As good a result as I’ve had – Neil Warnock hails Huddersfield response

Neil Warnock hailed Huddersfield’s 4-2 win over former club Middlesbrough as “probably as good a result as I’ve had in my career”.

Struggling Town staged a remarkable second-half comeback as, trailing to a Marcus Forss goal, Josh Ruffels, Josh Koroma and Matty Pearson scored within 12 minutes of the restart.

Pearson added his second after 66 minutes before Chuba Akpom headed in his 26th goal of the season for a stunned Boro.

Huddersfield remain in the relegation zone, but only goal difference now separates them from Cardiff, while Michael Carrick’s visitors are six points outside the top two.

“We were 5-1 with the bookies, what an insult,” said Warnock. “I have never been 5-1 in my life at home.

“Middlesbrough will not have a tougher game than that this year. At half-time there were two ways we could go – we could lie down and lose four, like we did against Coventry, or we could stop crying and get on with it.

“We had to get on the front foot and have a go at them.

“I gave Josh a rollicking at half-time and he came up with a great goal. I will have to do it more often.

“I thought the crowd was brilliant. They probably couldn’t believe it after the first half. But the goal lifted them and I haven’t heard an atmosphere like that since I was here first time.

“I said to the lads, in a few weeks when I am fishing I will think back how proud I was. Everyone gave me everything they had.”

The 74-year-old added: “It’s probably as good a result as I’ve had in my whole career that today. In the circumstances, with the squad I’ve got, the opponents, I think that’s as good a performance and result as I’ve ever had.”

Despite following up victory over Millwall with another impressive three points, Warnock knows there is still plenty of hard work ahead.

“We will only stay up on our own results,” he said.

“But if you said we would get six points against Millwall away and Middlesbrough you would have said I was loopy.”

Boro boss Michael Carrick insists his team’s progress will not be derailed by one performance.

“It was pretty much what we expected,” he said. “But we were patient enough and got the goal and were happy with the way things were going.

“We still wanted more in the second half, but sometimes in football you can’t rationalise a little burst, three moments in the space of 10 minutes.

“We were chasing the game after that. But I can’t fault our effort or attitude.

“Sometimes it is hard to understand why, because the boys have been good for a period of time and quite stable and consistent.

“But this league can do that if you lose that concentration or little edge for that space of time.

“We are obviously bitterly disappointed.

“But we have got to stay calm. We have got big games coming up. We have come a long way and this does not tell the story of the season.

“We haven’t come out on top but it won’t change the course of our season.”