In January 1999, the club was bought by local businessman Barry Rubery, who targeted to reach the Premier League. Steve Bruce succeeded Jackson in May 1999. Huddersfield topped the table in December, but their form plummeted after striker Marcus Stewart was sold in the January transfer window to First Division rivals Ipswich Town. They finished the season in eighth place, just outside the play-offs. Bruce was sacked in October 2000. Rubery accused Bruce of "wasting £3m", arguing that the money would have been "spent more wisely by a more experienced manager without an ego to feed". He was replaced by Lou Macari, who was unable to halt the slide as relegation to the third tier followed at the end of the season. Huddersfield reached the play-offs in 2001–02, but lost 2–1 to Brentford in the semi-final.