Hello and welcome to
Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Championship playoff final meeting between
Huddersfield Town and
Reading at Wembley Stadium. This is, we are often told, the most lucrative match in world football - £170m now the prize for the winning side, while an extra £100m can be added to that figure if they stay in the top flight for just a single season.
Many are predicting a very tight match this afternoon, as just four points separated the side at the end of a season that saw them share a narrow win apiece. That said, the so-called experts also fancied Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham - the more 'exciting' of the two teams, in many ways - to make it through to the final. The pressure will be unbearable for those inside Wembley over the next few hours, with extra time and pens to come should it be required.
TEAM NEWS!
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN XI: Ward; Smith, Hefele, Schindler, Lowe; Hogg Mooy, Kachunga, Brown, Van La Parra, Wells
READING XI: Al-Habsi; Gunter, Blackett, Ilori, Moore; Van den Berg, Evans, Williams, Swift; Grabban, Kermorgant
Starting with a look at the Terriers, boss
David Wagner has gone with an unchanged starting lineup from the playoff semi-final second-leg meeting with Sheffield Wednesday. The German had no fresh injury concerns to contend with, but there was a slight hope that Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer would be fit to start today's match after three months out injured. That is not quite the case, although he does make the matchday squad which is a bonus in itself.
Star man Elias Kachunga, who top-scored with 12 goals during the regular season, was a slight doubt leading up to the match but is declared fit to start. Those 12 goals may not seem an awful lot for a team that finished fifth in the table, which is difficult to argue with on the face of it - 14 others bettered that tally - but his strikes proved vital in helping Town to make it this far. The German is very much one to watch this afternoon.
Tommy Smith starts in defence, meanwhile, looking to build on his impressive tally of 10 assists in all this campaign - the joint-second best tally in the division. Aaron Mooy, one of three loanees in the squad potentially playing his final game for the club this afternoon, is another who has racked up the assists with seven to his name. The midfield man, linked with a couple of Premier League sides, will need to be at his creative best today.
Switching attention to the Royals, manager
Jaap Stam has also kept faith with the XI that saw off Fulham a couple of weeks back. The big selection decisions regarded those who could potentially come back into the side, such as Garath McCleary and Jordan Obita, but both men - the latter only fit enough to return to the bench after his recent absence - will have to be patient. A blow for McCleary in particular, who has an impressive nine league assists so far.
Yann Kermorgant was the semi-final hero, scoring the only goal of the tight second leg at the Madejski Stadium, and he is now going in search of his 21st in all this campaign. Only Dwight Gayle, Tammy Abraham, Glenn Murray and Chris Wood found the net more during the regular season, but despite the Frenchman's impressive campaign he has already announced that he intends to retire at the end of next season. Will promotion change his mind?
With Paul McShane missing out through suspension it is a particularly big occasion for long-serving full-back Chris Gunter, who caps an impressive 12 months for club and country by leading the Royals out at Wembley Stadium. Elsewhere, Lewis Grabban - with three goals to his name since joining on loan from Bournemouth mid-season - linking up with Kermorgant in the forward line and Joey van den Berg is tasked with providing some solidity in central midfield.
BENCH WATCH!
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Coleman, Whitehead, Hudson, Holmes-Dennis, Cranie, Quaner, Palmer
READING SUBS: Jaakkola, Beerens, Mendes, Obita, McCleary, Popa, Kelly
Wales international Danny Ward missed the first leg of the playoff semis due to suspension, but he returned and was the real hero of the second leg when keeping out a couple of Wednesday pens. Joel Coleman therefore occupies a spot on the bench, joined by the returning Palmer following his three-month absence through injury. The Royals have a few options of their own; Obita among them, as he comes in for the only change to the 18-man squad.
Both managers have gone with unchanged starting lineups this afternoon from their semi-final triumphs. Huddersfield Town have Kasey Palmer back among their subs following a three-month absence and, more importantly, top scorer Elias Kachunga is declared fully fit after a recent knock. Reading boss Jaap Stam's hand may have been forced slightly, meanwhile, as Jordan Obita and Garath McCleary are still nursing slight problems and are among the subs.
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A huge occasions for both sides then, neither of which expected to ever get this close to promotion. Reading finished 17th in the Championship last season and Huddersfield Town two places lower, yet under unheralded European managers one of them will be plying their trade in the top tier of English football come August. Promotion for the Terriers has more a fairytale feel to it, yet the same is also true of their opponents as they were written-off by many.
