Huddersfield had finished fifth in the Championship

Huddersfield Town have been promoted to the Premier League for the first time by beating Reading 4-3 on penalties at Wembley on Monday.

After a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes, it was a second successive shootout win for Town, who defeated Sheffield Wednesday on spot-kicks in the semi-finals.

Christopher Schindler won it after Liam Moore blazed over and Jordan Obita's effort had been saved by Danny Ward.

The West Yorkshire club have not played in the top flight since 1972.

In a game lacking in chances, Huddersfield's Izzy Brown missed an open goal when he bundled off target at the back post from close range early on.

Victory capped a remarkable reversal of fortunes for David Wagner's side, who finished 19th last season, and the club can expect a windfall of at least £170m over the next three seasons by winning promotion.

They will surely feel they deserved the win on the balance of play, having created the two clearest chances in the game, both in the opening 10 minutes.

Defender Michael Hefele headed off target from an Aaron Mooy free-kick, before Brown's miss in the ninth minute.

Reading, who finished four points and two spots higher than the fifth-placed Terriers in the Championship, will now be left to reflect on a fourth play-off final defeat.

Reading finished third in the table, eight points off automatic promotion and four above Huddersfield

Underdogs Terriers show their bite

Huddersfield boss Wagner has masterminded an unbelievable turnaround to take Town back to the top flight after a 45-year absence.

The Terriers reportedly have the fifth-lowest budget in the second tier but spent all but eight days of the season in the top six.

They started terrifically at Wembley with their high pressing and energy threatening to overwhelm the Royals. They should have taken the lead when Tommy Smith and Elias Kachunga linked up well, before the latter sent a low cross in that Brown shinned wide from two yards out.

Although they could not capitalise on their start, they managed the attacking efforts of Reading comfortably.

They fell behind in the shootout when Hefele's tame effort was saved by Ali Al-Habsi, but they were not to be denied what Wagner had called their "fairy tale end".

Monday's victory means Town have won four play-off finals, three of them on penalties.

Wagner and Town get the job done

What perhaps makes Huddersfield's play-off final win even more incredible is that they scored just once in their three play-off games.

Their season has been marked by their ability to find a way to win matches, with 22 of their 25 league victories coming by a single-goal margin. Despite so many victories, they ended the regular season with a negative goal difference.

Promotion to the Premier League vindicates Wagner's decision to turn down both Aston Villa and German side Wolfsburg before Christmas.

Whether they can now buck a trend which has seen the past three Championship play-off final winners relegated straight back to the second tier remains to be seen, but their new standing should make a compelling case for the 45-year-old to remain at the John Smith's Stadium this summer at least.

Man of the match - Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield)

Aaron Mooy was one of four Huddersfield players to convert penalties in the shootout at Wembley

The Australia midfielder - on loan from Manchester City - has been incredibly influential throughout the season and his energy and guile drove his side forward for 120 minutes. Town will surely be desperate to keep the 26-year-old at the club.

Reaction

Huddersfield head coach David Wagner told BBC Radio Leeds:

"I'm one of the most happy men on the planet today. I'm so proud of this group of players, what they've done over the whole season.

"There was no doubt about whether we were able to handle the atmosphere. After what they did in the semi-final, I thought the circumstances wouldn't be a problem.

"This competition is really hard. If you win it you like it, but my thoughts are as well with the other three teams which had unbelievable seasons, especially Reading."

Reading manager Jaap Stam:

"It's always hard if you lose, even if it's a league game or whatever. What we achieved this season is great. We've made progress, we finished in the top six and we played in the play-off final.

"The boys have done what they've been doing all season, trying to give everything to get the maximum out of the game.

"We got to the shootout, where it's basically a lottery. What's important for me is that the players took responsibility. They knew what they needed to do.

"Of course everyone's disappointed that we haven't won and we haven't gone to the Premier League. We need to give it another shot next season. It's hard but that's how it goes."</s>London: Huddersfield Town won promotion to the Premier League in dramatic fashion as Christopher Schindler`s penalty sealed a 4-3 shoot-out victory over Reading in the Championship play-off final on Monday.

