Huddersfield Town 1 Preston 0: Relief abound for Carlos Corberan as Town persevere to dig out a huge win

Prior to this particular fixture, Town – in regulation time – had not won in their previous 14 matches in all competitions in summer’s final month.

It represented a truly grim sequence and sadly, the club’s form in 2021 had been every bit as appalling with Carlos Corberan having savoured the sweet sensation of victory just three times in his last 26 Championship matches in charge prior to this encounter.

How the beleaguered Spaniard, who returned to touchline duties at the weekend after testing positive for Covid-19, needed some sunshine. More especially after Saturday’s dire 5-1 mauling at the hands of Fulham.

Here was a blast of warmth at last.

Seventy-four minutes into this Roses encounter between two sides in the bottom three of the early table, Town had not mustered so much as an effort on target.

In the event, their first – and the one that mattered – was registered by a North End player in the shape of visiting defender Sepp van den Berg. Not to worry.

The panicking Dutchman –aiming to avert the danger after substitute Duane Holmes had been sent clear by Josh Koroma in a rare moment of Town incision – could only proceed to steer the ball past his own keeper Daniel Iversen and there was finally redemption for Huddersfield.

Trounced at the weekend, it is games – and results – against the likes of Preston where Corberan and his side will be ultimately judged.

The talk may be performances and style at the start of a season, but the pragmatists – and certainly those in the dug-out – would trade it for results, however they arrive, in a hectic August.

Here, there was uniform relief for Town, who are off and running three games in.

Their previous victory at Nottingham Forest in mid-April was similarly cathartic – after doing much to clinch their safety last term.

This was similarly well received, even though it was pretty ugly to watch.

Ahead of the game, Town chairman Phil Hodgkinson in his programme notes, referenced Saturday being ‘one really poor day’ and alluded to a collective desperation to put things right at the first available opportunity.

All well and good, but unfortunately, the response from the hosts was unconvincing, certainly in an opening half in which they soon switched from their

4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2 to match up with Preston, such was their dominance in central midfield trio of Ben Whiteman, Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson.

Against a seemingly fragile Preston defence who had shipped six league goals already this term, Town – with Leeds United target Lewis O’Brien being a welcome returnee for the hosts – created next to nothing and will have been relieved to be on level terms at the interval.

Early on, hearts were in mouths after Johnson’s curler drifted just wide after he dispossessed Levi Colwill, with the Chelsea loanee thankfully redeeming himself in part to get a telling deflection to divert the effort off target.

Alertness from the impressive Naby Sarr on the line ensured that a low shot from the returning Ched Evans did not nestle in the net just after the half-hour after Town were unhinged by Preston’s marauding left wing-back Josh Earl – not for the first time.

Earlier, Evans had spurned a chance when he hooked a volley over when well placed, with Town looking pretty anemic in the final third, save for a couple of probing runs in isolation by Sorba Thomas.

Preston’s only scare came when Koroma’s pot-shot deflected not too far wide after hitting Andrew Hughes, but as the responses go from Saturday, it was pretty flimsy from Town.

It was no surprise when the physicality of Fraizer Campbell was called upon at the break and it looked a logical move with Preston’s rearguard enjoying such a breeze in the first period. It worked to a degree and Town were better.

A side who looked comfortable enough in their game plan, Preston still could not deliver the big blow, although Town’s defensive aptitude – in comparison to Saturday – was much improved.

At the other end, Town persevered and a spot of luck does not half help in trying times.

Earlier, a rare spot of combination play saw Thomas and Koroma dovetail, with the latter’s cross flashing across goal and just requiring a final touch.

Thankfully, Van Den Berg’s aberration would turn the howls of anguish into delight. How Huddersfield needed something and they got it albeit not from the source that they would have been expecting.

With gaps appearing, Thomas hit the post late on with a neat curler and Koroma went close as Huddersfield Town recorded their first home win since February 20.

Much to everyone’s relief.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Turton, Sarr, Lees (Vallejo 76), Colwill; High, Hogg, O’Brien (Holmes 70); Ward (Campbell 45), Koroma, Thomas. Substitutes unused: Schofield, Rhodes, Sinani, Aarons.

Preston: Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; van den Berg; Johnson, Browne, Whiteman, Earl (Maguire 88); Evans (Sinclair 82), Potts (Riis 75). Substitutes unused: Rudd, Bauer, Cunningham, Ledson.

Referee: J Linington (Isle of Wight).