Since the heady days of the 1920s, when winning three top-flight crowns in succession, Town have failed to challenge for the top domestic honours. They have been at that level more recently, dropping down in 1972, yet the years since have seen them in the lower reaches of the English Football League pyramid. In each of their last four seasons since promotion to the Championship they have finished 16th or lower, only emphasising the impressive work of Wagner.
It came as no great surprise to see the Terriers installed among the favourites to face the drop this season, but a strong start when collecting 16 points from a possible 18 provided the platform and belief required to push on. They did lose form between mid-October through to December, losing five and drawing two of their eight matches in that time, though in the five months since they have been there or thereabouts at the top end.
Huddersfield were the only serious challengers for Brighton and Newcastle to be wary of as the final stages of the season approached, but the eventual automatic promoted sides always did just about enough to stay afloat above that dotted line. No shame on the Terriers' behalf, though, because finishing anywhere near the top six is a superb achievement in itself. The problem now, of course, is that the expectation levels have grown massively.
The Terriers saw their outside hopes of automatic promotion come to an end late in April, leaving Wagner with the task of ensuring that they did not slide right out of the top six - like Leeds, for example. In the end they did so with ease, nailing down a playoff finish with a couple of games to spare. The plus side of that was Wagner being afforded the chance to rotate his side heavily, famously doing so for the trip to Birmingham City.
It is fair to say that the decision to rest 10 players for the match at St Andrew's did not go down well at all with some, as the Terriers were accused by their opponents' relegation rivals of undermining the race for survival. There are points to be made on both sides of the debate, but Town were ultimately cleared by English Football League chiefs last week and will therefore not face any punishment.
Huddersfield brought back most of their star names for the final-day visit of Cardiff City, but the lack of any serious motivation saw them fall to a heavy 3-0 defeat at the John Smith's Stadium. That left them with just four points from a possible 15 to see out the season, but Wagner will not be concerned at all after guiding his men to victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals. His decision to rotate, like it or not, may well have played a part in their progression.
A goalless draw on home soil looked to favour Wednesday, but it finished 1-1 at Hillsborough after 120 minutes and penalties were required. Step forward Danny Ward, who returned from suspension to keep out a couple of spot-kicks and help his side through to the final. There has been very little pressure on the Terriers all term, even arguably in the semi-finals, but that has now changed and they will see this as a game that they can win.
DID YOU KNOW? Huddersfield Town are only the fourth team to reach the final of the playoffs in all three EFL divisions, along with Blackpool, Preston North End and Swansea City - only the Tangerines managing to claim a clean sweep. Reading have a terrible record in the so-called end-of-season lottery, meanwhile, having failed on five previous occasions at this stage - 1995, 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2011. Sixth time lucky?
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Reading are the only playoff contenders to have beaten Huddersfield during the regular season. In fact, the Royals won four of their six matches against those between third and sixth - a very impressive record that should be taken into consideration for this £170m showdown at the national stadium. It is also worth pointing out that 22 of Huddersfield's 25 victories during that Championship campaign came via one-goal margins.
While Huddersfield boast the more impressive top-flight record, having won the title three years running between 1924-26, Reading have been there more recently. The Royals, who finished the season four points ahead of Huddersfield and eight adrift of the top two, have been absent from the Premier League for the past four seasons. That most-recent relegation came in their second stint in the Prem, following a previous record-break promotion.
Like Huddersfield, not a great deal was expected of Reading this term under Stam, whose only previous coaching jobs saw him take assistant roles with PEC Zwolle and Ajax's reserves side. The Dutchman has made clear that he sees himself as a Premier League manager, though, having enjoyed much success at that level as a player with Manchester United, but he hopes to get there with Reading. Either way, you would fancy someone to perhaps take a gamble on him in the future.
This is an exciting time for the Berkshire outfit, with a takeover of the club being completed at the same time as their playoff semis win over Fulham, and Stam - linked with the west Ham United job midway through the season - destined for the top. Reading won 26 matches during the regular season - more than any other side to have missed out automatic promotion - showing good consistency pretty much from start to finish.
