Danny Cowley is gone - is Leeds United's Carlos Corberan Huddersfield Town's next manager

Danny Cowley's shock departure on Sunday came as more of a surprise given he had just guided the Terriers to virtual safety 48 hours earlier with a season-defining win over West Bromwich Albion.

Huddersfield had picked up just two points from their first nine matches this term and many supporters had feared for much of the season that the prospect of back-to-back relegations was a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Since Town secured their Premier League survival with a famous draw at Chelsea in May 2018, it has been a difficult two years for the club.

David Wagner left the Terriers in January 2019 and was replaced by Jan Siewart who won just one game before being sacked in September.

Chairman Phil Hodgkinson identified Cowley and his brother Nicky as the men to guide Huddersfield to safety, something achieved in the club's penultimate match of the season.

With Cowley speaking in the aftermath of Friday's win how the club needed to operate smartly in the transfer market, by looking down the leagues for younger talent, the news of his dismissal caught almost everybody by surprise.

There is a genuine gratitude from the Terriers hierarchy for what the Cowleys have achieved this season. They were brought in to stop Huddersfield falling through the trap door and they have completed that objective.

No applications are being taken for the vacant role at the John Smith's Stadium, suggesting a new candidate is already in line or Huddersfield have a list of ideal replacements they will target.

Whatever the club's plan, the new appointment has to be a success.

Carlos Corberan, the Leeds Untied first-team coach and Under-23s manager, who manages the transition of youth players into the senior side at Elland Road, is emerging as one of Huddersfield's prime targets.

It is a gamble by chairman Phil Hodgkinson to relieve the Cowleys of their duties, given the success they had at Lincoln City over a three-and-a-half year period.

There is the example of Southampton in 2013 when they sacked Nigel Adkins who had taken the club from League One to the Premier League with successive promotions.

Saints were outside the relegation places when he was replaced, much to the anger of their supporters, with Mauricio Pochettino coming into the club.

However, it was a gamble that more than paid off for the south coast outfit.

And while Huddersfield fans may be frustrated and somewhat confused by the Cowley's departure, the club now must be judged on what they do next.

Any new manager should be given time, regardless of who they are or their previous experience.

Wagner was virtually unheard of on those shores when he joined the Terriers but helped to deliver some of the best memories in the club's recent history.

Huddersfield finish their season against Milwall on Wednesday night with the 2020-21 season believed to be starting on September 12.

The transfer window will be open until October 5 but whatever happens, Huddersfield cannot find themselves in this position in 12 months time.

Sacking the Cowleys is undoubtedly a gamble, and based on the reaction from the fans a widely unpopular decision, but by the end of the next season the Huddersfield hierarchy will hope this saga is long forgotten - if they can get the right man for the job this time round.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson