Huddersfield Town 1 Plymouth Argyle 1: Timid Terriers lack conviction to take their opportunity

As the magnificent away fans freely admitted when taunting Huddersfield Town's, the Pilgrims are not great travellers and their timidity allowed the hosts to see plenty of the ball in West Yorkshire.

But lacking punch up front, Town drew the game – 1-1 – as they do too often under Darren Moore.

A chance to drag Plymouth into the relegation battle was wasted and instead Huddersfield were relieved the two South Yorkshire teams below them both lost, with Queens Park Rangers hosting Watford on Sunday.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!” tweeted chairman Kevin Nagle, watching from the director’s box.

It felt like a massive opportunity missed by a team not bold enough to grab it. Passing sideways and backwards as the game wore on increasingly grated on home supporters who had been given reasons to cheerful in the 5-0 defeat at Manchester City, daft though that may look at first reading, but ended this one with a smattering of boos.

From nearly twice as much possession, the Terriers only outshot limited opponents 13-9.

Statistics do not always tell the full story, but this one illustrated Huddersfield's reluctance to go for the jugular. They put their feet through too few of them.

Huddersfield started the game the stronger but players often look better when they are not there and as three crosses went unconverted, it made you wonder if it would have been any different had injury not stopped Bojan Radulovic making his Championship debut. We will never know.

Danny Ward and Delano Burgzorg were also injured.

Certainly Argyle's defenders were alive to the threat, Brendan Galloway cutting out two crosses and Ashley Phillips a third only for Alex Matos to put the loose ball wide from a tight angle.

Matos was not as polished as he had been in his maiden Terriers appearance at Manchester City six days earlier and when Darko Gyabi – yet another debutant after joining on loan from Leeds United – robbed him in midfield after five minutes, Lee Nicholls had to make a low save from Morgan Whittaker.

It was a rare chance for the visitors but when the next came along, Whittaker snaffled it.

Callum Wright won the ball around halfway and drove forward with it, put under minimal pressure. Bali Mumba crossed to the far post for Whittaker to convert in the 12th minute.

It seemed to damage Town's confidence and Sorba Thomas increasingly coming deep to try and make things happen left Josh Koroma - a wide attacker or second striker – as an ill-fitting lone stirker.

Plymouth came close to a second, Matos conceding a free-kick coming through the back of Mumba but making up for it with the way he closed down Ryan Hardie's shot at a free-kick, the deflection going just wide of the post.

Jordan Houghton had a chance too when Jack Rudoni was robbed in midfield.

But the Thomas-Koroma partnership eventually came off.

Referee Tom Nield was not having a great day but he went in Huddersfield's favour when Matos slid in for a challenge and the play was waved on as the ball came through to Thomas, who found Koroma to cut in on his left foot and find the net with a 38th-minute equaliser.

With Plymouth looking to run down the clock – it took 62 minutes for their goalkeeper, Conor Hazard, to be booked for timewasting and it did not deter him – Huddersfield continued to dictate the game without being forceful enough about it.

They often looked to get right wing-back David Kasumu in behind the Argyle defence at the start of the second half without much joy.

Thomas' tendency to hang back when others might have got into the box allowed him to try his luck from range twice and he got closer with practice.

Kormoma's deflected volley was well saved by Hazard but when he teed himself up for another it lacked power even before hitting a defender on its way into the gloves. He slipped hitting another shot, removing all its sting.

At the other end Whittaker had a dipping shot from range which just did not quite dip enough. Gyabi had a dipper wide in stoppage-time.

Huddersfield were always pushing, just without conviction. A finishing front two of Rudoni and Brahima Diarra with Thomas arriving from between them hardly screamed danger.

Ben Jackson forced Hazard to push a good right-footed shot around the post in the 86th minute but when Thomas delivered a 90th-minute free-kick that would have been perfect for Radulovic, Burgzorg, Matty Pearson or even Tom Lees and Michael Helik, who were playing, Rudoni headed it wide.

Hard-Fi's Hard to Beat played at full-time. On days like this, Town need to be more than just that.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Spencer, Helik, Lees; Kasumu, Rudoni, Hogg, Matos (Iorpenda 65), Jackson; Thomas, Koroma (Diarra 78).

Unused substitutes: Edmonds-Green, Edwards, Wiles, Austerfield, Ayina, Bellagambi, Stone.

Plymouth Argyle: Hazard; Phillips, Scarr, Galloway; Kesler-Hayden (Edwards 65), Houghton (Butcher 90), Gyabi, Mumba (Miller 65); Whittaker, Hardie (Waine 87), Wright (Randell 65).

Unused substitutes: Pleguezuelo, Bundu, Wright, Burton.

Referee: T Nield (West Yorkshire).