What Kevin Nagle has said about 'unbelievable' Huddersfield Town fans after Bradford City triumph | OneFootball

Kevin Nagle has praised Huddersfield Town fans following their West Yorkshire derby win over Bradford City and ahead of facing Luton Town on Tuesday.

Bradford City lost ground on the race for automatic promotion when they lost to West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town on Saturday lunchtime, with the Terriers strengthening their play-off push.

The 2025/26 season is the first campaign that the pair have met in since a League Cup tie in 2013, with the pair sharing a league for the first time since the 2006/07 League One season.

Bradford won the first game 3-1 at Valley Parade, with Bobby Pointon the hero that day. However, Liam Manning has replaced Lee Grant in the Huddersfield dugout and was keen to win his first game in charge.

A 1-0 win was secured in front of over 21,000 at the Accu Stadium via Marcus Harness' first-half strike. Bradford were unable to fight back despite Marcus McGuane collecting a second yellow card midway through the second 45.

Kevin Nagle issues rallying cry to Huddersfield Town fans ahead of Luton Town

Manning's side are now four points behind their neighbours, albeit Bradford have two games in hand. Both sides could yet meet again this season, especially given the form of the sides around the Bantams.

Huddersfield are still only three above Luton Town and Stevenage, as well as four above a resurgent Peterborough United. They will hope that Manning is able to find more consistency than Grant, having already lost 10 of their 28 games this season.

Manning has had success in the third tier with the likes of MK Dons and Oxford United, which secured him a Championship role with Bristol City. They made the play-offs last season as well, making it clear to see why Kevin Nagle and co. went for him.

However, his reputation has taken somewhat of a hit and he will hope to rebuild that via another promotion push. They face Luton next, which looks likely to be a huge game on paper for both sides.

Nagle has since sent a message following the win over Bradford and ahead of the mammoth clash with Luton coming to town on Tuesday. Speaking via X, formerly Twitter, he said: "Want to really thank all the HTAFC supporters who attended the derby match against Bradford.

"You were truly unbelievable and made a difference. The players heard you. Can we count on you Tuesday night against Luton Town? It would be huge!! Thank you in advance."

The season-defining games for Liam Manning's Huddersfield Town

A number of players could benefit from Manning's appointment at Huddersfield and the appointment appears to be a hugely sensible one on paper, especially after his stint with MK Dons.

AI believes he will secure a play-off berth with Huddersfield this season, but there are a number of crucial three-pointers still yet to be played. The first of those comes on Tuesday in what is a must-not-lose game, rather than a must-win one.

After Luton, they face an in-form Peterborough, a much-improved Blackpool, and Stevenage just outside the play-offs. Another derby clash against Barnsley is not long before one with a struggling Rotherham United side.