Elias Kachunga looking ahead to another surprise promotion run at Huddersfield Town
The Terriers won just three times, scored a paltry 22 goals and were relegated in record equalling time.
Elias Kachunga, the clubâs DR Congo international, featured in more than half of Huddersfieldâs 38 league outings so is well aware of just how bad things got at the John Smithâs Stadium.
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Hide AdGoing forward, however, the 27-year-old believes this annus horribilis may yet work in Townâs favour on their return to the Championship.
âLast season will maybe see everyone under-rate us a little bit,â suggested Kachunga to The Yorkshire Post.
Flying under the radar certainly worked in the clubâs favour during the 2016-17 campaign.
With all the attention focused elsewhere on relegated duo Newcastle United and Aston Villa or fallen giants such as Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Wolverhampton Wanderers, David Wagnerâs Terriers clinched promotion via the play-offs.
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Hide AdKachunga, then on loan from FC Ingolstadt 04, played a key role, finishing the season as top scorer with 12 goals.
âWe have a few young lads but there are a lot of experienced players here who have already played in the Championship,â he added. âWe will give everything to get back to winning ways.
âThen, we see how the season goes. In the Championship, 100 per cent we will try and battle for first place.
âIt is hard to say if the league is more competitive than before. There are so many games, week in and week out.
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Hide AdâAlready, our start involves six or seven games in the first month. Straight away, that is a hard period. Everyone knows how hard it is so we prepare ourselves as well as we can.â
With Jan Siewert experiencing his first pre-season at Huddersfield alongside new assistant Colin Bell and Phil Hodgkinson still settling in as chairman, hopes are high that a line can be drawn under that dreadful final season among the elite.
âIt is a new start,â said Kachunga. âIt was important for everyone to have this fresh, new start after the break. Just to clear the head and start again from zero.
âThis is a new season. Everyone enjoyed the break but now we are back and there has been some new input. We have a new manager, a new assistant and a new chairman.
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