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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.

While the supporters of Huddersfield Town have every right to complain and worry when defeats pile up, particularly given their experiences of the past few years, the criticism of the team and manager before the international break seemed a little lacking in context.

For all the trauma inflicted by serial mismanagement and a desperately poor relegation season, losing a couple of largely unlamented cup encounters with shadow squads and being on the wrong side of refereeing decisions at an admittedly deserved defeat against Rotherham provoked slightly hysterical reactions.

3 not entirely convincing league wins preceded the New York stadium defeat, a strong start to the league campaign wasn’t accompanied by a great deal of optimism and the over reaction to the subsequent defeats needed a response before negativity set in.

The performances of Town’s middle three in and amongst the losing streak were such that many felt that changes to the Hogg, Wiles and Evans triumvirate were not only necessary but inevitable. The lack of chemistry and cohesion had been evident for some time, but Michael Duff ignored the clamour for change from the armchair experts and retained faith in them all.

Standing in the way of Town’s quest for a much needed confidence boost were a Bolton Wanderers side suffering from a play off hangover of Oliver Reed proportions. Despite a shaky start and a goal drought, The Trotters were amongst the favourites for a promotion challenge at the start of the season and picking up points in Horwich is never easy, despite a good, relatively recent, record there for The Terriers.

A rather forgettable, generally even, first half of few chances was petering out when Miller found the hard working Marshall down the left. The youngster found his striking partner Koroma with a first time cross and the Sierra Leone international glanced the ball in past Bolton’s helpless keeper.

Up to that point, both sides were guilty of carelessness in possession and both squandered opportunities to capitalise when space opened up with neither keeper sufficiently disturbed or troubled.

Town caused their hosts some alarm down the right when Sorensen was released in to space but the passes to him were just inaccurate enough to blunt the threat, while some loose play freed Charles for a run on goal magnificently halted by Helik, who redeemed himself for his own initial mistake.

Koroma looked to have a good shout for a penalty as he tangled with a defender in the box following good work by Sorensen, only for the decision to be given against him. By this point, Town were beginning to exert some control over an untidy contest as the hosts became increasingly pedestrian and predictable against a backdrop of simmering discontent in the home stands.

The goal just before half time was a bitter blow to Bolton. In times of adversity, fortunes can be cruel and setbacks are deeply felt. The real damage was to come in the second half, but the visiting supporters could easily recognise a horrible pivotal moment when things are going badly.

While Bolton made a tactical change at half time with the more direct Adeboyejo replacing the ineffective Charles, an injury to Miller saw him replaced by Headley.

Dealing effectively with a brief opening flurry from the hosts, which included a booking for Hogg who pulled back another opponent he had let past him, Town established a superiority they weren’t to relinquish.

Substitute Headley floated a cross to the back post which was met by Evans, powering over his marker, only to be denied by a superb point blank save by Baxter. From the subsequent corner, Helik hooked a half chance over the bar.

Just before the hour, Town’s second goal finally arrived when, after a smart interchange in midfield, Wiles fed Koroma in behind the home defence. The contact which brought him down was clear, and very similar to the first half incident. This time the referee had a better view and pointed to the spot almost immediately.

Koroma calmly despatched the first penalty of the season and Town gained a two goal cushion and a stranglehold on the game they maintained with some comfort.

Ten minutes after the penalty, the destination of the 3 points was sealed as amidst a flurry of activity following a corner which Bolton seemed determined not to clear, Lees kept his head with a deft ball to Wiles who finished nicely to dispel any doubt about the result.

 By the time Wanderers gifted Town a 4th goal in a comically inept manner, the ground had emptied of righteously aggrieved home fans and the stalwarts who remained were rewarded with the embarrassing spectacle of their team trying to pass around a penalty area press but only succeeding in presenting Evans with the easiest of chances to put a gloss on an emphatic victory.

A fourth league win from 5 games creates a significant shift in perspective with the meaningless cup defeats drifting out of the conversation and Town now have two winnable home games to cement their automatic promotion credentials in front of them. 

Although Bolton proved to be poor opponents on the day, it is far from fanciful to suggest they can turn things around and Town have now ticked off 3 tricky away games and gathered 6 points, without really hitting any heights in performance.

Despite the win, the midfield combination still looks capable of improvement. Hogg was bypassed more times than was comfortable, and while Evans and Wiles had much improved performances, their partnership still lacks a certain dynamism and may come under pressure as options increase in the next few weeks.

Though it may seem churlish following such a heartening win to point out areas of weakness, and Sorensen’s fragile defending can be added, it is hugely encouraging that this squad can and will improve from a position of strength as injuries clear.