Their worst spell came at the end of September into mid-October when shipping four at Brentford to start a four-game winless run. The Royals followed that up with five matches on the spin, though, to confirm themselves as serious playoff contenders, and they would go on to secure third place even after shipping seven away to Norwich City. In many ways, it is the rare defeats that stand out, yet as far as consistency goes they deserve their place at this stage.
Four wins from their final five games is a better representation of the Royals' season as a whole. That momentum was used to their advantage, as they battled to a 2-1 aggregate win over Fulham in the semi-finals - Obita cancelling out a Tom Cairney goal in the first leg before Kermorgant scored the decisive goal in the second. Only Sheffield United (4) have lost more times in the playoffs than Reading, though, with the Royals losing in each of their last three finals.
Huddersfield have a far superior record, albeit away from the Championship playoffs, as they have won three of their last four finals - the latter two, in 2004 and 2012, coming via penalties after goalless draws. The Terriers could also become the first team to earn promotion after conceding more goals than they scored, with 22 of their 25 victories this term - including one over Reading - coming via a one-goal margin. There is no arguing that they are as efficient a side as you are likely to see at this level.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This will be the sixth meeting between these two sides since
David Wagner took charge of Huddersfield own in November 2015, sharing two wins and a draw during that time. The Terriers won the most recent encounter 1-0 in February thanks to a Philip Billing goal late on, while Roy Beerens - benched today - was the difference between the teams when they faced off at the Madejski Stadium in the early weeks of the season.
With kickoff at Wembley Stadium now just a couple of minutes away, let us turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jaap Stam: "You've always got ideals as a manager that you want to go for the best results or finish as high as you can, but to end up in the top 10 would have been a good season for us. It's a very big and important game, but the players know what they need to do. Everyone's quite calm within the team and there's experienced players there. Times like this are probably easiest for a manager, as you don't need to say a lot as a manager as everybody knows what they need to do to win that game and everybody knows what's at stake."
David Wagner: "I think everybody expected Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday in the final. There were a lot of statements before the semi-finals about momentum and about form. It is another example where we have proven that experience and what has happened in the past is irrelevant. After the 120 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday there were a lot of tired legs, but now after a training camp in Portugal and training on the grass here, everybody is ready to go."
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KICKOFF! After a rendition of the national anthem and a minute's silence for those who lost their lives in Manchester a week ago, Reading get us up and running at Wembley Stadium. At least £170m on the line for the winning side today - will it be the Royals or Huddersfield Town that earn the big prize on offer? Here we go!
Grabban strays offside in the opening seconds as the two teams look to find their groove early on. Grabban has the most recent experience of a playoff final, incidentally, coming on as a sub for Norwich against Middlesbrough two years ago.
Hefele unhappy with Wells after playing a ball over the top into the channel, but the forward did not really show the appetite to chase it down. Superb atmosphere inside Wembley - the third game here in three days over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Huddersfield's high pressing leads to Al-Habsi put under a bit of pressure. Town's reward is a throw-in high up the pitch, which culminates in a cross coming into the box but far too deep for it to cause any problems.
CHANCE! The first chance of the afternoon - and what a chance it was! Mooy floats a free kick into a dangerous position, where Hefele got the beating of Van de Berg but nodded wide unmarked from seven yards out. Really should have scored from there.
Huddersfield have enjoyed the better of things in the opening 11 minutes or so. Reading enjoyed a rare foray forward a few moments ago, ending with Grabban's cross being dealt with at the second attempt by Town.
CHANCE! Huddersfield dominating things now, giving Reading little time on the ball and creating a second huge chance. This is one of the all-time great playoff misses - Brown somehow failing to convert from a few yards out after Kachunga flashed the ball across goal.
SHOT! For the first time today Reading get forward and create half a chance through Grabban, who was unable to test Ward with his curler from 20 yards out. Huddersfield should be at least a goal up at this stage, though.
Have to wonder how long the game will continue at this rate, because so far the Terriers have been superb. Reading given so little time to breathe and Town also look positive in attack, creating those two huge chances for Hefele and Brown.
Smart from Reading, as they have managed to take the sting out of the game by simply passing it around at the back and into midfield for the past couple of minutes. The Terriers now need to bide their time for a bit.
YELLOW CARDS! A couple of cautions in quick succession for the Royals, as Joey van den Berg slides in on Kachunga and fails to win the ball, before Kermorgant fouled Smith inside Town's half of the field.