David Wagner`s side will play in the English top-flight for the first time in 45 years after holding their nerve in the nerve-shredding penalty shoot-out that followed a tense 0-0 draw at Wembley.

Huddersfield`s promotion is worth at least £170 million ($218 million, 195 million euros) across the next three seasons and that figure could rise to in excess of £290 million if the club avoid relegation next season.

But the huge boost to their bank balance pales in comparison to the lifetime of memories Huddersfield`s players and supporters will take from their promotion triumph and next season`s unexpected place among the Premier League aristocracy.

Huddersfield have never played in the Premier League and haven`t been a force in English football since the 1920s, when they won the title three times under legendary boss Herbert Chapman.

Their current manager is a close friend of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after working under his fellow German as Borussia Dortmund`s reserve team coach and now Wagner will get to face his former employer on equal terms.

A former mill town tucked away in the foothills of the Pennines in Yorkshire, Huddersfield is back on the football map and can look forward to playing host to the star-studded line-ups of Chelsea, Manchester United and company.

The last three Championship play-off winners were all relegated the following season but Huddersfield, whose £12 million payroll ranks as one of the lowest in the second tier, won`t care about that as they spend the summer celebrating one of the greatest days in the club`s history.

Reading finished third in the table, two places and four points above Huddersfield, but it was Wagner`s side who made all the running in the early stages.

Picked out by Aaron Mooy`s free-kick, Michael Hefele had a golden opportunity to put Huddersfield in front, but the defender headed wastefully wide from close-range.

If that was a moment to regret for Huddersfield, there was even worse to come as Izzy Brown produced one of the misses of the season.

Elias Kachunga carved open the Reading defence down the right flank, yet when he crossed to Brown at the far post, the on-loan Chelsea youngster somehow contrived to poke wide of the empty net from little more than a yard out.

It was an astonishing blunder, but Huddersfield`s failure to turn their dominance into a tangible reward wasn`t so surprising as 22 of their 25 regular-season wins this season were by a single-goal margin.Having escaped punishment for their anxious start, Reading threatened for the first time when Lewis Grabban curled narrowly wide from long-range.

Reading needed to improve significantly and John Swift almost gave them the perfect start to the second half when he raced onto George Evans` defence-splitting pass and drilled in a low strike that Danny Ward pushed away.

Jaap Stam`s side had stolen the momentum and nearly snatched the lead when Grabban pounced on a speculative ball over the top, only to flick his effort wide of the far post.

Yet as the tension mounted, the quality dipped.

Although Reading`s Garath McCleary and Huddersfield`s Nahki Wells both fired narrowly wide in extra-time, there was an inevitability about the impending shoot-out.

Huddersfield reached Wembley by beating Sheffield Wednesday on penalties and once again they hit the jackpot in the lottery.

Hefele missed Huddersfield`s second penalty as Ali Al Habsi plunged to his right to save, but Liam Moore blazed Reading`s fourth high over the bar.

When Ward kept out Jordan Obita`s kick, Huddersfield were within touching distance of promotion and Schindler slotted home to send them into dreamland.</s>Huddersfield return to the top flight for the first time in 45 years

Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield Town defeated Reading 4-3 on penalties at Wembley on Monday, in the Championship play-off final to win the spot in English Premier League 2017-18 season. The stakes were huge, with the value of Huddersfield’s promotion estimated at £170million, a figure that rises to £290m if top-flight survival is secured next season.

It’s a fantastic achievement for a small club that was expected to be battling relegation this year, not fighting for promotion. Huddersfield return to the top flight for the first time in 45 years.

Also, this victory cap off a remarkable campaign for Mooy who arrived in West Yorkshire last year as an unknown from A-League outfit Melbourne City. Also Check: Barcelona name former forward Ernesto Valverde as new manager

Talking about the game then, the two teams looked very evenly matched and none of them was able to draw the first blood as the game remain goal-less in allotted 90 minutes plus the extra time of 30 minutes.

