Huddersfield Town vs Reading 2017 (HTAFC-Reading VIDEO BELOW)
Final score and result:- Huddersfield Town vs Reading 0-0 (HTAFC win 4-3 on penalties)
Wembley Stadium, London- 29 May, 2017- Playoff Final
Liam Moore and Jordan Obita fluff their lines in the shootout for Reading, thus making Huddersfield Town the first team with negative goal difference to earn promotion to the top flight.
With their penalty shootout win over Reading at Wembley on 29 May, 2017, Huddersfield Town became the first Championship side to earn promotion to the Premier League after finishing their league campaign with a negative goal difference. Brighton in the 1990-91 season had qualified for the Second Division playoffs with a negative goal difference, but lost to Notts County in the final.
Town finished 5th in the Championship in 2016/17 with a goal difference of minus 2 (56 goals scored; 58 conceded). They then drew all three of their playoff games- both semifinal fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday ended in draws before penalties took David Wagner’s team to Wembley, where another shootout victory in the final gain promotion at the expense of Reading.
They joined Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion in the top flight (Premier League) in 2017/18.
Here is the Championship table at the end of the 2016-17 season (after playoffs)
NEC Nijmegen will be playing in the Eerste Divisie next season after a 5-1 loss on aggregate to second tier outfit NAC Breda in their promotion relegation playoff.
Cyril Dessers, whose 84th minute strike had given NAC a 1-0 win in the first leg in Breda, was again the hero for the visitors in the return leg in Nijmegen, with his hat trick giving NAC a 4-1 win at Stadion de Goffert.
However Roda JC Kerkrade narrowly survived the drop, edging second division outfit MVV Maastricht 1-0 on aggregate. Daryl Werker’s 26th minute effort was all that separated the two sides over two legs of football (the first leg in Maastricht ended in a 0-0 draw)
The results mean that NEC will join Go Ahead Eagles in the Eerste Divisie next season. NAC Breda have earned promotion to the 2017/18 Eredivisie along with champions VVV-Venlo. Roda JC, who finished below NEC in the league (17th with 33 points, NEC 16th with 34) preserve their top flight status for another season.