So that's a wrap.
Not quite the send-off that we were hoping for after following a season that many will be happy to see the back of - at least for a couple of weeks until the Saturday boredom starts to take effect.
There's been a handful of highs and more than a fair share of lows but despite the defeat yesterday, by a side who are three games away from the Premier League, supporters have the right to feel dangerously optimistic about the summer and the upcoming campaign.
Of course, by 5:00pm on the first day of next season, it could quite easily be all doom and gloom once again.
But three victories in the last six and one defeat, particularly in comparison to the horror show at the end of last season, means City can look a lot higher in the table than the not-so dizzying heights of 17th.
Take into account Nigel Pearson's openness regarding the changes that need to be made and they do instil a confidence that the manager knows exactly the type of players he wants in the positions that need strengthening.
Whether he can pull off those signings on a stringent budget... time will tell but here are the final talking points for the season as City leave the John Smith's Stadium empty-handed.
Huddersfield do their homework
Credit to Huddersfield coach Carlos Corberan who never left his technical area all game, animatingly pointing in all sorts of directions as if he was conducting an orchestra.
He made six changes to his team with a close eye on the play-offs and the gamble paid off as the Terriers' gameplan sussed City's attack.
Corberan had done his homework, his side closing off the space in the final third. The hosts were happy for the visitors to have possession of the ball for large periods, awaiting that final ball over the top for Antoine Semenyo. and stopping that pass into Andi Weimann.
By the end of the game, both sides shared 50% of the possession. Pearson's side also had 12 more total passes in the game and 18 more touches.
City's average possession this season in the Championship is 44.5% but with their ability to hurt teams in the counter-attack and exploit the space behind, Huddersfield knew how to frustrate their opponents.
Centre-backs Naby Sarr, Jonathan Hogg and Ollie Turton had all the answers to City's prolific front three who were left ruing the few opportunities they were presented with. Semenyo and Chris Martin denied by the feet of the keeper before Matty James' chance for a consolation.
Keeping Andi Weimann quiet was particularly key with the in-form Austrian touching the ball just 11 times in the opening 45 minutes. That number increased in the second half to 38 in total as City enjoyed more possession, but it was still the third-lowest out of any player on the pitch behind goalscorers Danny Ward and Harry Toffolo.
In comparison, Huddersfield midfielder Jon Russell, who was marking Weimann, had 95 touches of the ball. The next lowest was Semenyo with 38, one less than Massengo who only saw 54 minutes of action
Huddersfield knew that if they could keep Weimann quiet in the middle and prevent the centre-backs from being dragged out, that would limit the space for Semenyo in particular.
After the game, Pearson said of tactics: " I thought it would be an interesting game but I suppose the higher you go and the sides that you play who are better than you, when you have your chances you have to take them and it didn’t quite happen for us today.
"We, of course, got countered a lot ourselves today. We were the possession side ourselves today which was a bit unusual for us, especially in the second half."
It poses a question over the summer and going into next season. When City play a side like Hull last week, who afforded them so much space, the Robins are ruthless. However, when a plan B is required like it was yesterday, has Pearson got the tools at his disposal to be able to switch it up?
If not, he'll need to devise a plan going into next season because teams will find a way to prevent the WSM from making an impact.
The need for Joe
If there was ever a performance that summed up how important Joe Williams is to City's midfield, then that was probably it.
Pearson was not willing to risk his midfield enforcer for the final game of the season after revealing he was having issues with his Achilles before kick-off.
That gave Han-Noah Massengo the opportunity to pull up trees on what is likely to be his final game for the game - unfortunately, his performance flattered to deceive although understandable considering his emotions at the end of the game.
Without Williams, Matty James looked lost without his partner in crime as Huddersfield tore through the City midfield in the first half with the duo chasing shadows for periods.
Massengo couldn't get his foot on the ball, often ponderous in possession and James, who arrived into the game on the back of good performances, found it difficult to keep up with the pace of his opponents.
What was lacking was Williams' aggression and his ability to ruffle a few feathers to make a nuisance of himself. When asked about the impact of Williams' absence, he responded: "(we missed) his quality. I thought Scotty [Alex Scott] did well when he went in there in the second half so we’ve got some talented young players."
Only Scott's introduction in the middle came too late in the contest when Massengo was replaced by George Tanner making a return to take the role at right wing-back.
