Five conclusions: Mental collapse at Bristol Rovers paints worrying picture of Huddersfield Town

Michael Duff's side are out of the top six having played a game more than most of their play-off rivals

1. This is bad

Huddersfield Town started well, hit a significant patch of adversity, looked competent for a while in response, and then gradually lost their heads before the whole affair drifted toward an increasingly inevitable conclusion.

That’s not just a description of this game, but of Town’s season as a whole. Their trajectory is legitimately worrying.

Having started the season making a big noise about going for automatic promotion, Town now find themselves outside the play-off spots with just ten games to go.

Their recent form does little to inspire confidence that they will restore their place in the top six, especially when they have played a game more than most of the sides around them in the table.

Town came up against a side battling relegation, and yet you just knew as soon as it went 1-0 thanks to a calamitous error in their own third that there was an excellent chance that would be the final score.

Town looked convincing in their response for about 15 minutes — they had 10 shots on goal from kick-off to minute 27 — but, for what felt like the 427th time this season, failed to capitalise on the chances they created.

Aside from another wasted Lasse Sorensen chance in the second half, that was about as much as they were able to offer; that strike at the keeper was one of just three shots on goal they had in their final 63 minutes plus stoppage time.

They may not have all the tools they’d like to bring down the redwoods of this division, but Town have developed a dreadful habit of taking a hefty axe to saplings — and somehow managing to chop off their own toes instead.

You can extend sympathy and offer excuses to Town for struggling against the likes of Birmingham and Wrexham given their many injury problems. You cannot say the same about them dropping points against Burton, Rotherham, Blackpool, Northampton, Peterborough, Wigan and now Bristol Rovers.

It’s easy (and often fun) to go looking for scapegoats, but everyone must share responsibility for the situation Town now find themselves in. Sixth was considered the bare minimum, and from a strong position, they are now on course to fall short even of that target.

2. Town cannot solve the simple problems in front of them

It’s more maddening, in this instance, that Town created those early chances — a Dion Charles shot saved and then cleared off the line and a Sorensen header turned just over the bar — only to abandon the very approach that had allowed them to break through a stubborn side that solidly packed the centre of the pitch around their own box.

We spent the latter part of the first half inwardly screaming “JUST PLAY IT AROUND THEM” — shouting it aloud from the press box unfortunately being frowned upon.