Ilori stretches to clear the ball after Wells put in a dangerous cross. Huddersfield with an injury problem to contend with now as Lowe has remained down following a collision with the Royals' skipper-for-the-day Gunter.
Over a quarter of the game now played and those early Huddersfield chances remain the closest we have come to a breakthrough. Brown and Hefele missing sitters, while Reading's most promising opening saw Grabban curl wide from range.
A far quieter last 15 minutes here compared to the previous 12 or so minutes, with neither side able to create much in front of goal. Wagner will be pleased by what he has seen but also perhaps annoyed that the key chances have come and gone.
YELLOW CARD! A third caution of the afternoon, and a first shown to a Huddersfield player, as Hogg is penalised for a real late and rash challenge on Williams. Van de Berg and Kermorgant the others to see yellow.
Huddersfield still the side looking the more lively, but they are not causing the Royals' defenders as many problems as before. The Terriers just need to find their rhythm again after a quiet 15-minute spell in this playoff final.
Much of the game being played in midfield now, as the sides take it in turns to knock the ball around. Mooy illegally clatters into Kermorgant after the Frenchman dropped deep in an attempt to pick up the ball in a dangerous zone.
Swift takes on the free kick from close to 40 yards, with a rather dreadful attempt to trickles wide of Ward's goal. Neither keeper yet to make a single save in what has been a tight affair over the past 20 minutes.
Another wayward Reading shot from distance, this time from Van den Berg, as the momentum slowly swings in the Royals' favour. They will not find a way through like that, but at least now they are picking up the ball in the final third.
This playoff final is proving to be as tight as many predicted. Did not look like being that way early on, with those two massive Huddersfield chances, but since then there has been nothing to separate the two sides.
Less than five minutes to go until half time, which I am sure both managers will be happy to take about now. No real attacking intent from either team over the best part of 25 minutes now, with the half badly petering out.
Van la Parra with some play-acting to win his side a free kick close to the dugouts. Around two minutes to go now before the sides are given a short period of time to regroup, before what will hopefully be a more lively second half.
Two minutes have been added on here at Wembley Stadium. No sign of either team finding a route through to goal by then, so we will likely be all square come the midway point - a scoreline many would have predicted pre-match.
HALF TIME: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-0 READING
Some lively play from Kermorgant late in the half to win his side a corner, which is cleared away to bring the first half to a close. A bright start to the match, with Huddersfield creating a couple of big chances, but those aside we have seen very little action in front of goal. It has been tight, but we must have a winner over the next 75 minutes or so!
Huddersfield created the only two chances of a tight first half in the early stages, neither of which they could make the most of. Aaron Mooy floated a free kick into a good position for
Michael Hefele to attack, but he somehow nodded wide from close range after getting the beating of Joey van den Berg.
There was an even better opening to come the Terriers' way moments later, as Elias Kachunga flashed the ball across goal where
Izzy Brown was waiting for what looked like a simple tap-in. The Chelsea loanee remained onside but did not see the ball until late, perhaps explaining how he placed the ball wide of goal from just a couple of yards out.
A lively start to the match did not offer a true reflection of what was to follow, with the teams - separated by just four points at the end of the regular season - cancelling each other out all over the field. The only other sight of goal for either side in the first half arrived midway through when Lewis Grabban, on the winning side with Norwich City here two years ago, curled wide from range after working some space.
After a balanced opening 45 minutes, could we see either manager make a change at the interval? Unlikely, with the hour mark a more likely point to change things, but they both have options available to use...
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Coleman, Whitehead, Hudson, Holmes-Dennis, Cranie, Quaner, Palmer
READING SUBS: Jaakkola, Beerens, Mendes, Obita, McCleary, Popa, Kelly
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RESTART! Huddersfield Town get us back under way at Wembley Stadium, looking to make as positive a start to the second half as they did the first. No chances of any note so far today for Reading, who finished marginally higher in the table.
SAVE! Chris Lowe with the first on-target attempt of the afternoon so far, sending a dipping effort from 25 yards out into the arms of Al-Habsi with two minutes of the second half played. Simple stop in the end, but positive play from the Terriers.
SAVE! Good work from Ward to keep out a powerful effort from Swift. Both keepers with a stop to make now early in this second half, offering hope that we will see a more lively remainder to the game at Wembley.
Kachunga wriggles his way into the box but is unable to pick out Smith. Really open feel to the match now, with both teams looking to get forward in search of a goal potentially worth £170m for their side. The prize could not be any bigger!
