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Without a home goal in 2025, and with the last one scored being an exceptionally fortunate gift from the opposition, Town’s imploding season is beginning to limp well below acceptable levels.

A long overdue change in formation failed to provide any substantial answers as a promising opening 20 minutes faded into the usual miasma of mediocrity, particularly in the final third where decision making floundered as the grip of anxiety tightened.

The visitors looked as poor an opponent as any seen at the stadium in the first half, yet Town quickly ran out of ideas as the Royals found defending increasingly easy in the face of two small, energetic but barely threatening front men, despite some positive front foot play in build ups.

New loan man Chirewa had a promising debut despite fading quite a while before he was subbed after the hour mark and provided some much needed impetus on the left without finding the right final ball or shot.

The predictable return of Nicholls in place of Chapman, whose performances have slightly dipped, provided extra experience at the back but the number one keeper’s distribution was several notches below his young colleague’s usual quality.

He was barely called upon to thwart a Reading side, however, who took a long time to realise that their opponent was fragile, lacking in confidence and prone to anxious error. When they did, they looked the better side in a spell in the second half which could have been disastrous but for their finishing, which matched Town’s own profligacy.

An increasingly disillusioned home crowd could only look on in frustration as their injury ravaged team failed to turn their only period of superiority into a lead, with Charles firing wide on two occasions and other promising situations disintegrating on contact with a reasonably solid visiting defence, and with Sorensen consistently failing to find a man in the box.  

A first half of genuine endeavour was an improvement on recent outings, but at no point was there a hint that a moment of quality would lift it from the mundane. 

From the off in the second half, Reading finally took the game to Town and wasted several good opportunities without troubling Nicholls, though their first effort had him scrambling as it flashed by the far post.

Koroma replaced the spent Chirewa  on the left and added some spasmodic threat, including a reasonable drive kept out by a save which was parried to an offside Charles who, predictably, headed wide.

Kasumu also made a welcome return and looked reasonably sharp in a too often malfunctioning midfield but was unable to find a way through the visitor’s stubborn rearguard despite a couple of trademark bursts.

The crisis bubbling away at the club as injuries bite and disrupt was starkly illustrated by the late appearance of Ladapo, an alleged striker we thought had been consigned to either history or the B team over a month ago. 

Elevated to 6th choice striker with Radulovic’s welcome departure, and a rare source of entertainment of entirely the wrong sort for the dulled John Smith stands, he nevertheless came close to providing the winner when he shimmied in to the area following a defensive error but chose an unorthodox shot, easily saved, rather than squaring to the better placed Marshall.

He soon reverted back to his comedic role when he beat the keeper to a through ball, was pushed out too wide and decided to cross. His effort rocketed backwards at great speed and out for a throw. You had to laugh.

Two largely ineffectual, plodding teams who would barely break out of mid table if League One had any depth of quality fought out an entirely forgettable goalless draw featuring two saves in total, with one of those being more of a collection.

It would be unkind not to acknowledge just how debilitating an injury crisis of this depth and longevity has on performance and consistency, and Duff at least shifted away from, effectively, a 6 man defence at home and, however unsatisfactorily, the losing streak was halted.

It remains to be seen if Town can recover the confidence which carried them through a long unbeaten run, but in the absence of an upturn, and soon, the minimum objective of an immediate return to the Championship is looking increasingly unlikely.

It is difficult to make a case that promotion would be particularly beneficial in any case. 

Without momentum, a massive clear out of playing staff and with the fading goodwill of supporters, we look many, many miles off being able to compete at a higher level when we are barely hanging on to a play off place in a desperately poor quality division.

On to another mediocre opponent in Barnsley at Oakwell next week backed, remarkably, by over 4,000 for what promises to be another exercise in drudgery.

Oh, to be entertained

It is always surprising how quickly a very good unbeaten run becomes an extremely worrying slump, and as Huddersfield Town’s form has dropped off a cliff, even the modest ambition of a play off place is no longer as secure as previously assumed.

Automatic promotion is, sadly, a mere pipe dream now, as two poor defeats in a row on home soil rather emphatically expose this squad, and arguably the manager, as simply not equipped to challenge at the very top of this distinctly average league.

Birmingham’s slender victory was entirely comfortable for the league leaders, even if it did take an excellent strike to break what we can laughably describe as a deadlock.

Town’s work rate, particularly in the first half, was commendable to a point (Jonathan Hogg revelled in the encounter but this should not be seen as a positive) as they strained every sinew to maintain very limited control and were far too often troubled by pace and the superior technical ability of their opponents.

There is no doubt that the visitors’ squad has been expensively assembled and their record suggests that there will be a gulf between them and second place by the end of the season, but the game starkly underlined the fact that Town will not be the ones staring upwards towards them.

Once again, Duff’s selections caused some head scratching, with Evans and Kane combined with the willing but limited Hogg. 

Hodge had done enough in a brief cameo on Saturday to suggest he could add some desperately needed forward momentum in the absence of the sorely missed Kasumu, but he was left on the bench for too long as Evans and Kane failed to ignite the wing backs so crucial to Duff’s rather one dimensional tactical plan.