However, Huddersfield missed two great chances in the opening 10 minutes when Michael Hefele headed wide and Izzy Brown stabbed wide from point-blank range after Elias Kachunga had slipped the ball across the face of the goal.

Later, the game went into penalties and the pressure was on both the teams as it was anybody’s game from there.

Huddersfield’s Michael Hefele and Reading’s Liam Moore then missed in the shoot-out, before the decisive moment saw Goalkeeper Danny Ward save from Jordan Obita, allowing Christopher Schindler to hit the winning spot-kick and spark delirious celebrations.

It was that moment when Huddersfield, a team that finished 19th in last season’s Championship, made it to the Premier League promised land.</s>Reading are looking to secure promotion through the play-offs for the first time, having failed to make it on each of the last five occasions.

In the previous five games between both sides, they have each claimed two wins and one draw.

Huddersfield are only the fourth English Football League side to reach the final of the play-offs in all three divisions.</s>Hudderfield Town have joined Newcastle United and Brighton in the Premier League.

A penalty shootout victory at Wembley Stadium on Sunday in the Championship Play-Off Final confirmed the final promotion place to England’s top flight.

Chelsea will be reigning champions, hoping to avoid another disaster title defence, while second-placed Tottenham begin life at Wembley Stadium after a record-breaking final term at White Hart Lane.

It's goodbye to Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City.

But when are the fixtures announced for the 2017-18 EPL fixtures? Wednesday June 14.

The new season will start on the weekend of August 12 and 13.

The date for the likes of Fulham, Millwall and Brentford to keep an eye on is June 21.

The fixtures for the new Football League season are revealed a week later than the Premier League, while the season proper will begin seven days earlier on August 5.</s>Today's man in the middle, you ask? Neil Swarbrick is the chosen official. The Lancashire FA referee has overseen 33 games across several competitions this season, handing out 119 yellow cards and three straight red cards but never once a dismissal for two yellows. The 51-year-old, a Premier League regular due to his Select Group status, made his EFL debut in 2005 and took charge of his first top-flight fixture in 2010. Swarbrick's biggest appointments so far were in a fourth official role for the Championship play-off final between Crystal Palace and Watford in 2013 and the League Cup final in 2013-14, making this his highest-profile clash as a referee.

Before those two 1-0s, 22 goals had been scored in their last five encounters back to February 2015 - two of those in the FA Cup. But under different managers and with different players, it's unlikely we'll see another 5-2 like in January 2016 today.

Well the two teams both won 1-0 apiece in their two meetings this season, the home side winning either clash. They first met back in September with Huddersfield top of the league, but after winger Rajiv van La Parra was sent off for two yellow cards, Roy Beerens' deflected first-half effort was enough for victory. In the reverse fixture in February in West Yorkshire, Philip Billing's 82nd-minute volley - after van La Parra had earlier missed a penalty - secured an 11th win in 13 games and moved Huddersfield four points behind Reading in third. It wouldn't be all that surprising if only a goal separated the two teams again here.

It promises to be a tight contest, this. Only four points separated the two sides come the end of the regular season and their styles aren't too dissimilar. Reading's is heavily possession-based under Dutchman Stam, an obvious fan of the famed ball-playing Netherlands philosophy, while Huddersfield favour an exhilarating high-pressure which requires an incredible level of fitness, which have naturally drawn comparisons between Wagner and Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp. No surprise, given the pair worked together at Dortmund and are best friends - Wagner even Klopp's best man at his wedding. His style isn't strictly the same as his compatriot's though, but the work-rate and width is just as impressive. Which one comes out on top today, though?

As a result of his red card against Fulham in the semi-finals, Reading will be without skipper Paul McShane today. January signing Tiago Ilori from Liverpool is likely to keep his place in defence. First-leg scorer Jordan Obita has been struggling with an ankle injury and is set for a late fitness test. Garath McCleary could be in contention to start after a hamstring injury. He was on the bench last time out.

