Sunday’s League One play-off final sees two of the brightest young English managers go head-to-head at Old Trafford but who will come out on top between Lee Clark and Darren Ferguson as Huddersfield take on Peterborough for a place in the Championship next season?
Reading the respective managers’ pre-match quotes, it is clear both are fully focused and determined not to fall at the final hurdle but, ultimately, it will be disappointment for one or the other come Sunday evening although everything points to a tight affair in Manchester.
The final sees the sides who finished third and fourth in the table take each other on and Huddersfield are viewed as slight favourites (7/5) – unsurprisingly as they finished ahead of Peterborough (15/8) by eight points and the Terriers are likely to have the more fans at Old Trafford – something which may just give them the edge in what could be a cagey affair such are the nerves of the occasion.
This is their fourth meeting this season and, again, a quick check of the stats shows they are two evenly-matched sides.
Peterborough won their home league clash 4-2, they drew 1-1 in West Yorkshire but Huddersfield won 3-2 in the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at the Galpharm.
Clark has said if his side win the achievement will beat anything he managed as a player – and that includes winning the Championship three times – so the 38-year-old is well aware just how big a game the final is for a side who have been out of the second tier of English football for 10 years.
They are a club with a proud history, however, winning the old First Division on three successive occasions – the first club to do so – in 1926, but, of course that counts for nothing on Sunday.
They look good value at 8/1 to win 2-1 in the correct score market and, with Jordan Rhodes and the on-loan Danny Ward set to lead the line, they will pose plenty of threat to the Posh defence.
Ferguson’s side are looking for an immediate return to the Championship after being relegated 12 months ago and will be very well organised and difficult to beat.
In Craig Makail-Smith they have a forward to worry any defence. He has been heavily linked with a move away over the summer and, if he does leave, will hope to finish on a high with a win. The striker will reach a 100 goals if he hits a brace on Sunday and is well worth a punt in totesport’s enhanced first goalscorer market (6/1).
So the stage is set for what looks like being a closely-fought contest but we see Huddersfield just edging it given their slightly better performance over the season although don’t rule out them needing extra time to do it (9/1).
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There is much at stake when Peterborough host MK Dons at London Road on Thursday night, with a place in the League One play-off final at Old Trafford up for grabs and the chance to play Championship football next season.