At least Roosken and Sorensen are bona fide wing backs, and the former contributed some nice touches in his hour on the pitch, though the ex-Lincoln man failed to deliver  much, again, and his defensive frailties are of concern, as they were before his injury.

At the sharp end of the pitch, Town carried little to no threat throughout. With Taylor sidelined, unbelievably yet predictably, with a hamstring injury, the hard working Marshall came in to partner Charles and, if anything, the front two lost height as a result.

Only once did the pair see sight of the goal as a nice move down the left saw Roosken find Charles in the area, but the former Bolton man could only head tamely at the keeper. 

This represented the only slightly significant threat to the visitors’ goal all evening, unless Marshall entirely miscueing an attempted shot in a good position counts? In tight games, such errors are glaring and the lack of technique very costly. 

Charles’s chance came early in the game as Town started more brightly than in the depressing defeat on Saturday, but the first 7 or 8 minutes were as good as it got and Birmingham suppressed all of Town’s attempts to gain momentum from then on in.

As unsatisfying as the first half was, there was a resilience about the hosts in the face of clearly superior opponents though they had one or two scares down the right as some excellent distribution by Allsop twice caught Spencer out as he was left chasing  down Laird, bringing him down on one occasion and not getting near him on the other. Fortunately, nothing came of either the free kick or his inaccurate cross.

Following the Charles header and the two breaks by Laird, neither keeper was troubled and a drab spectacle was rarely lifted from its torpor. Birmingham failed to translate their superior technical ability into genuine threat and Town found little rhythm in and amongst some rushed, panicky defensive work.

Early in the second half, a high quality strike by Anderson which dipped viciously with Chapman flailing, settled the match. It was more than the game deserved, in truth, and the absence of quite basic closing down contributed to the winner, as did some lack of concentration at a throw which gifted easy possession in the lead up.

Nevertheless, it was a high quality strike.

Town looked a little more dynamic following the introduction of Hodge, replacing the ineffective Kane, but it was a low bar and marginal. Koroma, Healey and Radulovic offered little change from the bench and an equaliser never looked likely at any point.

The final stages of the game were marred by a bad looking tackle by Hogg on Iwata, which saw Town’s veteran captain, rather generously, booked and the Japanese carried off, followed by a nasty elbow by Dykes on Lees which also garnered a yellow, rather than red, card.

Lees’ concussion allowed Town an additional substitute and Balker came on to provide a little more thrust from the back, despite being caught in possession at one point, and his availability and fitness will be crucial in the challenging weeks ahead as he adds some quality to a team otherwise largely bereft.

Duff can, justifiably, point to the ridiculous, possibly unprecedented, injury record of his squad – Taylor became the 26th player sidelined – which undoubtedly impacts consistency, but his midfield trio simply didn’t work, yet again, and the total lack of penetration is seriously worrying, particularly at home where a thin crowd is became increasingly impatient at yet another home failure.

That tension was never more evident than when Pearson, rather unwisely, felt it necessary to shush some Kilner Bank critics of a back pass to Chapman. To be fair to him, the run of the ball possibly forced him in to the defensive option, but he really should know better than to react to a crowd who, lest we forget, have had to endure a long recent history of failure and were understandably frustrated at his hopeless punts forward.

The defeat feels pivotal, especially when combined with Saturday’s debacle, and unless there is a quick and convincing upturn in form and results, we could be bemoaning a drift out of the play off places in the not too distant future, particularly with the form of Orient and the resurgence of Bolton.

There is, of course, plenty of time left, yet it is more than a nagging doubt that the club could miss out on the play offs – since Cambridge away, performances have palpably declined with even the one win being far from convincing.

It is hard not to feel for Kevin Nagle, who has had to witness back to back disappointments and is getting scant reward for his commitment. To have to hear that his big January signing has suffered an injury likely to keep him out for a month at best was especially cruel on the owner.

Regrettably, he will need to learn that this club doesn’t do anything the easy way, but play offs, if we get there, are fun, right?

Town’s unbeaten run, which has been tottering for a while despite a couple of important wins at Wycombe and against Stockport, was ended by a committed Bolton side who bullied their hosts and fully deserved the 3 points.

In theory, Town’s tilt at the automatic promotion places should have been enhanced, if not guaranteed, by the addition of 2 strikers to finish off all the chances we make. In practice, the two had to feed on scraps, mostly with their backs to goal and the arrival from yesterday’s opponent seemed to be trying a little too hard against his erstwhile employer.

Bolton looked the most likely team throughout. They played with aggression, pace and desire as if freed from the strictures of their previous manager just days ago, while Town seemed inhibited by the favoured formation and tactics of their current manager.

In the absence of effective wing backs, Town were repeatedly sucked into relying on Tom Lees bringing the ball forward ponderously before making entirely predictable passes to standing targets which stultified any semblance of momentum and this self imposed handicap persisted throughout.

His back 3 colleague, Balker, tried to do things differently and was the only bright spot of a very disappointing early afternoon while Pearson’s attempts at longer balls were invariably terrible.

Lees and Pearson’s fellow stalwart, Hogg, didn’t play badly but was another brake on progressive football and really should not be in the starting 11 while Hodge, who actually added some dynamism, was available.