The positives, of course, also came well to the fore as Town ruthlessly exploited an opponent in disarray and after many miserable experiences on the road it was an afternoon to savour.

Town’s unbeaten start to the league one campaign was halted by a physical and relentless Rotherham United who deserved the 3 points despite the controversial circumstances surrounding their win.

Though the visitors will rightly bemoan two key decisions which undoubtedly and greatly assisted the Millers, Town’s downfall was still largely self inflicted in a very poor second half.

It was always going to be the stiffest test of the season to date. Rotherham’s lowly position was very misleading and simply didn’t reflect their potential to be well in the mix at the end of the season. They have a powerful and aggressive squad who will trouble most, particularly at home.

A fairly even and quite entertaining first half was shaded by the home team who had the better of the chances only to be thwarted by an excellent Nicholls performance. His point blank block of a Clarke-Harris effort a highlight of a commanding goalkeeping display, while his first save denying Nombe also saved the blushes of debutant Lonwijk, who had lost a foot race with the attacker and beaten too easily.

The new defender was also booked shortly afterwards, but put the nervous first 10 minutes behind him and looks an excellent addition. He was off the pitch, for tactical reasons, when Rotherham’s winner emanated on his side and it may have been different had he still been on.

Tom Lees should have given Town the lead but headed over from close range after Marshall, who worked hard for scraps in a home dominated clash, had sent in a dangerous over head 

A quickly taken free kick found Wiles who drove forward and played a good ball over to Miller who let the ball run through his legs to Sorensen only for the Dane to shoot rather than play in his team mate in return. 

Those two highlights of the visitors’ first half rather exposes the fact that they rarely found enough time and space to impose any control over the game, and Rotherham had the upper hand physically for most of the first 45.

However, there was little to choose between the teams after an energetic contest low on quality and high on endeavour. 

That changed in the second half as the hosts imposed themselves aggressively and progressively to the point that an opener seemed inevitable. To Town’s credit, they defended well against the onslaught but Duff clearly felt change was necessary after 20 minutes of relentless home side dominance.

Evans, who has yet to justify his reputation as one of the division’s best midfielders, was replaced by new boy Hodge while the almost entirely isolated Marshall, who had never the less provided Town’s brightest moment of the half with a raking ball over to Koroma which eventually led to a sharp effort by Wiles, was pulled to make way for Ward.

In Duff’s defence, action had to be taken before Town succumbed to the waves of pressure and it was hardly his fault that moments after his introduction, Ward firstly and comically missed an attempt to head a high ball before going in aggressively against an opponent which brought an immediate reaction from the linesman which undoubtedly informed the referee’s decision to send him off.

Replays suggest it should have been a yellow for an accidental contact and it may be worth launching an appeal, but in real time, the Rotherham man’s reaction more than suggested a deliberate elbow to the face and while a better referee would have taken time to come to a decision and discussed it with the linesman, it looked, instinctively, like the right call.

As they had done at Walsall in midweek, Town responded by scoring. Koroma, who had an excellent game and was clearly exhausted when substituted late on, did very well to chase down a loose ball, outpace his opponent and put the ball across for debutant Hodge to steer in to the net.

It was, without doubt, entirely against the run of play, but gave Town something to cling to in tough circumstances.

A refereeing decision immediately after the breakthrough completely debilitated the Terriers as the home side were awarded one of the softest penalties likely to be granted.

Sorensen, who had struggled defensively throughout the half and had conceded too many dangerous free kicks already, allowed Wilks to turn him but recovered to prevent the forward crossing near the byline. The award of a penalty was a huge error and, again, a better referee would have taken far more time over a crucial decision than allowing instinct to take over.

Stockbridge may have been influenced by Sorensen’s previous and legitimately adjudicated fouls, but looking on from the perspective of a team which hasn’t been awarded a home penalty for 4 years, incredulity at such a soft decision is magnified.

Clarke-Harris smashed home the spot kick and the kick in the balls for the visitors was palpable and defeat far more likely.

Having defended very well against a strong home side, to be undermined by a quite ridiculous decision was wearying for a full complement, and more so for a depleted team.

With no striker option on the bench left – Healey was injured in the warm up, frustratingly and infuriatingly – Duff had to bring the ball exhausted Koroma off and pushed Wiles in to a nominal forward role and went to a back four by withdrawing Lonwijk, who had impressed after his initial errors.

The changes were not only ineffective, they likely contributed to Wilks very well taken winner as Rotherham picked apart Town’s left hand side after a series of short corners finally resulted in space for the Millers.