The Terriers' last two play-off final triumphs have come via penalty shootouts after goalless draws. The only final they've lost of four was a 3-0 League One defeat to Peterborough United in 2011. Were they to win today, Wagner's charges would become the first team in Football League history to have won promotion having conceded more goals than they have scored in the league campaign.

Huddersfield, however, are only the fourth EFL club to reach the final of the play-offs in all three divisions after Blackpool, Preston and Swansea - only Blackpool have won all three. Huddersfield won the League One play-off final in 2011-12 after successes in the Third Division final in 2003-04 and second-tier final in 1994-95. Can they complete the quartet?

At the third time of asking, Reading will hope to win a play-off final, having lost to Bolton Wanderers in the 1995 First Division final and to Walsall in 2001 in the Second Division equivalent. Only Sheffield United - who will join the losers of today's final in next season's Championship - have lost more play-off finals with four.

Fulham were viewed as an outside favourite after finishing the campaign as the league's joint-top scorers on 85 goals, but the Royals held out for a 1-1 draw in the first-leg away from home. Jordan Obita opened the scoring off the inside of the post before Tom Cairney headed in an equaliser, captain Paul McShane later sent off as Reading ended with 10 men. But the return tie at the Madejski Stadium saw the Royals rally, Yann Kermorgant's successful penalty conversion after Tomas Kalas' handball - and a number of fine saves from 'keeper Ali Al Habsi - ensured a day out at Wembley for their fans. But will it be a memorable one?

Reading, meanwhile, finished in third in former Manchester United centre-back Stam's first season as boss. Their possession-heavy approach won them 26 games, more than any other team behind Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle, who were both promoted automatically. They've been in the play-off spots ever since November, even despite a number of setbacks - not least a humiliating 7-1 hammering from Norwich City in April. Finishing third handed them a tricky clash with in-form Fulham - who snuck into the play-offs late on in the season at Leeds United's expense after losing just two of their last 16, winning 11.

They came up against fourth-placed Sheffield Wednesday in the two-legged semi-finals and drew 0-0 in the first-leg at the John Smith's Stadium, failing to break through despite controlling possession. The second-leg at Hillsborough saw the Owls strike first through Steven Fletcher before Nahki Wells connected to Collin Quaner's cross, finding the back of the net courtesy of a deflection from Tom Lees. That forced extra-time, where on-loan Huddersfield 'keeper Danny Ward denied Jordan Rhodes and Wells fired into the side-netting, before penalties was required to split the two teams. Ward became the hero by denying both Sam Hutchinson and Fernando Forestieri from the spot to give the Terriers a 4-3 shoot-out victory and secure their place in today's final.

How did they get here today, then? Huddersfield finished in 5th despite a minus goal difference, picking up 25 wins in 46 Championship games in former Borussia Dortmund II coach Wagner's first full season in charge. Only once did they drop out of the play-offs, falling down to eighth after 19 games, although a poor finish to the campaign saw them lose six of their last 10 to move from third down to fifth. That mattered little when it came to the play-offs however...

A nice stat courtesy of BBC Sport. Huddersfield's record signing is the £1.8 million they paid to sign centre-back Christopher Schindler from 1860 Munich last June, which made him the division's 43rd most expensive signing that summer. The landscape in the Championship has certainly changed.

It has to be remembered that Reading spent just £7.6 million on signings this season with Huddersfield even less on only £3.8 million. Compare that to the likes of title-winners Newcastle United, just shy of £60 million, and Aston Villa, near £80 million, and the Terriers and Royals' respective achievements are really put into perspective.

Both of these two teams have been accustomed to flirting with relegation rather than a promotion push in the past seasons. Huddersfield's highest finish in their four years before this was 16th, while Reading came 17th and 19th in the last two seasons after a seventh-placed finish, just missing out on the play-offs, in 2013-14. It really is a testament to the work of managers David Wagner and Jaap Stam and being here today underlines their achievements, regardless of the result. Though of course, victory today would rubber-stamp that side's progress.