It was encouraging to have Sorensen back for half an hour, but nearly every pass to him was inaccurate and hampered his ability to take on Bolton’s left back and the dangerous balls in we saw earlier in the season failed to materialise.

All the best chances in the game fell to the visitors and Town only avoided a greater margin of defeat late on by a good save in a one on one and a glancing header which went narrowly wide.

For Town, Pearson should perhaps have done better in the first half when a set piece finally found a home head but he met it too early and it skewed well wide.

Bolton set out their stall in the first 10 minutes and saw a penalty appeal turned away in favour of a free kick for a push on Balker and forced Chapman into a spectacular save from a header despite the striker being offside, which the Aussie wasn’t to know.

Chapman had a more routine save to make from a shot hit straight at him a little later while the visitors also looked to expose Town’s lack of defensive pace between Lees and Pearson with Adebouya shooting narrowly wide as Balker came across to help out.

Town had little in response and Duff was visibly frustrated on the touchline at his charges.

Rather than make half time changes to try to resolve Town’s lack of threat, none were made with the predictable result of nothing changing, other than the scoreline when Bolton capitalised on some ineffective defensive work with a scrappy goal they deserved.

Substitutions were finally made with Sorensen being greeted by a Bolton player crashing in to him at an aerial challenge with both players booked as the home player understandably reacted.

Hodge provided some forward momentum at times and Marshall was more effective than the very subdued Taylor who he replaced and actually had two shots, one which drifted narrowly if harmlessly wide and one which at last forced a good save.

It was too little, too late, however and the visitors comfortably saw out the home pressure which wasn’t either particularly intense or threatening – indeed, Bolton should have wrapped things up during this period.

Perhaps the epitome of the difference between the two sides on the day was highlighted when Bolton’s Johnson flew in to Pearson on the touchline, got booked and then celebrated his challenge with a fist pump to the travelling support who had loudly backed their team throughout.

It was probably a bad time to play Bolton, but then our previous encounter had been a very good time to play them, and there simply wasn’t enough energy or cohesion in the side to subdue them.

The bench Duff named was easily the strongest of the season, which offers some hope, it is a shame he didn’t use it effectively enough.

A reasonably entertaining Yorkshire derby produced no goals but several problems for Town as double Dutch trouble further weakened an injury ravaged squad.

The welcome returns of Hodge, Evans and Hogg provides Duff with better midfield options, but the loss of his most influential player of the season in Kasumu coupled with Lonwijk suffering a hamstring injury in the opening minutes and new signing Roosken, brought in to fill the long term Miller absence, seeing red and accruing a likely 3 match suspension, adds unwelcome disruption, yet again.

It all added up to a disappointing afternoon for the Terriers, who failed to convert a sustained period of dominance in the second half of the first half into a lead. 

Overall, the performance was no better nor worse than the one which brought 3 points against Stockport, and despite their lowly position, the South Yorkshire opponents were a little superior.

With Hodge deputising for Kasumu and Radulovic in the starting line up, Town were already having to adjust to new personnel when Lonwijk pulled up after just 2 minutes and was replaced by Turton, necessitating a change in shape.

An opening 25 minutes with little incident quickly confirmed that the game was going to be far from easy for the hosts, but once they settled and gained ascendancy, they failed to take advantage of some excellent opportunities.

To his credit, Radulovic played a big part in the creation of opportunities with some deft link up play and significantly more physicality than previously evident. It seems unlikely that the Serbian will recover from his early form in the eyes of the supporters, and his potency in front of goal remains tepid at best, but he played a full part in this game and couldn’t be faulted for effort.

A couple of routine saves by Phillips from Koroma and Marshall after decent build up play by the Terriers signalled the start of what could have been a pivotal period, but they failed to turn the pressure in to a lead.

Wiles wasted a good free kick position, awarded after Marshall was clattered following a good link up with Radulovic, firing over. A volleyed Kane effort shortly beforehand had been closer and well executed, but the best chance came soon after.

A quick clearance from Chapman was laid off by Radulovic, despite being fouled, into the path of Wiles, who played Marshall in for a good effort on goal which Phillips pushed out for a corner.

From that corner, Helik saw his header cleared off the line and a scoreless first half ended with some regret for the home side who deserved to be in front.

Sadly, the second half descended in to a rather dour battle, with the visitors looking the more likely to prevail for long periods but, in similar fashion to their hosts in the first half, they failed to capitalise on their best spell of the game with a Chapman stop from close range to thwart Wilks followed by a slightly overhit cross just failing to find Powell at the back post.

Town’s big chance came midway through the half when Wiles out jumped an opponent to set Radulovic free. The Serb made exactly the right decision to pick out the unmarked Koroma in the box but instead of hitting the ball first time, which would have neutralised the keeper rushing out towards him, he took a touch and was unable to force the ball past recovering defenders on the line.

It was another moment that could have turned a disappointing draw in to more pressure on the 3 above them, but with 10 minutes to go, a poor but not malicious challenge by debutant  Roosken, who had been on the pitch for 7 minutes, was punished by a red card which seemed harsh at the time but not upon reflection.

