot stinging the hands of Westwood before Jordan Rhodes’s deflected shot flew just over the crossbar.
Moments later, Ward had to save smartly from Rhodes after a crunching tackle from Hutchinson had turned a potential Town counter-attack into a big chance for the hosts.
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Hide AdForestieri was the next to be denied, Hefele getting a leg in front of a rasping shot.
Wells missed another chance early in the second period of extra-time before Quaner mis-cued a volley that Lees was able to head to safety.
Rhodes headed wide with the game’s final chance to send the tie to penalties – and set up a shoot-out that will live long in the memory of every Town fan.
Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood; Hunt, Lees, Loovens, Pudil (Nuhiu 108); Wallace (Reach 5), Hutchinson, Lee, Bannan; Forestieri, Fletcher (Rhodes 61). Unused substitutes: Wildsmith, Jones, Winnall, Sasso.
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Hide AdHuddersfield Town: Ward; Smith, Hefele, Schindler, Lowe; Mooy, Hogg; Kachunga (Quaner 72), Brown (Payne 96), van La Parra (Holmes-Dennis 104); Wells. Unused substitutes: Coleman, Whitehead, Hudson, Cranie.
Referee: A Marriner (West Midlands).