Michael Duff offers clear Barnsley stance in response to Huddersfield Town speculation | OneFootball

Michael Duff has made it clear that his "focus will be fully on Barnsley" amid speculation about interest from Huddersfield Town.

The Tykes will be playing League One football again next season after they suffered play-off final heartbreak at Wembley on Monday - with Josh Windass' 123rd-minute winner sending Sheffield Wednesday to the Championship.

Duff's side had battled hard to keep the game level despite seeing Adam Phillips controversially sent off after 49 minutes and even had chances of their own as first normal time and then extra time ran out.

But it's Wednesday that are heading back to the Championship while Barnsley must prepare for another season in the third tier.

The Tykes' defeat is likely the result that the club chiefs at Huddersfield were hoping for as, according to journalist Alan Nixon, Duff is on their radar as a potential replacement for Neil Warnock.

Warnock returned to the Terriers in February to lead them clear of relegation in dramatic fashion and new owner Kevin M. Nagle is said to be keen to convince the experienced coach to stay on for one more season.

The report claims that if he is unable to do so, Duff will be top of his list of replacements this summer.

Michael Duff issues clear stance on his Barnsley future

Duff was asked about that speculation after Monday's play-off final defeat but made it clear that leaving Oakwell was not on his radar.

"I haven't seen any of that, genuinely," said Duff. "My focus will be fully on Barnsley.

"I'll take stock from a personal point of view but I'm not thinking of anything other than licking our wounds and going again."

Pressed on preparations for next season, Duff said: "I imagine we'll lose a couple, that's the model of the football club. There are players going into the final year of their contract, I'm not in control of that.

"But one thing I don't think we'll do, I don't think we'll lose five or six as we did at the start of last summer. Whatever we do next season, we'll start on a stronger foothold. In the first three months of the season, we'll try and implement best practice behaviours.

"There was a lot of nonsense went on off the field, a lot of nonsense going on in the training ground, in the dressing room. We've managed to eradicate a lot of them which produced performances like that when the chips down.