To Town’s credit it was they rather than their numerically advantaged opponents who nearly won the game at the death.

With probably the stand out moment of the game, the incredibly hard working Marshall simultaneously prevented a Rotherham break and created an excellent opportunity with a beautifully executed challenge which cleverly anticipated his opponent’s touch.

Breaking forward, the West Ham loanee curled a superb ball in to the box but neither Radulovic at the front post nor Helik further back could convert and a just reward for Marshall’s endeavour was spurned.

A less than convincing performance, which nevertheless contained very presentable chances, followed a similar pattern to other home displays in the current unbeaten run. 

The lack of natural goalscoring instinct is always going to blight Duff’s charges and until that is addressed, which doesn’t seem very likely in the notoriously difficult January market, Town will not be able to mount a viable challenge for a top 2 place. Indeed, it is to Duff’s considerable credit that the possibility even remains given the lack of fire power and a revolving door of injuries to key players.

There were some positives to the game. The players have shown they can adapt to adversity recently and they were tested again with both an early and late change to well laid plans and they dealt with the double Dutch problems quite seamlessly.

Long term absentee Evans made a good impression on his return as a second half substitute and while Hodge looked a little rusty, he had good enough moments to suggest he can grow into form.

A very different, sterner test faces the team at Wycombe, with the unbeaten record at considerable risk, but it is a challenge a team with automatic promotion ambitions should relish.

As Danny Ward hobbled off the pitch shortly after incurring a freak injury instead of putting Town one up, as perhaps he should, Michael Duff turned, no doubt despairingly, to his bench to decide between ineptitude and frailty.

An unenviable Hobson’s choice for the head coach saw him plump for Freddie Ladapo with Bojan Radulovic still coming back from injury and, to all intents and purposes, he reduced his team to ten men.

The disappointing ultimate result against the bottom team in the league can’t all be placed at the journeyman’s feet as this would suggest he had even the slightest impact on events. He was barely involved throughout his 55 minutes on the pitch.

For all of that time, Town struggled to shake off a lethargy which led to far too many passing errors and poor judgement calls as Burton not only coped with the hosts sporadic attempts to exert superiority but also looked the more coherent side and the more likely to add to their 13th minute opener with the Terriers stuttering against their inevitable low block.

Burton’s goal was symptomatic of Town’s sloppiness with Lonwijk not only losing possession in a poor area but then ambling back with little commitment to prevent a ball in to the box which Webster bundled in scruffily but effectively.

An impatient crowd preemptively judged what would happen next, and from bitter experience. The last time the Brewers were in town, they thwarted their Premier League bound opponents with possibly the most cynical smash and grab performance you are ever likely to see. 

The initial response to going a goal down was positive and had Spencer scored a wholly convertible chance on 20 minutes from a Wiles free kick, nerves and anxiety would have been quelled. Instead, Town floundered and struggled to create anything approaching a dangerous chance in a poor first half.

Far too reliant on centre backs attempting to break lines, the physical and mental tiredness inevitable in a relentless schedule for an injury ravaged squad was all too evident and perhaps exacerbated by the psychological impact of conceding the first goal.

Without trying to labour the point, having an almost entirely superfluous centre forward leading the line didn’t help, but the low quality of most of the play was disappointing and change was demanded.

Sacrificing Lees and employing Turton on the right with Spencer joining Helik in the centre of a back 4, Town looked to speed up their attacking threat and, overall, it worked, once Ladapo was replaced by Radulovic.

However, the visitors should have doubled their advantage and almost certainly secure the points, 5 minutes after the break. Another piece of sloppy work by Lonwijk set the impressive Burrell away down Burton’s right and while he slightly overhit his cross, Orsi should have done better than firing straight at Chapman, who, as he had done against Stockport, made a points saving block.

Following that let off, Town failed to take advantage of a Wiles instigated break as Koroma was set free down the left with a perfect ball. Rather than hit the unmarked Marshall in the box with a first time ball, Koroma took an additional and unnecessary touch, sucking all the momentum out of the move. Eventually, Marshall was unable to connect with the ball in.

It did, however, signal the beginning of an onslaught which culminated in a late, deserved, but not particularly satisfying, equaliser 2 minutes from the end.

Radulovic, to his credit, did make a difference and proved far more effective linking play and did, at least, provide some sort of presence. If this is the faintest of praise, it is because that presence didn’t translate in the penalty area where it counts and a weak header when a chance presented itself exposed the sad truth that he isn’t of the standard required either now or in whatever the future holds.

Under increasingly intense pressure, the Brewers rather scraped the bottom of the barrel with time wasting tactics, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone. 

That pressure was more frantic than measured but the visitors were visibly creaking under the bombardment as corner after corner pinned them back. Only a judicious injury to Crocombe eased the barrage and that respite was short lived.

Though it may not have felt like it at the time, an equaliser looked inevitable and having replaced Spenser with Pearson and pushed Helik forward – a tactic which has been long overdue given the absolute state of Town’s striker options – an excellent Wiles cross was buried by the Pole and the unbeaten run continues.

In and amongst the frenetic concluding third, Duff saw red for aggressively retrieving the ball from the away dugout, which seemed a little harsh, and in injury time, Vancooten was shown a second yellow for a lunge on Radulovic when the referee should have played advantage with Lonwijk clear down the left.

