Fraizer Campbell's moment of Huddersfield Town magic out of keeping with poor game - losing two points to a scrambled Birmingham City equaliser was not

Birmingham's response, four minutes later, definitely was, a very scrambled goalmouth scramble presenting a tap-in for Marc Roberts.

It would have felt wrong had either side gone home with three points, much as the Terriers in particular needed them. A 1-1 result was a fair one, a point more than each team's football deserved.

On Christmas Eve, all was well with the world, coach Carlos Corberan deservedly awarded a new contract after making the most of his thin resources to make a side which only just scraped safety last season play-off outsiders this.

One win in 12 matches has changed things completely. Injuries to key players have not helped but these things tend to follow you around when you rely on a shallow squad. Suddenly Corberan's new deal is looking a bit hasty.

Even with a 4-1 win over Swansea City fresh in the memory, Town's confidence looks shot. Too often only the safest passing options are considered, leaving goalkeeper Ryan Schofield to spend too much time on the ball. Not seeing options in front of him and unable to find them when he did, centre-back Naby Sarr regularly hoofed the ball aimlessly forward. It was a world away from the invigorating football of Corberan's early months.

At least Coventry City lost, doubling the Terriers' lead over them in the table.

The game between two relegation rivals was of disappointingly if not unsurprisingly low quality, with even the officials below their best.

“You're no Lee Mason are you, lino?” asked one occupant of the director's box after one hard-to-fathom decision but he was only matching the standards set by the players.

Huddersfield's main tactic seemed to be trying to clip the ball into the inside-left channel but it never came off once.

Richard Stearman was making his first Terriers start since November and soon in the wars, needing three minutes of treatment in the sixth minute after colliding with Harlee Dean and his flailing arm in a challenge the Birmingham captain was booked for. Stearman had to change his blood-spattered shirt after picking up a caution of his own when competing with former Middlesbrough striker Lukas Jutkiewicz, then banged into Sarr.

What few first-half moments approaching quality there were came from Birmingham but amounted to nothing. Jeremie Bela took the ball extremely well on the left and either produced an audacious shot from a tight angle or a poor cross but whichever it was, it went just beyond the far post.

When Maxime Colin did well to get in down the left after 35 minutes he was unable to pick anyone out with the cross but the ball stayed alive long enough for Ivan Sanchez to make space for himself only to curl wide from a tight angle.

After 37 minutes, Town even had a shot. Pipa, again at left-back in a 4-3-3, was well played in by Lewis O'Brien but Neil Etheridge saved.

Isaac Mbenza blazed a free-kick minutes later after Campbell was brought down in the D in a move started by an expertly-slid pass by Rarmani Edmonds-Green.

The second half continued in the same dreary fashion, Schofield's 57th-minute tip-over from Alen Halilovic no sign that a rip-roaring game was about to break out.

To say Campbell's goal was a bolt from the blue-and-white was an understatement. The creation was typical, an overhit welly from Sarr played back into danger by Dean, but the finish was brilliant by the Birmingham specialist.

It was Campbell's eighth goal in 11 games against the Blues.

The balloon had barely got airborne before it was burst, Roberts equalising.

Substitute Scott Hogan was presented with a chance by Sarr at a stoppage time corner, but the ball went flying over the bar.

This was not a game which deserved a grandstand finish.

Huddersfield Town: Schofield; Edmonds-Green, Stearman, Sarr, Pipa; Bacuna, Vallejo (High 73), O'Brien; Mbenza (Rowe 62), Campbell (Sanogo 84), Homes.

Unused substitutes: Keogh, Duhaney, Thomas, Crichlow, Phillips, Pereira.

Birmingham City: Etheridge; Colin, Dean, Roberts, Pedersen; Sunjic; Sanchez (Valery 90), Halilovic (Gardner 84), Harper, Bela; Jutkiewicz (Hogan 84).

Unused substitutes: Andres, Friend, Clayton, Leko, Clarke-Salter, McGree.

Referee: M Donohue (Greater Manchester).

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