Town’s Miller didn’t cover himself in glory in the lead up to the goal, Hogg was easily bypassed and Sorensen should have closed Wilks down more quickly. Nicholls had little chance against a fierce, well placed strike and Town tasted league defeat for the first time.

A clearly rattled Duff aggressively shook the hands of the officials at the end of the game, said something in the referee’s direction and was promptly sent off. The referee had fumbled for his red card from his back pocket when dismissing Ward, but the second red card issued to Town’s goalkeeping coach for time wasting allowed him a practised flourish for the manager.

Duff has two weeks to resolve several issues arising from this display. Wiles and Evans aren’t functioning as they should, his wing backs are defensively vulnerable and his striker options are now ridiculously limited. 

It won’t be the last time Town face a physical challenge in this league, particularly away from home, and we need better answers on yesterday’s evidence.

Town’s encouraging, if not entirely convincing, start to the season came to a shuddering halt at the Bescot Stadium as Walsall of the bottom league overturned a visibly precarious 2 goal deficit with a spirited comeback.

It could be argued that there were mitigating circumstances surrounding yet another ignominious exit from the League cup , and the referee didn’t do any favours for the visitors, but that would be to ignore an error laden, ill disciplined and unprofessional display from a side not entirely composed of fringe players.

Indeed, some of the worst performances came from regular starters including Hogg, who must surely be headed for the bench at best, Evans, who continues to misplace passes at an alarming rate, and Helik, who gave possibly the most inept outing of his Town career as a second half substitute.

Add in a bumbling, chaotic Headley, whose decision making bordered on lunacy at times, the sending off of a plodding Pearson caught by a striker getting behind him for the second time and wishy washy Wiles ghostly presence having no discernible impact, and a first defeat for Duff which should, and hopefully will, result in serious reflection.

All over the pitch, as Town surrendered an entirely undeserved 2-0 lead, the lack of leadership, any semblance of control and constant indiscipline ushered in an embarrassing loss.

To overcome adversity, such as a harsh but probably correct red card, leaders are needed and Town have a worrying deficiency of them. The most obvious candidate, Hogg, has always been too volatile to truly lead people, Helik is too quiet (as is Lees) and none of the new arrivals show any proclivity towards asserting authority. 

The establishment of a leadership group may be tacitly acknowledging that no one person in this squad embodies what should be a vital role and that suspicion was conspicuously exposed on an evening where Town had every opportunity to progress in a competition we barely get out of bed for normally.

A far from compelling and error strewn first half saw Town take the lead after 20, largely uneventful, minutes when Koroma created a yard of space for a sharp and well placed effort past a perhaps unsighted, perhaps just slow, keeper for an unlikely opener.

It was the first meaningful attack after Walsall should have taken the lead when Lowe got the wrong side of Pearson but fired wide past the onrushing Maxwell. It was a lesson which was not learned.

Another decent effort whistled past the far upright as the Saddlers responded to Town’s goal, but the game was fundamentally changed just before half time when a long ball caught out Pearson again and while the defender’s challenge on Earing was slight and the striker wouldn’t have pierced the defence as Maxwell easily claimed the through ball, the referee was given a straightforward decision to send him off.

At half time, Duff replaced Sorensen with Helik and moved to a back 4 which seemed sensible in the circumstances while Ward replaced Marshall to provide a stronger presence for holding up the ball, though not surprisingly, this wasn’t really achieved.

Within minutes, the manager’s plans appeared to be completely undermined by Headley pushing a Walsall player in the area for no apparent reason. The ball was on its way out for a dead but, instead, the hosts were handed a lifeline.

Maxwell easily saved a rather poor penalty attempt and a massive scramble ensued which resulted in a clearance by Hogg and Town could now surely use a massive turning point to their favour.

It turned out that they could, since they were about to score against the run of play again when a very good corner delivery by Evans was met at the near post by Ruffels who glanced in from short range.

All that was needed now was resolute discipline to capitalise on Walsall’s deflation at two setbacks which followed in quick succession.

The abject failure which followed was pathetic and worrying. Time will tell whether this was aberration or regression, but in the moment it reeked of weak submission in the face of an admirable comeback from the hosts. They not only overturned Town’s ill gotten advantage, they did so despite the circumstances which would bury many teams (including their current opponents).

A very poor attempted headed clearance by Evans fell nicely to Lowe who atoned for both his penalty and first half misses with a clean strike in to the bottom corner to halve the deficit.

Town’s disarray worsened. Passing accuracy, already poor throughout, declined as their shape, for what it was worth, disappeared and an equaliser looked inevitable.