Unable to force a winner, Town took a point from a match they were expected to win and failed to take full advantage of some slip ups above them. They remain more likely to compete in the play offs than secure the first automatic promotion since 1983, but resolving, or even just beginning to resolve the dire problems up front could change that destiny.

Happy New Year.

A misty, atmospheric John Smith’s Stadium saw a disciplined, pragmatic Town side overcome a technically superior Stockport County in a fascinating contest only lacking in goalscoring opportunities.

An extremely fortunate own goal by County’s impressive captain Bate, the least deserving of such a fate in retrospect, after just 45 seconds, informed the rest of the game and the Cheshire outfit’s attractive style was pitted against a home defence which has been the bedrock of the Terriers’ expanding unbeaten run.

Crushing inferior opposition such as Cambridge is fun and a necessary trait in a successful campaign in League One, but you suspect that this infinitely more streaky 3 points will satisfy Duff more. There were periods in this game where Stockport seemed to be finding ways to exploit weakness in their injury ravaged hosts, but Duff kept making tactical changes to thwart them.

The rightly lauded and now recalled Barry was effectively subdued by Town’s man of the match, Spencer, while the immutable Lees, a very strong contender for the accolade, marshalled a defensive performance which restricted the visitors to very few chances. 

Ironically, the nearest the promotion rivals came to an equaliser was when Helik, who remains less than assured this season, sliced an attempted clearance on to the post and was lucky not to gift what would have been a deserved leveller.

Early in the second half, Jacob Chapman thwarted Collar when Stockport capitalised on midfield indecision by Kane and set him free, one on one, with the young Aussie who positioned himself excellently to block to follow up a more routine save made from a Barry effort before the break.

Not long after, another, rather more fortuitous, break was wasted by County but this proved to be the last real threat, if not the end of Town’s anxiety with the visitors continuing to dominate the ball. 

Stockport’s failure to produce more than a weak header at Chapman, which may well have been ruled out for climbing anyway, was as much down to Duff’s increasingly influential tactical tweaks and substitutions as the flawed opposition – make no mistake, it was his victory over Challinor which delivered these 3 points.

It should also be noted that Town should have been awarded a penalty after just 10 minutes when Koroma was pushed over in the box. Yet again, a basic refereeing decision went against Duff’s men though the over theatrical fall slightly mitigated another egregious call.

The extremely hard working Marshall, whose run behind and cross had created the circumstances leading up to the own goal, also flashed a cross towards Ladapo near the end which, characteristically, he couldn’t make contact with. At least it prevented a crowd invasion.

The beleaguered back up striker, who appears to lack even the most basic of attributes, has been so woeful that the crowd has now adopted the old Depoitre song to try and encourage something approaching a performance. Lest we forget, the Belgian scored in a victory over Manchester United and on that famous night at Stamford Bridge, so there may be a touch of irony, which, at least, is better than booing his arrival.

On much brighter notes, Kasumu’s form remains excellent and he had to make up for the subdued efforts of Wiles and Kane either side of him, the defensive substitutions worked very well with Turton and Pearson delivering Duff’s tactical changes seamlessly and Marshall looks back to his energetic best with a lot of headroom for improvement.

There is nothing quite like a home Boxing Day fixture, with the whole day having an air of community and reunion throughout the stands. A loud away support was often challenged by the home fans, and despite the absence of goalmouth excitement, the game kept the crowd interested throughout.

It seems unlikely that Burton will have the equipment to slow Town’s impressive run as they keep pace with the 3 front runners, but there will have been many a gnarly Huddersfield Town fan in attendance yesterday who would scoff at the notion that their team aren’t vulnerable to such a shock. The not so gnarly will likely agree.

However, we can find comfort in the increasingly impressive management of this depleted squad by Duff. 

It has taken a while for the Town support to warm to him and their hesitancy is entirely reasonable given the horrendous managerial appointments littering Town’s recent history, coupled with the ridiculous decisions taken with Neil Warnock. 

Duff has faced continuous challenges in his short tenure. 

A squad infected with loser mentalities, a disastrous transfer window in the summer (not entirely anyone’s fault) which followed awful decision making in the previous one (definitely someone’s fault) leaving him without a functioning forward line and, more recently, an unenviable injury list.

To be still in contention for automatic promotion represents real achievements and it is to be hoped that he is properly supported in the New Year.

A creditable comeback by Town after a quite dreadful first half performance nevertheless failed to banish the doubts which are never too far away from this squad.

An unbeaten run of 10 games, including 7 wins, should be generating far more excitement and praise but supporters remain suspicious of both the overall quality of football being produced and the standard of the competition in League One.

Town lined up with Turton and Ruffles charged with providing width and forward momentum. The good recent form of Turton justified his inclusion, and while Ruffles has rarely excelled in a Town shirt, Headley has gone backwards alarmingly this season and would have been a strange starter.

As a result, however, so easily were they stifled in any attempt to get forward, Town’s shape looked rigid and old fashioned while Lincoln’s comfort in possession saw them dominate the opening half and their passing and movement created enough opportunity to render their 2 goal half time lead a little modest but fully deserved.