What is evident is that without Williams in the side, City lack that assertiveness in the middle of the park especially away from home. We saw it at Luton away, Barnsley and Blackpool just to name a few since the turn of the year.
His injury record this season means he cannot be relied on heading into next campaign and therefore it's a position that Pearson must address over the summer. A player who can take the game by the scruff of its neck.
One comment after the game stood out, when he said: "When you play against a side, like today, who have explosive players, physically they are up there with Premier League stats." Pearson made a similar comment to one after the Bournemouth defeat where he pointed out their physicality.
There's no doubt Pearson will be shopping for a midfielder in the summer, especially with Massengo seemingly departing and Andy King's future still unknown.
Although with the aim to score more goals from midfield and help tighten up at the back, would two new midfield additions be asking a bit much?
Massengo's emotional farewell
Pearson's right with his comments that Massengo is still a Bristol City player until he officially departs - he also admitted that the club have yet to receive an offer. However, if there was ever a goodbye then that was it.
He headed to the 700 away fans at the full-time whistle and stood in front of his team-mates standing and applauding those who were brave enough to make the trip up north to effectively watch the dead-rubber unfold.
The reaction he received from those travelling faithful made him shed a tear as he said his final farewells to the fans he has built such a rapport with since joining from Monaco in 2019.
At one moment, he turned his back ready to head back towards the tunnel but couldn't resist one last look and clap towards the fans - reluctant to see their support for the final time.
Captain Dan Bentley then came over and put his arm around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring word or two before Massengo eventually decided it was time to head back to the dressing room.
It certainly wasn't the performance that he would have wanted to sign off with and his afternoon ended in the 54th minute when he was substituted having struggled to make an impact. Pearson was honest in his review of the performance after the contest, admitting emotions played their part.
He said: "I think today was probably a little step too far, the occasion affected him and I’ve said what I said in the week.
"He’s a young man who’s a super lad but I felt for him a bit today because he was playing against a very good side and he will be a bit emotional as well."
It was just a shame that Massengo couldn't seal his time at City with his first goal to his name.
For Massengo, his inevitable departure will split opinion on far his potential will take him in the game, but City fans will be eager to watch his exciting career unfold hoping he can reach the top.
Not only will the club miss his quality, they'll say goodbye to a fan favourite whose support around the community will also be missed.
Tanner, the absentees and Scott
In the week, Nigel Pearson confirmed 22 players were going to make the trip to Huddersfield for the final game of the season.
What was more interesting were the players who didn't make the trip - which would be a clear indication as to who is unlikely to be hanging around over the course of the season.
Among those that travelled was Cam Pring, a good sign that he will be in and around the camp over the summer and into the next season.
The defender has been left out of the last four matchday squads for reasons Pearson says are not sinister. He wasn't part of the side once again, having fallen down the pecking order behind Duncan Idehen.
The true story behind Pring's absence remains cloudy but while a number of other players missed out on the trip up north, his showing from the team bus suggests he is still part of parcel of the plans going forward.
The two notable names that didn't travel were Zak Vyner and Callum O'Dowda. No great surprise to many and two players who are surely deemed surplus to requirements going forward.
Pearson revealed last week that he has spoken to the players that have been told they don't have a future beyond the summer and the duo have consistently drifted further away from the first team.
King is another whose future remains unclear with his deal expiring in the summer but the midfielder was named on the bench and even got 13 minutes under his belt with he came on for the injured Timm Klose.
There was also a welcome appearance for wing-back Tanner who made his first showing since his hamstring problem on December 30.
His return for the last game of the season, coming on in the 54th minute, is a welcome boost for the club and manager who revealed the cruel news that Ayman Benarous will be out of action until around Christmas after rupturing his ACL.
Tanner looked nervy on his return and a little rusty - not entirely surprising considering he has just two appearances in the Under-23s on his comeback.
He made a misplaced pass early on after his introduction in front of Pearson to which the manager responded by gesturing him to calm down in possession.
However, it was overall a positive enough showing by Tanner and he showed a moment of quality by making a brilliant challenge in the 80th minute.
His arrival onto the field also allowed Scott to move into a more central position and the youngster immediately looked like a different player, meandering his way through the defence before seeing a strike deflected out for a corner.
As mentioned above, Pearson quoted Scott's performance in the middle after the game and hopefully, that is enough encouragement to suggest he will be back and predominantly in his favoured central position next season.
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