Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan refused to talk up his team’s slim chances of automatic promotion following what was a comfortable 2-1 Championship win over Barnsley.
On a night when they relegated Barnsley from the second tier, the Terriers booked their place in the top six with a fourth win in five games.
Huddersfield are now just a point behind second-placed Bournemouth, but the Cherries do have three games more of the regular season to play.
Corberan said: “It’s been a very positive step for the team, all of the players and the club.
“Tonight we scored our two goals in key moments and overall we managed the game well against a very competitive team.
“Barnsley scored late of course, but thankfully that didn’t affect the result.
“We’ve guaranteed our place in the play-offs at least and that’s important for us.
“We’ll just keep the focus on ourselves, though, and try and make it the best season we can.
“We’ll follow the other results of course and I think we can relax a little now.
“We’ll carry on going for the three points in our final two games each time we go on the pitch, but we probably need to do a little better.
“Tonight it was more balanced in the second half – I was definitely happier with the performance in the first half.”
Corberan enjoyed a moment at the final whistle when he celebrated in front of the Terriers faithful while holding his young son.
Looking back on those emotions, the Huddersfield boss added: “I wanted to thank the fans and it was a really special moment with my son.
“It’s been a difficult three seasons at times for our fans, but I wanted to show just how special our fans are for me.”
The evening got off to a terrific start for the Terriers when Jordan Rhodes nodded them in front after only four minutes.
Barnsley responded positively to the early setback, but Harry Toffolo tucked home a killer second goal in first-half added time.
The second half proved to be something of a non-event as the hosts hung on to their advantage comfortably, although Barnsley substitute Callum Styles fired home a consolation goal with the final action of the game.
Another defeat left Barnsley boss Poya Asbaghi to reflect on a dismal demise for his team.
Asbaghi, who stated that he would not walk away from his job after relegation, said: “It’s tough for everyone, but I suppose this is not unexpected when looking at the season as a whole.
“There was always a little bit of preparation for this day.
“It was always a tough task from when I came here (in November last year) given the situation we were in, in the winter.
“There was a period when things were possible and hopes of a rise in February and March.
“The late equaliser we conceded against Reading was a big moment, though.
“We were not able to come back from that mentally, perhaps.
“Overall, we’ve just not been good enough for a team trying to stay in the Championship.
“It’s a new situation for me and the newer players at the club, but we all have to understand that sometimes there are big bumps in the road.
“We have to bounce back now.
“I believe in my strengths as a leader and I got the impact I needed at times, but we’ve just not been good enough to stay in this league.
“Over a season of 46 games, you can’t just talk about bad luck.”