Lethargic and wasteful, too many Town players were anonymous at best and negligent at worst. None carried any threat.

Lincoln took the lead 15 minutes in after establishing a control over the game with controlled aggression and a refreshingly positive approach. The goal, a smart header by House from an excellent cross, was at the end of an impressive passage of possession which dragged the hosts around the pitch before creating space down the right to exploit.

10 minutes later, smart interchanges in the box saw Cadamarteri’s shot turned into his own net by Lonwijk for a fully deserved 2 goal lead.

Things didn’t get better against the weirdly garbed visitors, who sported a shiny black effort with the sponsor disguised for some reason, and a single, weak Ward effort was the Terriers’ only notable effort on goal.

A combination of Lincoln’s enterprise, a revert by Duff to his tactical comfort zone and an evident lack of energy produced a stale first half performance which should, perhaps, have been punished more heavily by the Imps.

To his credit, the manager metaphorically held his hands up and replaced the glaringly obvious weaknesses in the team – Turton and Ruffles, who simply didn’t convince as wing backs, to say the least. 

With Pearson succumbing to illness, which explained a baffling and bizarre performance from him, and Lees absent through presumably the same bug, there were some mitigations for Duff’s selections given Headley’s erratic nature and Sorensen’s recent comeback from injury, but the impact of playing unsuitable wing backs was felt throughout the team.

Ward and Koroma were barely involved and ineffective when roused, while Wiles and Kane looked confused when not totally anonymous.

Halftime thankfully arrived and brought to a close one of the worst 45 minutes of the season which, perhaps inevitably, came close on the heels of a wretched display at Bolton – the competition in which they were competing may have lacked importance to many, but that couldn’t hide the paper thin quality of this squad.

Sorensen and Marshall came on to replace Turton and Ruffles, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, and the new shape changed the complexion of the game. In particular, Koroma was free to express himself in his best role on the left and Kane and Wiles finally joined in playing with the impressive Kasumu who had been the sole shining light in that dismal first half.

For their part, Lincoln’s adventurous formation and play inexplicably disappeared, perhaps as a result of Town reducing the arrears very quickly after the break.

The unshackled Karoma took on the visitors’ right side and as they fell away as if taken by complete surprise he dinked a ball into the box which Spencer did very well to steer into the net.

While Town’s performance improved, and ultimately their pressure deserved the equaliser when it came late on, it was hardly a sparkling revival and far too few chances were created given the dominance.

The unfortunate Sorensen had to come off after barely 25 minutes with a recurrence of hamstring trouble, which brought Headley on to the pitch. His first contribution was a stirring run at the Lincoln defence which brought no reward but, sadly, the rest of his performance was not as encouraging, including slipping twice and nearly letting Lincoln in.

Things may have worked out differently if an entirely obvious foul on Wiles in the box had been appropriately punished but a hesitant referee sought confirmation from his assistant, and none came, outrageously. It’s a mere 7 days since another jaw dropping non-decision could have cost us points at Mansfield, with their keeper being reprieved of an automatic red card.

The penalty, assuming we converted it- and it’s a larger assumption than it should be – would have given Town more time in the ascendancy to go and win the game as Lincoln’s players began to visibly fade. 

As it was, the leveller came late and as a result of a kind bounce or two before Marshall finished nicely. It is to be hoped this will give the youngster some confidence to add to his undoubted hard work.

Having already played a part in altering the destiny of the game with their astonishing interpretation of what constitutes a penalty worthy challenge, the officials then proceeded to confirm and rubber stamp their incompetence in the 8 minutes of injury time.

At a corner for Lincoln, who had belatedly decided to take the game to the hosts again, Helik was clearly elbowed in the face by one Lincoln player then abused either verbally or with added moisture by another.

Normally calm and level headed, the Pole reacted furiously to the double assault, and the clueless referee who had missed both incidents very possibly ignored the fact that around half of the injury time had been eaten up without play to blow up and reduce the temperature. He failed in that objective as the furious Town captain railed long and hard after the final whistle and even had to be persuaded to leave the tunnel and return to the dressing room.

Lee Nicholls also got embroiled with a Lincoln player near the dug outs and the return fixture at Sincil Bank on April Fool’s Day will be interesting.

A rescued point and the expanding of the unbeaten league run couldn’t mask some worrying, though far from new, problems. Duff currently doesn’t have the personnel to play his favourite system and it is a concern that he reverted to an overly defensive approach which suited a surprisingly enterprising Lincoln playing 3 forwards.

In his defence, injuries, illness and the inability of some to complete 90 minutes meant the appearance of a player with, apparently, no future at the club and, in Freddie Ladapo, an alleged striker who managed two touches and a throw in during a 25 minute cameo of no discernible value.

It would be churlish not to acknowledge that the first recovery from 2 goals down since 2015, coupled with a gritty display at Field Mill, suggests an improving mentality and we can but hope that ridiculous officiating will even out and that Town will strengthen the obvious weaknesses in January, though it is difficult to attach much conviction to either of those hopes.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Town’s routine victory over a neat and tidy but largely unthreatening Exeter City extended the hosts unbeaten run and the alarming dip in form appears well and truly consigned to the past.