Reading have spent the last four seasons in the Championship after an immediate relegation from the Premier League, the following year after they won the second division title in 2011-12. The Royals are looking to secure promotion through the play-offs for the first time ever, having failed to do so on each of the last five occasions (1995, 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2011).

Today's designated hosts are Huddersfield Town looking to play in the Premier League for the first time ever and return to the top division for the first time in 45 years. Their last season in the top-flight, 1971-72, they earned just 25 points from 42 games, failing to win a game from December onwards and scoring just six goals (two of which were own goals) in 1972. It remains one of the worst in the club's history as they went down bottom of the league. They've craved a return ever since and now they are just 90 minutes away.

The '£170 million game' so it is known, given the winning team stands to make at least that much from their promotion to the top-flight according to Deloitte's Sports Business Group. Today's fixture is worth more money than any other previous play-off final in history due to Premier League's £8 billion TV rights deal, which came into effect this season. It is a £40 million increase on last season's winnings, and can rise to £290 million if the club in question avoids relegation next term. That makes the prize the most lucrative within English football. No pressure, then, lads.

Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK's live minute-by-minute match coverage and commentary of this afternoon's Sky Bet Championship play-off final. Today sees Huddersfield Town take on Reading at Wembley Stadium to fight for a spot in the Premier League next season. The game gets underway at 3pm, but until then we'll have plenty of build-up, commentary and analysis, so stick around with me, Charlie Malam.</s>Huddersfield Town won promotion to the Premier league with a 4–3 victory on penalties over Reading in the Championships playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

The game finished 0–0 before going into a shootout. Christopher Schindler hit the game-winning goal in penalties that gave the Terriers a 4–3 win.

It is estimated that the Huddersfield Town earned $218 million from the victory in possible revenue and television deals with the upgrade.

Sir Patrick Stewart was among the fans in attendance and celebrated after the tense shootout.

Hudderfield edged out Sheffield on Wednesday with a nail-biting penalty shootout.</s>Promotion-winning heroes Huddersfield Town are a 5/4 shot with bookmakers to stay up in the Premier League next season.

Most first-time teams struggle to achieve that aim, which is why David Wagner’s side are odds-on to come straight back down .

BetVictor quote 4/7 for the Blue and White Army to be back in the Championship by this time next year.

For those who fancy a flutter, Town are 2000/1 to win the Premier League next season and 250/1 to finish in the top four and book a Champions League place.

BetVictor spokesperson Charlie McCann said: “A wonderful achievement for the club at Wembley yesterday but the hard work begins now if they are to make their visit to the top table of English football anything other than a brief flirtation.

“We make them odds-on shots at 4/7 at BetVictor to be back playing Championship football in the 2018-19 campaign and 5/4 to maintain their Premier League status.

“For the more optimistic Terriers supporter we bet 2000/1 they win the Premier League next term.”

Town, of course, won the Sky Bet Championship play-off final 4-3 on penalties against Reading, after a goalless 120 minutes.

The win took Town into the Premier League for the first time in their history, and into the top division for the first time since 1972.</s>Huddersfield Town will play Premier League football in 2017-18 after they beat Reading 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley on Monday.

Huddersfield had the better chances early in the game, with on-loan Chelsea man Izzy Brown somehow turning one wide when unmarked from inside the Reading six-yard box. For the remainder of regulation and in the extra 30 minutes, neither side stamped their mark on the match.

In penalties, Huddersfield's Michael Hefele was the first man to miss, as his effort was saved by Reading stopper Ali Al Habsi. But Liam Moore fired over for the Royals, restoring parity.

Reading's Jordan Obita's kick was then saved by Danny Ward, leaving Christopher Schindler to score the winning kick for the Terriers.

According to the Mirror, winning the game could be worth £290 million to Huddersfield, who followed Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion into the top flight.

Wembley was a picture ahead of kick-off, courtesy of Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:

Huddersfield started the brighter, pressing high and nicking possession back off the Royals. They came close to going ahead five minutes in, too, when Hefele nodded wide from a set piece.

