Five conclusions: Blah blah something something Exeter

The deadest and rubberiest of dead rubbers lived up to the occasion as Huddersfield Town were defeated by Exeter City

1. Big shrug on the day, big head shake for the season

Huddersfield Town losing yet another game of this profile is bad enough. For it not to matter one iota is even worse.

The ejection of a loudly-dressed chap in the away end before half time, Terry the Terriers’ glorious sprint victory in the half-time mascot race, and Herbie Kane’s sadly disallowed goal were the abiding memories from an otherwise pointless waste of everybody’s time.

At least the hundreds who made the trip did so in the full knowledge this would be the case. We can only hope they found ways to make their own entertainment in Devon.

A big shrug, then, except for this: after slipping down to 10th, Town are now on course for their worst league finish since 2007/08. They could yet add another year to that if Lincoln overtake them on goal difference next weekend.

There may have been a slightly festive atmosphere on the day, but there’s nothing especially funny about the situation in which Town find themselves.

We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to crack this stat out, hoping we’d never have to use it, but now we can with certainty. Even if they beat Leyton Orient on Saturday, Town will have taken 21 fewer points in the second half of the season than they did in the first. It could end up as bad as 24 fewer points if they lose.

If we retrospectively apply three points for a win to every campaign in the club’s history (in reality, it only came into effect in 1981/82), the 2024/25 season is Huddersfield Town’s biggest ever drop-off from the first half of the season to the second, beating the infamously terrible collapse of 1999/2000.

The collapses in 1914/15 and 1921/22 could at least be explained by the onset of World War I and Town concentrating on their victorious FA Cup campaign, respectively. The seasons following 1954/55 and 1999/2000 both ended in relegation.

For now, forget about pushing for promotion again next season. On current form, just steadying the ship to ensure the decline doesn’t continue feels like it would be a great start.