It came when the woeful Headley allowed a cross field ball over his head and then failed to prevent Adomah sending in a cross which was cushioned in to the path of Lowe to complete his revival with a sharp finish.

With at least the potential entertainment of penalties looming, the Saddlers completed their comeback when a Gordon shot deflected in off Helik, whose miserable substitute appearance was complete (he hadn’t covered himself in glory on the equaliser either).

Town had a glorious chance late on to progress the game to spot kicks when Ward, with his only meaningful involvement, sent in a near perfect cross for Harratt to glance miles wide when any sort of contact would have brought an undeserved equaliser.

Pessimistic Huddersfield Town supporters, and the weight of evidence rather favours them over those with a rosier view, witnessed a typically shambolic early round cup performance yet again denying the club a possibly exciting draw – whatever the management or ownership, the stubborn refusal to advance has become beyond tiresome.

That multiple substitutions failed to inspire any degree of resistance or even basic organisation against the might of Walsall, even considering the numerical advantage they held, was an indictment of a ridiculously poor evening in the West Midlands.

A few days remain in which to recruit both defensively and offensively before a test of this squad’s character at New York stadium on Saturday lunchtime. It is a test they need to pass.

A low quality encounter, settled by an excellent finish by youngster Callum Marshall, failed to ignite an expectant crowd but prolonged the Terriers winning start to a season which will undoubtedly bring similarly frustrating challenges along the way.

Shrewsbury will rue missed chances in a first half where their game plan largely worked against their strangely subdued hosts and, overall, the Shropshire outfit could easily have left with a point.

That they didn’t was down to an excellent stop by Nicholls who, nevertheless, was beaten by an effort which crashed against the bar. Though ultimately ruled offside, the visitors had also caused an early scare with a move which saw Marquis slipped in behind only for the striker to get tangled up as he tried to finish.

It was clear that the bottom of the table side were not going to be pushovers and so it proved as Town struggled for fluency throughout a first half of misplaced passing and, with the honourable exception of the lively Miller, laboured against their opponents’ disciplined defending.

Evans and Sorensen were particularly guilty of losing possession too often and the latter was unable to match his blistering performance from a week ago. 

Fortunately, compensating for Town’s misfiring right flank, Miller was a constant menace for the Shrews’ defence and delivered two great balls in for Marshall who narrowly failed to connect with one of them and headed straight at the keeper from close range with the other.

Thankfully for the youngster, another chance came his way, again from the right but this time from Spencer’s cross which deflected off the top of a defender’s head in to his path at the far post. The Belfast child brought the ball under instant control and hit a smart finish from a fairly narrow angle past Savin.

What should’ve signalled an onslaught actually resulted in Shrewsbury almost immediately equalising with O’Reilly’s curling attempt on to the bar, quickly followed by a blocked Marquis effort, a corner headed over by the same player and a break which resulted in the visiting centre forward bringing out an excellent save from Nicholls.

In fairness to the hosts, the threats contained in Shrewsbury’s response to going behind were short lived – they only had one further attempt on target in the rest of the game – but it unsettled them and, other than a Hogg miss following a melee, there was little to elevate a scrappy and disjointed first half performance.

Surprisingly, no changes were made at half time to introduce more dynamism to a poorly functioning midfield. Evans’ profligacy in possession and Wiles’ anonymity had not helped to build any momentum after the opening goal, and Hogg was having one of his poorer days, too.

The only notable event of a turgid opening quarter of an hour in the second half was a shoulder injury to Spencer, forcing a substitution and reshuffling of the back three as Pearson went right and Lees left. 

Any semblance of pace also left, but it should be said that Spencer had been quite poor by his standards and the silver lining for any prolonged absence could be greater urgency in the search for an additional, left footed centre back with pace. 

Playing the young Irishman out of position has made the team increasingly susceptible and as the quality of opposition heads north in the coming weeks, a better solution is essential.

Pearson’s rugged approach fitted this occasion, however, and the defensive performance improved in the second half despite occasionally allowing too much time and space. It was difficult not to feel that a more accomplished attacking force could unsettle a back 3 so short of pace.

On the hour, Wiles made an excellent contribution with a ball down the line for Ward which held up beautifully as a result of the deliberate backspin he applied. Ward’s ball in to the box found Marshall’s near post run but Savin was there to block.

Rather later than many in the crowd had hoped, Duff changed three players with Ward, Marshall and Evans being replaced by Healey, Koroma and  Kasumu.

Town looked far more threatening for the remainder of the game with Healey being fed in twice by Koroma for very presentable chances. The first he put wide from a decent position and, rather more disappointingly, the second he hit against the advancing keeper when clean through.

