Huddersfield 4 Derby 4: Powell hails Terriers after eight-goal thriller

Town hit back from a goal down to make it 3-1 at the break; the Rams equalised before Town went ahead again only to see Tom Ince equalise with his second of the game.

It all began so brightly for Steve McClaren’s Rams as they overcame an early injury blow to Craig Byson.

Loanee Ince forced a great save from Alex Smithies from a free-kick but Town failed to clear the danger and Ince let fly from 25 yards out on the right and the ball smashed into the roof of the net in the 16th minute.

Centre-back Zak Whitbread also hobbled off for the Rams before Town stunned the visitors with three goals before the break.

A patient build-up was finished off in the 38th minute as Conor Coady chipped the ball into the area where Oscar Gobern, on a diagonal run, chested the ball down before hooking past Lee Grant from close range.

Two minutes later and Town took the lead when captain Mark Hudson was left unmarked to head home a deep corner from Reece James.

The Manchester United loanee left-back then scored his first Town goal in stoppage time when he curled his corner between Grant and Darren Bent to make it 3-1.

Wells smashed a shot into the face of Grant before Simon Dawkins shot across Smithies to make it 3-2 after the break.

it was 3-3 when Jesse Lingard stubbed home the ball from the edge of the area but Town drove back at the Rams and Wells made it 4-3 with a deflected shot which looped into the net in the 72nd minute.

However, a wayward ball inside from Tommy Smith was latched onto by Ince, who curled in the equaliser to earn the play-off chasing Rams a precious point.

Town boss Chris Powell hailed his players and said: “It was a terrific performance at times but Derby were clinical. My goalkeeper didn’t have a save to make!

“Half-time killed our momentum when we were on the front foot and the big turning point was the ball in the face save from Nahki Wells which would have made it 4-1.

“We gave the ball away a couple of times and these details you have to eliminate.

“We had two goals disallowed as well and we more than matched a side who could be playing in the Premier League next season.”

Huddersfield stretched their unbeaten run to five matches and Powell added: “People say we have nothing to play for but the players showed they care about this club and their own performances.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get the three points that our first-half performance warranted but we are building for the future. We can do better and that’s the message I will be getting through to the players.

“Hopefully we can add two or three more players in the summer to help us.”