Huddersfield Town's 2014-15 campaign began in dramatic fashion, as manager Mark Robins lasted just one game before he left the club.
Robins's 16-month tenure came to end after his side were beaten 4-0 at home by Bournemouth on the opening day of the season, as he and the board agreed that a change was needed.
Mark Lillis took caretaker charge for the next month until former Charlton Athletic boss Chris Powell was appointed as successor to Robins.
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Huddersfield were 21st in the table when Powell came in and he went on to steer the club away from the relegation zone and to safety.
While never looking like challenging for a top-half place, Town were comfortably clear of the bottom three and, after securing their Championship status for another season, Powell can look back on a job well done.
Five key results
Huddersfield Town 0-4 Bournemouth, August 9, 2014: Huddersfield could not have got their season off to a worse start as they were thumped on the opening day by Eddie Howe's Cherries. Bournemouth opened the scoring after just 26 seconds and things went from bad to worse for the home side, as a brace from Callum Wilson and a strike from Yann Kermorgant consigned them to a 4-0 defeat. The result spelled the end for Robins, who left the club shortly after.
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Reading 1-2 Huddersfield Town, August 19, 2014: Huddersfield recorded their first league win of the season at the third attempt by triumphing over Reading at the Madejski Stadium. First-half goals from Jacob Butterfield and Harry Bunn were enough to give the visitors all three points. The victory proved to be the only one that Lillis recorded during his caretaker tenure, and it bought the Huddersfield hierarchy more time to appoint Robins's successor.
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Millwall, September 27, 2014: Huddersfield had to wait over a month for their next win, over fellow strugglers Millwall. Two Nakhi Wells goals, either side of a strike from Ed Upson, gave Powell his first victory since taking charge. This result sparked a seven-match unbeaten run that lifted the Terriers away from the drop zone and up to 14th place.
Huddersfield Town 2-1 Ipswich Town, April 6, 2015: A run of seven matches without a win through March threatened to drag Powell's men back into a relegation battle, ahead of a home match against Mick McCarthy's playoff-chasing Ipswich. Wells and James Vaughan got the hosts off to a flyer in the opening 30 minutes as they raced into a 2-0 lead. Luke Varney pulled one back for the visitors three minutes into the second half, but Huddersfield held on for a victory that moved them 12 points clear of the bottom three.
Huddersfield Town 4-4 Derby County, April 18, 2015: Two weeks later, Huddersfield faced another one of the promotion contenders when Derby County visited the John Smith's Stadium. What followed was one of the most entertaining 90 minutes of the Championship season. After falling behind in the 16th minute, Huddersfield responded through Oscar Gobern, Mark Hudson and Reece James to go into the break 3-1 up. Simon Dawkins and Jesse Lingard made it 3-3 within 15 minutes of the restart, but Town looked on course for victory when Wells put them 4-3 ahead on 72 minutes. However, Tom Ince equalised for the visitors 11 minutes before the end to cap off a dramatic afternoon's football.
Best Player - Jacob Butterfield
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The midfielder settled into life at Huddersfield quickly after arriving from Middlesbrough last summer in a swap deal that saw Adam Clayton move the other way.
A return of six goals from midfield is nothing to be sniffed at, while he assisted more of Town's 58 league goals than any other player with eight. Butterfield's Championship experience was a valuable addition to the midfield and he will be looking to improve further next season.
Most Improved Player - Sean Scannell
Powell carried out one of his most significant acts before he was confirmed as Town boss by vetoing Sean Scannell's potential move to Millwall.
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The winger has gone on to produce his most consistent spell of form since joining the Terriers from Crystal Palace in 2012, contributing four goals and six assists. The Irishman is a tricky customer when in form and he will be looking to maintain his resurgence under Powell next term.
Best Signing - Mark Hudson
Hudson joined from Cardiff City as the summer transfer window drew to a close. The experienced defender was installed as captain soon after his arrival and was charged with shoring up a defence that had been leaking goals. The 33-year-old played a key part in Huddersfield's revival under Powell and will surely be one of the first names on the team sheet next season.
Best Goal - Joel Lynch vs. Watford
Joel Lynch set the seal on an impressive 3-1 win over Watford in January with a spectacular strike. With Town leading 2-1 in the 83rd minute, Watford failed to clear a corner and the ball was knocked back into the penalty area. It was then nodded into the path of the defender, who produced a stunning overhead kick to put the game beyond the Hornets.
Must Do Better - Adam Hammill
The winger has shown himself to be an effective player in the Championship, with his pace, trickery and eye for goal causing problems for opposition defences. However, the 27-year-old struggled to find form following Powell's arrival and was dropped from the first team, before eventually being farmed out on loan to Rotherham United for the remainder of the season.
If he is to earn back his place, his needs to find the kind of form he was showing at Barnsley in this division a few seasons ago. He can play as a winger or a more defensive-minded wing-back if required and is a useful option to the manager when firing. A good pre-season could be enough to force him back into Powell's plans.
End-of-season grade: C
Huddersfield's season was very much a mixed bag - they looked excellent in some games but poor in others. There will need to be improvements made to the squad in the summer, but Powell will be encouraged by the fact that he has the nucleus of a strong Championship side at his disposal. If he can bring in players where needed, they should kick on next term.
Steven Toplis
