Jan Siewert insisted he was proud of his players despite Huddersfield becoming the second team in Premier League history to be relegated before the end of March after their 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
Victories for Burnley over Wolves and Southampton over Brighton ensured that Huddersfield will return to the Championship after two seasons in the top flight, also equalling Derby’s record for the earliest relegation with six fixtures to play.
Yet after replacing his German compatriot David Wagner in January when their fate was becoming increasingly obvious, Siewert said he was disappointed not to have extended their fight for another week at least after being cheered off the pitch by home supporters at half‑time.
“They realised how well we had performed so it’s really frustrating,” he said. “We were very equal with Palace for most of the match but it was the quality players like Wilfried Zaha that made the difference.”
Juninho Bacuna’s foul on the Ivory Coast forward allowed Luka Milivojevic to score from the spot 14 minutes from time before Patrick van Aanholt wrapped up the points late on.
There were emotional scenes at the final whistle as Huddersfield’s players went to commiserate with their supporters, although Christopher Schindler – who scored the winning penalty in the shootout win over Reading in the 2017 play‑offs – acknowledged he had been preparing for this moment for several weeks.
“We knew it was going to be hard and that we needed a miracle,” the captain said. “I’m empty at the moment. This season we’ve spent so much energy, especially in the head. If we see the season retrospectively at the front and back, we were not good enough to stay in the best league in the world. We’ve got the task to end as best as possible to give our supporters the best time, to bring the season to an end in a good way.”
Siewert, who like Wagner, was managing Borussia Dortmund’s second string before joining Huddersfield, said he will hold talks with the club’s hierarchy before committing his future to their attempts to bounce back. “It’s important to go through all the details first. I’m willing to work as hard as we can so we can get back into the Premier League – I know everyone at the club has enjoyed it, so we want to return as soon as possible.”