Nearly 10 minutes of the second half played already - they have flown by! The betting man would fancy this one going the distance, and at this rate that looks like a healthy prediction to make. So little between the teams.
Gunter gets high up the pitch and attempts to swing in a cross once running out of grass to run into. It is cleared behind for a corner, which Van den Berg sends to the edge of the area. Kermorgant's acrobatic effort drifts over the bar.
Very similar to the first half, a lively start has made way for a more reserved period in the match. Reading have seen 62% of the ball in the first 13 minutes of the second half, but have not done an awful lot with it.
YELLOW CARD! The pressure beginning to build from the Royals' perspective, with a few crosses being send into the box. Chance for Huddersfield to break at the end of it but Blackett brilliantly stopped the attack. Kachunga did not feel so - he is booked for his protests.
Hefele goes to ground under contact from Van den Berg, but the referee makes the right call - there was not enough in it to send the Huddersfield man to ground. More than an hour played but neither manager yet to roll the dice in terms of a change.
READING SUB! Van den Berg, on a yellow card, is replaced by Obita in the first change of the afternoon. Obita missed the second leg of the semi-final win over Fulham through injury, so he will be raring to go.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUB! Kachunga, not fully fit today, makes way for Quaner. The Terriers' top-scoring attacker has been on the periphery for large parts, but it is fair to say that he was not happy to be withdrawn.
The minutes continue to tick down at Wembley Stadium; at this rate just a goal either way will do. That has so often been the case when Huddersfield are involved - 22 of their 25 wins have come by a one-goal margin.
Mooy has a shot blocked inside the Reading box after La Parra picked out a good cross. Wells fouled by Gunter in a promising position 25 yards from goal - expect the shot to be taken on from the resultant free kick.
Disappointing free kick from Wells after much build-up, sending his attempt into the leaping wall - Kermorgant the man with the decisive block. Less than a third of the game left to play and it remains goalless at Wembley Stadium.
Van la Parra picks up the ball close to the left-hand touchline and cuts inside. He looked to have the chance to pick out a curler but he instead delayed it and cut back inside, before chipping a pass straight through for Al-Habsi.
READING SUB! Garath McCleary has played an important part in Reading's run to the playoff final, chipping in with nine assists during the regular season, and he is fit enough to play at least these next 14 minutes. Grabban the man to make way.
YELLOW CARD! Smith brings down Williams to prevent him from breaking away, ensuring that he becomes the fifth player to see a yellow card. Those final 10 minutes now fast approaching here - a chance for someone to become a hero.
CHANCE! This would often go down as half a chance, but we have been so devoid of clear-cut openings that Town will be kicking themselves. Mooy pulls the ball back for Wells, but Quaner did not get the message and awkwardly shot wide from a tougher position.
McCleary making his fresh legs count by charging towards goal, only being halted by a Hefele challenge. No booking but a chance for Reading to make him pay, only for a poor delivery into the box to be easily dealt with.
Gunter gets in behind for near enough the first time today and sends in a decent cross, but Hefele was well positioned to deal with it. The atmosphere is very tense now around Wembley - one goal essentially seals a place in the Premier League.
Reading pressure beginning to build now. It has been arguably the Royals' best spell all afternoon, winning a few corners but being unable to test Ward. Smith now in need of some treatment after a tackle from Kermorgant.
Smith has been down for a few minutes, giving both managers a chance to talk to their players. Kasey Palmer looked ready to come on but that change will now wait for a few minutes, because the Terriers' skipper may instead be taken off.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUB! Smith is stretchered off the field, replaced by Martin Cranie. Both managers have made a couple of changes apiece, knowing that there is almost certainly 30 more minutes left to play.
We are into seven minutes of added on time, with a healthy slice thrown on at the end due to that injury to Smith. At this rate, though, we could play for another seventy minutes and there will still be no sign of a goal.
CLOSE! McCleary sends a decent delivery towards the back-post area, where Gunter was waiting to meet the ball with his head. A very difficult chance for a player who does not score a lot, and the ball was tellingly headed over the bar.
Just 60 seconds of normal time left to play, followed by 30 minutes of extra time. Brown and Mooy look to make inroads down the right, but a breakdown in communication sees a stray pass roll straight out for a Reading goal kick.
