Five conclusions: Huddersfield Town can't let losing habit sink in further...again
There is still time left for Huddersfield Town to get back on track - but how long have they got?
1. Too little, too late for Town
That is now six of Town’s last ten games that they have conceded the first goal. Michael Duff’s side have only taken three points from those six games with draws against Lincoln City, Burton Albion and Blackpool. The credit they have got for those comebacks diminished over time; this time, they gave themselves too big a task.
Questions need to be asked as to why the Terriers keep falling behind, and this defeat to Northampton is a prime example of that very issue. There isn’t a single fixture this season where Town shouldn’t be coming away with all three points having scored two goals. This is the fourth time this season that Town have scored twice after finding themselves at a deficit of two or more goals.
Slow and sluggish starts are transforming in to haphazard halves and under par performances. The scoreline 3-2 makes things look like it was a tight affair. In truth Town exposed their soft underbelly for the third time in eight days. Just a couple of weeks ago we were talking about their automatic promotion chances; now the more urgent question is whether they had hold onto their place in the top six.
As soon as Sam Hoskins walloped the ball into the net from 30 yards, Town’s body language changed. They were well in the game before that and it would be fair to say that they probably looked the better of the two sides (though still not great).
The mentality shift can be epitomised by Radinio Balker, initially the winner of every header, being casually shrugged off to the side as Tom Eaves went through to double the home side’s lead.
Just after half-time, Matty Pearson was caught out with some heavy footed defending, allowing Liam Shaw to tuck away Northampton’s third and final goal.
At 3-0, the game might as well have been done and dusted. This isn’t Istanbul, this is a cold, grey afternoon in the East Midlands. Town battled back in an attempt to earn something from the game, with some terrific work from 20-year-old Callum Marshall, but Herbie Kane and Jonathan Hogg’s goals were not enough to earn Town a point to take back up the M1.
The damage had been done by that point. A boxer would do well to win a bout after taking the first nine rounds off, whilst repeatedly being smashed in the face. That is exactly what this game felt like, and by the time Town decided to get off their stool and start to throw their own punches it was way too late.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to We Are Terriers to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.