"I was gutted" - Huddersfield Town: Claim made on Aaron Mooy after Terriers exit | OneFootball

Football League World's Huddersfield Town fan pundit makes a big Aaron Mooy admission

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Huddersfield Town supporters could make a serious case that their club has experienced more ups and downs in recent years than most of their Football League counterparts.

Back in 2017, the Terriers won promotion to the Premier League following a penalty shootout victory over Reading in the Championship play-off final.

The West Yorkshire outfit, then managed by David Wagner, then achieved the unlikely feat of top-flight survival following a remarkable 2017/18 campaign in which they finished in 16th and beat the drop by four points.

However, disaster would soon beckon for the Terriers as they were relegated from the Premier League back to the Championship by 2019 after winning just 16 points during the 2018/19 season.

After two successive disappointing second tier campaigns, the Terriers almost restored their top-flight status in 2022, as they reached the play-off final once again.

But this time around, the West Yorkshire side lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, and by the end of the 2023/24 campaign they were relegated to League One.

One player who played a key role in the Terriers' rise to the top-flight and performed well during their Premier League stint was Aaron Mooy, who Football League World's Huddersfield fan pundit, Graeme Rayner, has revealed he wishes he saw play more for the club.

Terriers fan pundit makes big Aaron Mooy admission

Graeme told FLW: "The one player I wish I saw play for my club more than they did before they left, I'm going to have to say Aaron Mooy, because he was just a pleasure to watch.

"I don't ever really recall him having a bad game.

"He is without doubt the most technically gifted player I've ever seen in a Town shirt, and the way he controlled games and sometimes dragged the team through poor performances was just a joy to behold, and he played the game the right way as well.

"He was always positive and proactive, and just a real, real pleasure to watch, and I was gutted that he left when he did, because I felt that we should have tried to keep him, but I entirely understood his desire to stay in the top-flight.

"He'd proven himself to be a capable Premier League player, and so (I wished) good luck to him when he went to Brighton, fair play.

"And he did it the right way as well, he signed a contract extension that enabled us to get a decent fee before he went, when he could have gone in another way.

"So, fair play, I think he was a decent guy and I had hoped that he might come back to Town, but obviously he's retired early due to injury issues."

Mooy is a modern day Terriers legend

It is no wonder that Graeme wishes he could have seen even more of Mooy, who was a true Terriers hero in recent years.

After originally joining the West Yorkshire side on loan from Manchester City ahead of the 2016/17 Championship campaign, the former Australia international scored four goals and produced seven assists in the second tier as Wagner's men won promotion to the Premier League.

Upon winning promotion to the top-flight with the Terriers, Mooy moved to Huddersfield on a permanent basis, and proved his worth in the Premier League with four goals and three assists during the 2017/18 season.

During the 2018/19 campaign, which saw the Terriers relegated back to the Championship, Mooy managed just three goals and one assist, but still proved his match-winning abilities.

The Town faithful will fondly remember the brace their club's former midfielder scored during a 2-0 victory over Wolves in November 2018, which epitomised his great quality.

Like Graeme, many Terriers supporters will wish that Mooy could have stayed at their club for longer thanks to his legendary exploits which helped guide the club to the Premier League.