Huddersfield Town make manager decision ahead of games with Crawley Town and Charlton Athletic

Charlton Athletics' League One play-off rivals Huddersfield Town parted ways with their manager Michael Duff on Sunday afternoon following a 1-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers on Saturday afternoon.

It was the Terriers’ fourth loss in five games, as they were beaten by Peterborough United, Wigan Athletic, Wrexham and Bristol Rovers. They had won 2-1 at Stevenage in that run but the dip in form saw Huddersfield drop out of the top six. Charlton are currently two points above the Terriers as they sit fifth in the table with Huddersfield in seventh. Bolton Wanderers are level on points with the Addicks in sixth.

Huddersfield face Crawley Town this weekend before they head to the Valley in the first game after the international break. The Terriers host Leyton Orient on the final day of the League One season in a game that could define which teams end up with a play-off spot.

Jon Worthington appointed

Following Duff’s departure, Huddersfield have opted to name an interim manager for their final 11 games of the campaign. The Terriers have named their academy manager Jon Worthington as interim head coach. The 41-year-old captained Huddersfield during his playing days and took temporary charge in early 2024, winning two of his four matches in charge.

“Huddersfield Town is my club, and I’m honoured to be coaching the first team between now and the end of the season,” he told the club website.

“We have 10 important matches to come with plenty of points remaining to play for and every possibility still open to us. As it is each day, my full focus and energy will be spent doing whatever I possibly can to help our club be the best version of itself.

“In that time, my goal is to repay the faith and trust that Kevin Nagle, Jake Edwards and Mark Cartwright have shown in me, and give Town supporters pride in their team and club. See you all at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.”

Why was Duff sacked?

In a statement confirming Duff’s departure, club owner and chairman Kevin Nagle said the decision to sack the former Northern Ireland international was due to results in 2025. He said: “This is not a decision that I have taken lightly. I really like Michael as a person and I know how diligently he has worked for the club since he was appointed as head coach in the summer, so we’ve all been desperate for him to succeed.

“However, our results on the pitch since the turn of the year have simply not been good enough. It is true that we’ve had an unprecedented injury situation to contend with, particularly recently, but I believe that the resources we have available are capable of more than the four wins we’ve registered in our last 15 games. I feel we must make this change now to reignite our challenge for promotion. I want to thank Michael, and I wish him all the best for the future.”

As noted above, Huddersfield still have games with Charlton and Orient before the end of the campaign. They played the London sides back-to-back in later November, as they beat Charlton 2-1 and won 2-0 against Leyton Orient.