Somewhat dull as a spectacle, the Terriers rarely looked in any trouble and coasted to a 3rd win in 4, with just 1 goal conceded in an impressive point gathering run which has hopefully restored confidence and created some momentum as winter approaches.

A first quarter of an hour bereft of incident at either end of the pitch livened up when the hard working Marshall and Ward combined to create danger in the visitors’ box, with the West Ham loanee eventually seeing his shot deflected over for a corner.

Wiles took the corner and delivered the ball on to the six yard line for Pearson to outjump everyone to power a header past Whitworth who, frankly, didn’t cover himself in glory with his attempt at a save, though it was at close range.

The sterility of the game didn’t particularly improve with the goal, not helped by the away side having little ambition to get forward despite being in arrears.

A delightful passing move which freed Ward to finish nicely only to be pulled up by an incorrect, if understandable, offside call was a rare shaft of light in a generally tedious affair. Perhaps the only person animated by proceedings was Exeter’s manager, who barely stopped arguing, pointing and cajoling, to no discernible effect.

Town controlled the half without needing to hit any heights as the Grecians’ passivity created a bloodless contest. Throughout the entirety of the game, only one challenge, on Lonwijk, brought a crowd reaction and was nowhere near enough to warrant a yellow card from the quite impressive referee. 

Within seconds of the restart, the Devon side missed a glorious chance to level, but an excellent cross was disappointingly glanced by Magennis and Chapman saved easily.

Perhaps an equaliser would have jolted the game in to life, but it slipped back into predictability with Town easily coping with a slightly more adventurous opponent who shaded the opening ten minutes of the second half until the hosts killed the game stone dead with a second.

Ben Wiles, who rightly edged man of the match for the Terriers, was picked out in a lot of space 25 yards out by Kane and the midfielder took a step or two forward before hitting a sweet shot past City’s keeper who, again, could possibly have done better given the distance the ball travelled, all be it at pace. The bounce just before it reached him was, perhaps, the key factor.

Exeter’s urgency increased to the level of slightly miffed as they stared defeat in the face and they had one more, glorious, chance to make a game of it when Magennis lifted the ball over the bar from a good position. There was a case for a foul on Wiles in the build up, but it would have been a soft decision even if given a lot more than not.

Substitute Healey found the net late on after good work from Kasumu, but was adjudged narrowly offside, and the bland encounter finished shortly afterwards.

Successful seasons involve straightforward, vanilla wins and this was undoubtedly a rather forgettable game which, nevertheless, keeps Town in the top 6 despite the alarming slump in form in September and they now look like the contenders they damn well should be.

At 3 up and cruising against very limited opposition, Town still managed to create tension among the supporters in a 10 minute spell where they tried their very best to hand lifelines to a woeful Bristol Rovers outfit.

It may seem churlish to begin with criticism after an eventually comfortable win, but the dip in performance contained endemic weaknesses which Duff and his team need to address.

Before tackling the issues between his players’ ears on relatively simple game management, Duff may also reflect on his own very slow reaction to his opposite number who, having nothing to lose, threw on fresh legs with the intent of turning up the gas. 

Town were rattled by the sudden switch from moribund lambs to the slaughter to a team finally prepared to commit and were unable to match the new level of energy which was almost immediately evident.

Mysteriously, and contrary to his usual use of substitutes, the manager didn’t react in any way for 15 minutes and once he did, the threat receded entirely.

The majority of teams in this division are better equipped offensively than The Gas, and will deal out the punishment the hesitancy and errors of those 10 minutes deserved.

As it was, Town conceded a goal, could have easily given a penalty away when Chapman tried to make amends for a poor punch and had to desperately scramble to recover from the otherwise impressive Miller being dispossessed facing his own goal showing the hesitancy suddenly ingrained in to the team.

It had taken the hosts some time to get in to the game and a dreary opening quarter of an hour lacked any creative spark against opponents carrying virtually no threat, but a Miller effort which deflected over the bar via 2 Rovers players signalled the start of a dominant spell which rather settled the destination of the 3 points.

Wiles, whose influence grew after a quiet opening, delivered two excellent corners to the back post in quick succession. The first saw Lees looping header cleared off the line while the second was volleyed home by Pearson as the ball dropped towards him after an aerial duel.

Prior to the opener, Wiles played a great ball into the box which a defender managed to reach before Radulovic and the striker also totally misread a situation after Marshall had a good effort comfortably saved. The ball fell to him but he got everything wrong and screwed the ball harmlessly wide.

5 minutes after the opener, a penetrating pass by Lonwijk in to the path of a possibly offside Marshall was excellently finished by the Irish youngster, for a two nil lead which didn’t flatter Town who had overwhelmed the visitors after that tentative opening.

On the hour, the Dutchman played an even better, positively sumptuous ball with the outside of his foot in to the path of Miller who turned the ball across for a tap in by Radulovic. The celebration which followed was a little startling in the context of him being in the right place, directly in front of goal and unmarked, to profit from excellent work elsewhere, but maybe the relief of finally scoring overwhelmed him. 

