Huddersfield Town interim head coach Jon Worthington has slammed his players following a damaging 3-0 defeat at Burton Albion.
The Terriers had seen their play-off hopes begin to fade away in recent week thanks to losses at Charlton Athletic and Lincoln City. However, they bounced back on Tuesday night to beat Mansfield Town.
A win over relegation-threatened Burton would have kept the heat on sixth-placed Reading. The Brewers took an early lead through Rurmarn Burrell before Julian Larsson doubled the advantage on the stroke of half time.
A big second half followed, with Huddersfield dominating possession. They rarely threatened though, and Burrell grabbed his second of the game in the 55th minute to secure a huge three points for the home side.
Worthington Dismayed With Performance
The defeat saw the Yorkshire-based side slip to ninth and five points off the top six. It was their seventh loss in 10 outings, but Worthington was appalled by the performance he witnessed at the Pirelli Stadium. Speaking after the game, he said:
“That is not acceptable in any shape or form. I have told the players that as well.
“I don’t have the answers as to how they can turn in a performance like that, and I am extremely disappointed at this moment in time. We knew the importance of the game, but they didn’t perform out there.”
Worthington was then asked if his players had given up hope of finishing in the play-off positions, replying:
“I hope they haven’t, because that is a problem if they have. You can’t give up until anything is mathematically impossible and it would be a big concern for me if they have.
“I can’t accept the fundamentals not being there. Some of the duels, some of the tackles. I can’t put my name to that because that is everything that I am not. I call it as I see it and I have told the players that. Today was not good enough.”
Writer’s View
This was a bitter blow for Huddersfield’s promotion hopes and you have to feel that another season in League One is on the agenda. The gap is only five points but they are fast running of time and perhaps need four wins from four to sneak into the top six. They have an opportunity to bounce back on Good Friday when they face a Cambridge United side destined for League Two. However, two tough away fixtures against Stockport County and Exeter City could wrap up their season.
