Breaking news: Winning games = good, Huddersfield Town confirm

Lee Grant's side reminded us what they're capable of against Mansfield Town. Now they have to do it in more important competitions than the Vertu Trophy

Baby steps.

The attendance of 973 told you everything you needed to know about how much stock Huddersfield Town fans put in this competition, particularly after a soul-destroying losing run. If Town revert to their shocking form against Plymouth on Saturday, this game will feel even more insignificant.

But that’s rather a miserabilist perspective, if a thoroughly justifiable one. At this point, Town must take the victories, performances and positives wherever they can get them. If they get it right, this could end up being a turning point.

Lee Grant had said at his pre-match press conference on Monday: “What we’d love, and what we’ve had for parts of this season, is a collective unit fighting and working really hard, and everybody being, at the absolute minimum, a seven [out of ten].”

That is pretty much what he got here. There could be any number of factors behind that — whether it was the unexpected switch to a straightforward 4-4-2, the relative absence of pressure compared with other competitions, the almost-empty stands, getting a fortuitous early goal, or Mansfield not really caring. Most likely, it was a bit of all of the above.

Whatever the cause, Huddersfield looked more competent, more assured, and more in control of the game and themselves.

Mansfield’s goal straight after the break brought up that ‘here we go again’ feeling. Thankfully, that turned out to be the only five minutes of the game in which the visitors looked at all likely to pose a threat. The rest of the game was virtually one-way. The scoreline ended up being a reasonable reflection of the action.

Crucially, there were quite a few players who delivered performances they desperately needed. It’s good to have the reassurance that they can still do it.