Kasumu’s willingness to run at Shrewsbury would have been useful a lot earlier, and arguably from the start, and despite one brief scare from a free kick which Shipley knocked over the bar, Town finished the game with relative ease.

A third league win and fourth victory in a row is an achievement not to be sniffed at, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge the weaknesses revealed by an unsatisfying performance against less than stellar opposition.

A striker to complement Healey, Koroma and Marshall would be a major statement but it should be recognised that this is rather more easily said than done. A reliable defensive recruit with pace and passing ability shouldn’t be beyond the recruitment team, however.

To win when not at your best is a good trait to have and similarly frustrating afternoons and evenings are very likely in the future, but it is to be hoped that the challenge of taking on the better teams in the division – all of them away in the next couple of months – will elevate standards.

An important week of activity looms before a tricky trip to South Yorkshire.

Winning is infectious, creating vital momentum and confidence, and though this was the least convincing of the three games of the campaign to date, it was nevertheless deserved.

If lessons can be learned from a poor second half performance, which saw a much improved Stevenage cause difficulties to a previously untroubled back line, then the anxiety it engendered will be valuable.

Until the break, a comfortable and entertaining home win looked inevitable, with Town having more trouble from poor and inconsistent officiating than their ponderous opponents, who failed to register a shot on goal and appeared completely out of their depth.

Hitting the woodwork early on when Spencer flicked at a near post corner, Town’s dominance grew throughout the half and a wonderful Helik ball to Wiles should have resulted in the opener for the much improved midfielder, but Stevenage’s keeper got vital fingertips to his lob and the ball was cleared off the line.

Wiles had been guilty of pulling a very presentable early chance wide, too, but after a season of ghosting through games with little impact, he is now becoming a genuinely influential player in a side encouragingly brimming with them.

A breakthrough seemed inevitable and it came from a rampaging run from the impressive Sorensen whose perfect cross was met by Koroma who headed in from short range. The goal lifted something of a weight off his shoulders having performed well at Peterborough without scoring and in his short midweek stint when he missed 2 very presentable chances. 

A Lees header from a very good corner delivery by Miller glanced agonisingly wide as Town strolled through the half with a confidence approaching disdain.

It may have been complacency born of such superiority which contributed to an uneven and often very poor second half display, but credit should be given to Alex Revell who replaced the lumbering and ineffective Simpson and Goode with immediate benefit to the visitors.

Setting out with new purpose, the Hertfordshire side ran at their previously unperturbed opponent, and with Helik and Lees uncharacteristically moving towards the same man, space opened up behind them and substitute Appere squared to provide his teammate List with a golden opportunity to level.

Incredibly, List missed. Brahms sprung to mind….

Undeterred, Appere found space for himself as doubts multiplied among the hosts and Nicholls did well to thwart the attempt.

Moments later, Ward should have doubled the advantage but blazed over after being perfectly picked out by Koroma. Standing in for Healey, withdrawn as a precaution with a groin issue, Ward’s overall performance did little to quell the notion that one more striking option is vital for Town’s prospects for the season.

Fortunately, the miss was soon rendered irrelevant by yet another Sorensen assist. Picked out by the otherwise quite subdued Evans, the Dane took the ball in his stride, took a step forward and fed Wiles who swept the ball home with a refreshing and welcome confidence.

With that, the game was effectively over. Stevenage knew their chance had come and gone and while their general play was much improved over an abysmal first half, the belief had disappeared.

Duff attempted to revitalise his charges with a triple substitution, followed ten minutes from time with two more, but only Marshall of the replacements stood out with a lively 25 minutes. If anything, the changes only served to entrench the Terriers’ disjointed efforts.

As the game fizzled out, the positives of a good first half, another 3 points and a clean sheet compensated for an unconvincing second 45. Unfortunately, a poor referee intervened at the very last by awarding a penalty against Spencer as a potentially dangerous cross came in. Nicholls had flown out to punch clear, but Spencer’s infringement was definitely punishable, even if similar incidents are too often ignored.

The late breach was not undeserved and, along with the failings evident in the poorest half of the season, should allow Duff to drive necessary improvements through a squad which has generally performed well but has a lot more to offer.

Despite a largely comfortable afternoon, bar a ten minute spell, and an ultimately deserved victory, Town need to recruit in the next 2 weeks of the window to shore up a defence lacking pace and which has to play Spencer out of position and add to the options up front.

Hopefully, that is also the conclusion of the watching Kevin Nagle who, at least, was rewarded for the impetus he has created around the stadium which is definitely contributing to a new sense of optimism around the club.