England heroes Sir Geoff Hurst and Peter Shilton OBE have been left impressed by Huddersfield Town’s inaugural Premier League campaign.
David Wagner’s men defied all the pre-season odds to avoid a swift return to the SkyBet Championship with a game to spare and are now looking forward to a second successive season in the top-flight.
And both World Cup legends believe the Terriers combination of hard-work, endeavour as well as fanatical home support has been key to their survival – and will continue to see them avoid the drop next term.
“They work so hard as a unit with fantastic support behind them – they fully deserved to stay up,” said Sir Geoff.
“If they produce the same again next season and perhaps find someone to score 15 to 20 goals then they should be able to maintain their Premier League status.”
Former goalkeeper Shilton agreed, recalling memories of difficult encounters against the Terriers for Leicester City at their old Leeds Road ground while also lavishing praise on Town stopper Jonas Lossl.
“It was a long time ago, but I always remember having a difficult match at Leeds Road in front of a passionate crowd while at Leicester City,” said Shilton.
“Their teamwork and spirit has obviously been key, but I think Jonas Lossl has also been one of the main reasons they have stayed up.
“Of course he has had one or two dodgy moments but, overall, he played brilliantly throughout the season and has such a good technique.”
The pair were talking exclusively to the Huddersfield Examiner ahead of a special World Cup Launch dinner at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday, June 14.
For more information on the event and to purchase tickets visit the See It Now Sports website.
