Terrier on the Terraces: Positives to be taken from defeats

Back to back defeats have put an end to Huddersfield Town’s good recent run, but there have still been positives to take from the performances.

Defeat to Derby was hardly unexpected, with Derby having possibly the best side in the division. More of a disappointment was the defeat at Fulham, who, despite having only come down this season, have hardly set the league alight.

From a defensive perspective, the story is wearyingly familiar.

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Individual mistakes have cost goals - six of them in two games. A soft underbelly was exposed following the equaliser at Fulham, which saw Fulham regain the lead within 60 seconds of Joel Lynch’s strike.

And after seven unbeaten, the two defeats could not have come at a worse time, with the international break meaning a weekend off competitive action.

But that’s less than half the story. Losing 3-2 to Derby is no disgrace, especially as they’re a side who have just turned a corner from their own poor run of form.

Wolves went down there on Saturday and found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-0 hiding. And the performance at Fulham merited more than a 3-1 defeat - for vast swathes of the game, Town were in the ascendancy.

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Being in the ascendancy does not mean goals, sadly, and that was what Town lacked on Saturday.

Bunn missed a golden chance and was denied a clear-cut penalty at 0-0. Hudson had an effort blocked on the line. Bunn also had one cleared from the goal line at 1-0.

And perhaps Town’s undoing was having the bravery to try to get back in the game, sacrificing a defensive midfielder in Hogg for a striker in Wells and losing the screen in front of the back four as a result.

Bravery is a rare quality in a manager, and it’s a quality in Chris Powell that will see Town hopefully reap the rewards.

There will be times for caution, but it’s a big positive that Powell was prepared to go for it at Fulham.