Huddersfield match Derby’s record as relegation is confirmed

Huddersfield were relegated on Saturday to match the earliest ever exit from the Premier League.

Defeat to Crystal Palace, coupled with wins for Burnley and Southampton against Wolves and Brighton respectively, spelled the end of Town’s Premier League adventure after two seasons.

They are only the second team in the Premier League era to be relegated before the end of March, surviving just one day longer than Derby in 2007-08 and equalling their unwanted record of relegation after 32 games.

Derby mark two

The Rams’ relegation campaign is a part of Premier League history – if and when they return to the top flight, they will do so looking to end an ongoing record run of 32 games without a win.

They finished that season with a single win and only 11 points – Huddersfield have at least passed that mark, reaching 14 with February’s win over Wolves, but have lost four in a row since then to take their leave of the top flight.

Ipswich were also relegated with six games remaining in 1994-95, though that was a 42-game season and four teams went down. The Tractor Boys managed seven wins and 27 points in total.

A number of teams have been relegated with five games still to play, most recently Aston Villa three years ago when they finished with only 17 points.

Portsmouth were condemned after 33 games in 2009-10 while the same fate befell Sunderland on two separate occasions, when they finished with 19 points in 2002-03 and 15 three years later.

Other than Derby, the earliest date a team had been relegated is April 6 – Leicester in 2001-02. The early finish for the summer’s World Cup meant they had only four games remaining, though, the same as West Brom the following season.

The magic runs out for Terriers

Luka Milivojevic’s penalty and Patrick Van Aanholt’s goal set the seal on Huddersfield’s relegation, though the damage was done earlier.

The Terriers failed to reproduce their creditable efforts of last season, when they hit the ground running with two straight wins and spent the first six weeks in the top half of the table.

They dipped into the relegation zone only once en route to an eventual 16th-placed finish but this term they have just three wins and five draws to their name from 32 games.

They took only three points from their first 10 matches before an overdue first win against fellow strugglers Fulham in November, which was followed by a draw with West Ham and a win over Wolves in an unbeaten November.

Eight straight losses followed and despite a draw at Cardiff, popular manager David Wagner left the club by mutual consent on January 14.

Successor Jan Siewert’s only win to date came on February 26, once more against Wolves, but defeats to Brighton, Bournemouth and West Ham – the latter from 3-1 up – left them on the brink before Palace, and results elsewhere, finished them off.