All those months slumming it in Huddersfield finally paid off.

With the game ostensibly over, Rovers’ manager woke up and made the substitutions which threatened to upend Town’s procession while Duff’s belated subs calmed things down and Town collected a relatively easy 3 points.

Excellent in parts, worrying in that brief spell of complacency and peppered with good performances, the result was a little more satisfying than the game itself and more difficult challenges lay immediately ahead.

It should be mentioned that after so little football for so long, Turton was excellent throughout until rightly substituted when fatigued, all the back 3 had good games and Wiles showed his talents more expansively than usual. The midfield trio, with Kasumu providing masses of energy and Kane the creativity looks far more cohesive than Duff’s previous iterations.

On to Wales.

It was a far from perfect performance which finally lifted the gloom surrounding Duff’s misfiring squad, but a deserved win against desperately poor opponents promises an upturn in fortunes which now must be delivered.

Recent home disasters, a careless defeat at Reading and luckily avoiding a mauling at St Andrews created a backdrop of nervous anxiety for a Yorkshire derby, as a season of promise was in danger of turning very sour, very early if it had not already done so.

Injuries, lack of form and a paucity of options up front demanded some creativity from Michael Duff, and his pairing of Kasumu and Hodge with Wiles playing further forward and more central was yet another stab at finding a harmonious midfield trio.

At the back, Lees’ recent form finally caught up with him and Pearson stepped in as the centre of a back 3 which, at long last, contained pace and at least a modicum of passing ability either side of the robust stand in skipper.

Chapman, who acquitted himself well in the two away defeats, kept out the returning Maxwell.

In the opening exchanges, Town flattered to deceive with nicely constructed approach play breaking down too easily in the final third and it was the visitors who threatened first, forcing a good save from Chapman from a free kick conceded by Hodge who was also booked for the foul from behind after he had lost possession.

After that scare, Town took a grip of the first half and should really have taken advantage of several good moves and periods of pressure which saw Slonina make good saves to deny Marshall and Kasumu, while his defenders blocked other attempts from Bojan and the lively Marshall, again.

While imperfect, and somewhat fragile, Town’s first half showing was encouraging and the shape of the side looked far more effective as Kasumu and Hodge’s energy allowed Wiles to find space and use the ball more effectively than in his too often anonymous performances of late. 

With the Reds’ goal leading a charmed life, however, the concern was that an improved display needed to be capped with a goal, and just before the break, a deflected cross looped to the back post gave Cosgrove a presentable opportunity. Spencer thwarted the big man with a well timed jump and block, but could have resulted in an unjust deficit.

Town had competently dealt with Barnsley’s physicality, restricting the South Yorkshire side to a one dimensional long ball game, and pinning them back for extended periods.

Down the flanks, Miller was a constant threat, while Sorensen showed some signs of a return to form with some good link up play down the right with Spencer and Wiles, creating one particular frantic spell where Town could have scored on three separate occasions but for the resilience of the visitors’ defence. He also set up Wiles for a very good chance, but the midfielder mistimed his shot which drifted over the bar.

There were mistakes, some hesitancy born of lack of confidence and a few too many misplaced passes, but it was still the best half of football for some time.

Soon after the break, Radulovic lobbed a decent chance over the bar after capitalising on Barnsley’s central defenders and goalkeeper’s hesitancy dealing with an awkward ball in from a good Sorensen header.

Miller continued to torment the full back opposing him but couldn’t find the right cross to undo a strong Barnsley defence, while Sorensen’s propensity for hitting the first defender while trying over intricate balls in to the box led to the hosts clocking up an unusually high number of corners.

Most of these were deliberately aimed towards Slonina, presumably to try and exploit a weakness, but the men in pink stood firm.

Barnsley then came in to the game more and they enjoyed a ten minute spell of pressure which led to a well worked chance for Cosgrove, only for the target man to shoot over.

The South Yorkshire outfit also looked capable of catching Town on the break and should have done much better when Humphries made a poor decision to make a simple pass inside rather than trying to find the unmarked Cosgrove in the box.

With a scoreless derby looking increasingly likely, Town substitutes Ladapo and Kane combined to release the latter who then found Wiles with an excellent ball at the edge of the box. Taking a touch, Wiles steadied himself and found the top corner with an unstoppable drive.

With just 7 minutes and injury time to see out, Town introduced Lees to shore up a defence which had played very well. 

With no further scares, Town wrapped up the points with a Kasumu strike which should probably have been saved but was nevertheless very well hit.

This was a massively important win for Duff and his misfiring squad. 

Wiles as a number 10 worked. The Kasumu/Hodges axis worked. Having defensive pace either side of rock solid Pearson worked. 

There is little doubt that the team lacks an instinctive striker, but Marshall’s work rate and energy could possibly dovetail with Radulovic, who doesn’t look as fragile as in his first appearances, and it is a duo which perhaps deserves a run.

Whether this was a corner turned or just steps in the right direction remains to be seen, but the team’s shape was more convincing and seemed to release rather than restrain the individuals who are capable of pushing Town towards the top 6. 

A little more calmness on the ball would be welcome, as would improved decision making in the final third, but the boosting of confidence from a deserved victory should help.