END OF 90 MINUTES: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-0 READING
An extremely rare shot on target to end normal time; Wells sending a shot into a fairly comfortable zone for Al-Habsi to get behind. A very flat 90 minutes on the whole, with those two chances for Huddersfield in the opening 15 minutes or so the closest we have come to a goal. An additional period of 30 minutes to follow after a short break.
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KICKOFF! I mentioned this stat pre-match, but it is worth pointing out again. Huddersfield have won three of their last four playoff finals, the latter two of which came on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time.
No real change in the opening stages of extra time, either - the two teams just not doing enough to create anything. Would not go as far as saying it has been a disappointing final, because this had been predicted from the off.
A couple of sloppy passes from Reading leads to sarcastic cheers from one half of Wembley - no prizes for guessing which half. Fingers crossed for some sort of action in front of either goal in these remaining 25 minutes!
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUB! Had one of those early Huddersfield chances go in we may well have had a completely different game on our hands. One of those guilty of fluffing his lines, Izzy Brown, makes way for the returning Kasey Palmer.
READING SUB! Neither side, understandably, wanting to make any sort of mistake. Blackett with a very tired deliver as another attacking move comes to very little. Liam Kelly now on for John Swift in the final change of the afternoon.
Palmer almost making an instant impact with a ball through the middle, but it had a little too much on it. Reading quickly break and McCleary finds himself in space, though his shot was lacking and ended high in the stands.
No chances created yet in extra time, with McCleary's shot high into the stands the best opening at either end. Reading seeing far more of the ball but lacking the creativity to find a way through the packed Town backline.
YELLOW CARD! Quaner looking to break away, only to be halted by Obita who pulled him back. The second-half sub is rightly cautioned, as we enter two minutes of added-on time at a packed Wembley Stadium.
HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-0 READING
Kelly flicks the ball on and McCleary is not far wide with his attempt at all. That is the closest we have come to a breakthrough in extra time, in what is the first ever goalless Championship playoff final. Fifteen more minutes left to play...
RESTART! A few minutes for both sets of players to take on some water and receive some final instructions from their managers. We are now back under way at Wembley Stadium, with the dreaded penalties now on the horizon.
Huddersfield the better team overall this afternoon but Reading have had the only real attempts in extra time - McCleary blasting well wide with one and coming a little closer with the other. Third time luck for him?
Hefele looks to attack the ball from a corner, but Moore simply stood his ground to prevent his opposite number getting his head to it. Straight out of play and the Royals can breathe a little easier once again.
Hogg wipes out Williams and looks tentatively towards referee Neil Swarbrick, having already been booked this afternoon. Would have been harsh to send him off, though, and the referee shares that view by giving him just a talking to.
One-hundred and fourteen goalless minutes gone; just six more left to play. A breakthrough now really would prove the difference, earning the winning side a minimum of £170m. The margins really could not be any finer at this point!
Gunter taken out by Hogg and Reading are gited another chance to swing the ball into the box. Three Royals players come across to discuss what they will do with it; in the end Obita's cross was easily dealt with - again!
CHANCE! Nakhi Wells's first chance in 118 minutes of football. The forward is picked out inside the box and is able to turn, but he places the ball past Al-Habsi's far post. That will surely be the final chance of the match.
FULL TIME: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-0 READING
After 120 goalless minutes it now comes down to penalties. Danny Ward was the hero in the semi-finals for Huddersfield, while Al-Habsi also has a history of keeping out spot-kicks. Just the third time in Championship playoff history that we have gone the distance.
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GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-1 READING (KERMORGANT)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-1 READING (LOWE)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-2 READING (WILLIAMS)
MISS! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-2 READING (HEFELE)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-3 READING (KELLY)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 2-3 READING (WELLS)
MISS! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 2-3 READING (MOORE)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 3-3 READING (MOOY)
MISS! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 3-3 READING (SWIFT)
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 4-3 READING (SCHINDLER)
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN PROMOTED TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE!
Schindler holds his nerve to convert, meaning Huddersfield Town are promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history. The glory days of the 1930s may be long in the past, but they have created modern-day history this afternoon by booking their place in the top flight of English football following a 45-year absence. Truly incredible on their part, but pure agony for Reading.
That concludes
Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Wembley Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by
clicking here, while reaction from both camps will follow elsewhere on the site over the next hour or so. Thanks for joining!