They should have been in front through Brown. Tommy Smith and Elias Kachunga linked up well down the right, and the latter squared the ball across goal. Brown, unmarked, merely had to apply the finishing touch, but he somehow managed to skew his shot wide from a couple of yards out.

Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian was staggered the Huddersfield forward didn't hit the target:

For the remainder of the second period, Reading established themselves in the game, keeping the ball for longer spells. But they could not break a resolute Terriers defence, and the match was deadlocked at the interval.

Neither side were able to exert themselves on the game after the break, as they each had a clear hesitancy to fully commit in attack due to the fear of losing such a high-stakes game. Wrong decisions were being made consistently in the final third, too.

Huddersfield looked the more likely to score as the game entered the final stages, and Collin Quaner fired just wide after Aaron Mooy's cutback.

As noted by The Independent's Miguel Delaney, the match had descended into an attritional affair at that point:

Both sides had half chances before the end of the 90 minutes, although the game had long seemed destined for extra time.

After the brief break, fatigue seemed to set into the legs of a lot of players on show at Wembley, as passes were misplaced with increasing regularity.

Unsurprisingly, clear-cut chances were at a premium throughout extra time, too, and the tempo slowed as both sides grew evermore cautious. Huddersfield's Nahki Wells had the clearest opportunity before the 120 minutes were up, but he fired wide after a neat spin in the area.

As penalties loomed, OptaJoe summed up just how poor the contest had been:

Still, the game ended with drama. When Hefele had his effort saved, Huddersfield's hopes of promotion looked to be dashed.

Moore, however, hammered his effort over the bar three kicks later, and Mooy scored to make it 3-3. Obita's tame shot was then stopped by Ward, and Schindler had the chance to send his team into the top flight. He scuffed his effort, but it was accurate, nestling into the corner and sparking scenes of delirium among the Huddersfield fans behind the goal.</s>The pundits wrote us off - Wagner hails Huddersfield's fairytale promotion to Premier League

Huddersfield Town's promotion to the Premier League is an "unbelievable story", according to boss David Wagner.

David Wagner said it was an "unbelievable story" and a "fairytale" after Huddersfield Town won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.

Town drew all three of their Championship play-off matches but triumphed 4-3 on penalties against Reading at Wembley on Monday, having also needed spot-kicks to get through a tight semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday.

Wagner - appointed Huddersfield manager in November 2015 - led his side to promotion despite working on a small budget compared to the biggest clubs in the Championship.

And the German hailed the club's achievement having prevailed against the odds to reach the top division for the first time since 1972.

"A lot of the pundits wrote us off before the season," Wagner told Sky Sports. "Over the season I thought we could do a little bit more, I thought around Christmas when we'd played everyone we had a chance.

"What happened is an unbelievable story - a fairytale."

Former Borussia Dortmund II coach Wagner insisted he had been written off because of his lack of knowledge of English football after taking his first senior job in management.

"We tried a lot of small details to bring this club forward - usually you need three or four years to do what we've done," Wagner continued.

"I am so happy because when I arrived people said I had no experience, no experience of British football, no experience of players - I always had to fight against that.

"It's proved experience is important but not everything. It's heart and desire. We only wanted to play this season to our limits, and now we know where our limit is."

Huddersfield chairman Dean Hoyle insisted his club had earned promotion "the right way" after overcoming Reading in a game reported to be worth as much as £290million if Town survive in the Premier League next season.

"I'm so emotional. To say I've been supporting this club since 1969, to be a Premier League team now - dreams come true," Hoyle told Sky Sports.

"It's huge what it means for Huddersfield, we're on the big stage. It proves you don't have to blow your brains to get promoted. We've done it the right way.

"It's a crazy world. Reading have lost on penalties and that's really cruel. The prize is so big and I feel for them. It's our turn. We deserve it because of the way we've done it.

"We can give lots of people hope, smaller clubs that keep believing - you can achieve the impossible."
Huddersfield Town win the final match of the 2017 English Football League play-offs, defeating Reading 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw, thereby earning promotion to the 2017–18 Premier League.