David Wagner says he has no doubts his Huddersfield Town squad will handle the pressure of the big occasion at Wembley.

The head coach and his players stand within one victory of the Premier League after being written off by many at the start of the season as relegation fodder.

And Wagner says Town deserve the chance of a shot at promotion under the big arch against Reading, simply because they have defied the odds all the way through 53 matches so far.

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“Everybody expected Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday in the final, so I think this is another example of where ourselves and Reading have proven that experience, and what’s happened before, is irrelevent – because everyone was talking about momentum before the semi-finals,” he said.

“Football is only about the moment and we – Reading and ourselves – deserve to be in the final.

“They did a great job against Fulham and we did a great job against Sheffield Wednesday.

“From our point of view we are very happy to be there.

“I think the final will be close because both semi-finals were very tight as well.”

Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner during the pre-match press conference at PPG Canalside ahead of the Play-Off final.
Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner during the pre-match press conference at PPG Canalside ahead of the Play-Off final.

Wagner believes Town are mentally well prepared for the final showdown.

“I was more concerned thinking how this group would react for the semi-finals,” he revealed.

“It was the first time they had played there, so I didn’t know how they would be in the circumstance.

“But after the way they played in the semi-finals I am totally relaxed about the final.

“I know this group will be able to make themselves independent from the circumstances, even though this is one of the greatest occasions you can be involved in in the world of football.”

Town beat Reading 1-0 at the John Smith’s Stadium with a Phil Billing goal, while losing 1-0 away after having Rajiv van La Parra sent off.

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“Both games were good that we played against each other,” said Wagner.

“They were 1-0 both times but they could have been 3-1 or 3-2.

“There will be no secrets between us.

“Sometimes they change from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2 but we will be prepared. And they know about us.

I played some friendlies against Jaap Stam when I was in charge of Dortmund second team and he was in charge of Ajax second team, so we know each other.

“It is just very important for us to be focused on ourselves and to concentrate on ourselves – trust and believe in what we are doing and stick to what we have done so far.

“We don’t need to think about opponents or different occasions. We just need to stay independent.”

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