Huddersfield Town 1 Cardiff City 1: Yet another late goal decisive as Terriers pay for not killing game off

All four so far have featured at least one result-turning stoppage-time goal.

So they were always tempting fate as they sat on a 1-0 lead at home to Cardiff City.

From closing the gap on the League One play-off places to two points as Stevenage took a battering at Bolton Wanderers, the Terriers let the gap double when Yousuf Salech headed an equaliser in the sixth added minute.

It was harsh on a team who four minutes earlier had struck the woodwork for a second time, but ultimately they paid for not being ruthless enough against a team who are heading for the Championship.

Huddersfield's fate is less clear. A play-off place looks just beyond them but with the spirit the coaches have instilled since Liam Manning went on compassionate leave, they are not dead yet.

They put in a first-half performance as bright at Cardiff's orange away shirts and were rewarded for it as Ryan Ledson continued his form in front of goal.

Wanting a 2-0 lead might be greedy against a team of the Bluebirds' quality, but in the final analysis, not grabbing one is what cost them.

Bali Mumba had a goal disallowed for a tight offside inside two and his the crossbar inside seven, only for Ledson to blaze over when Marcus Harness' effort bounced out to him.

Inbetween time it took an excellent Will Fish tackle to stop David Kasumu breaking through on goal.

Harness brought the ball down beautifully in the 11th and released Lasse Sorensen to pick out Bojan Radulovic, only for the striker's header to be brilliantly saved by Nathan Trott, plunging to his left.

Cardiff's threat was growing, Ollie Tanner shooting wide from distance and seeing shots from him and Oman Kellyman blocked in quick succession. Kellyman also headed wide.

So it was good timing when Huddersfield went in front after 27 minutes.

Preferred at inside-left to Alfie May, Kasumu battled hard in the corner and when Mumba came to help out, he put the ball all the way over to the other side of the field. When Sorensen returned it, Ledson guided it in with the confidence of a midfielder who had scored in his last two matches.

When Huddersfield gave the ball away cheaply, Tanner's shot was tame and at Alnwick, making his first League One start for the Terriers against his old club. Perry Ng shot wide a minute later.

Huddersfield twice went close to a second in the 42nd minute, Ledson's header deflected wide at a corner and Sean Roughan heading into the side netting from the next one.

The big concern from the Terrier's first half came 38 minutes in when Radulovic came off using his shirt as a makeshift sling for his left arm. They did at least have George Sebine on the bench to replace him, replete with Cardiff-orange headband after his nasty clash of heads with Harness at Leyton Orient.

The Terries deadened the second half down which was good on one hand but ominous on the other, given the number of stoppage-time goals in Martin Drury and Jon Stead's temporary stint in charge.

The flow of the game was disrupted by more Town injuries too, Radinio Balker and Sebine both having to change bloodied shirts.

Ruben Colwill shot into the side netting and Gabriel Osho's effort drew "oohs" from the away fans. Salech's shot deflected for a corner, as did Tanner's from it.

Sebine pulled a shot just beyond the far post, Kasumu drilled a shot too close to the goalkeeper and substitute Mickel Millerr twisted and turned but could not test Trott with his shot.

Increasingly, though, the game was played in front of the Cowshed End.

In the 92md minute, though, Marc McGuane had a chance to settle matters, only for Trott to brilliantly tip his shot onto the crossbar. Miller overhead kicked from the corner but only about a yard in front of the goalkeeper, it went straight into him.

And then came the sucker punch so many would have been fearing.

Town allowed the ball to bounce around in midfield, Cardiff got it wide, and when the ball came in Salech got far enough away from Wallace to glance his header in at the far post.

The fine margins get so much finer at this time of year. You do not need to tell Huddersfield.

Huddersfield Town: Alnwick; Balker, Wallace, Roughan; Sorensen, Humphreys, Ledson (McGuane 76), Mumba (Low 87); Harness, Kasumu (Miller 76); Radulovic (Sebine 38).

Unused substitutes: Evans, May, Tzanev.

Cardiff City: Trott; Ng, Fish, Lawlor (Osho 60), Bagan; Wintle (J Colwill 83), Robertson (Turnbull 60); Tanner, R Colwill (Robinson 60), Willock (Salech 69); Kellyman.

Unused substitutes: Scanlon, Turner.

Referee: A Humphries (Northamptonshire).