Huddersfield Town lacking spark in demoralising 1-0 defeat to Preston North End

Still, Huddersfield Town's first half with them managed to be anti-climactic.

By full-time, though, the hosts would have taken a 0-0 as they were booed off the field by their disenchanted supporters after another disheartening defeat that kept them in the relegation zone.

Even the half-time competition had been scoreless, following hot on the heels of an interview with Lloyd Maitland, special guest as Huddersfield celebrated Black History Month.

"Do you follow it Lloyd?" he was asked.

"Not really."

Roses battles are supposed to be gritty and dour, not flash and flamboyant, but the football was pushing the point too far.

Yet from a Huddersfield perspective it managed to go downhill from there, beaten 1-0 by a Greg Cunningham header from a set-piece, one of this relegation-threatened teams strong points.

These are early days for the new coach Mark Fotheringham. Rome was not built in a day even if it felt like the Terriers' feel-good factor was dismantled in one.

But the Scotsman's team were a very hard watch. The excitement and promise of last season feels like a very distant memory.

He might have plenty of personality but his team is sorely lacking it.

If Fotheringham thought his tough-talking at the weekend would produce a reaction, he was proven spectacularly wrong. The Terriers were lifeless, utterly lacking a spark.

Tino Anjorin, loaned from Chelsea to provide a bit of guile, is out with glandular fever and there is not much left in the cupboard without him.

A first-half Sorba Thomas free-kick, running at the ball at an acute angle to try and catch Preston by surprise only to welly the ball out of a goalkick, summed it all about.

Duane Holmes showed a bit of fight, but all it achieved was to get his name in the referee's notebook.

The number of names Andy Woolmer took felt less like a reflection of an aggressive game, more an attempt to create his own entertainment.

Fotheringham made just one substitution – Jack Rudoni for David Kasumu – but it could not change the flow – well, dribble – of the game.

After a scrappy start to the game, with lots of fouls by are on former Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers midfielder Ben Whiteman breaking up what little momentum there was, a lovely Danny Ward touch released Thomas in the 13th minute. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman straying off his line seemed to put the wing-back in two minds and he ended up curling a low ball to Woodman.

Ali McCann got on the end of an Alvaro Fernandez cross at the other end, but could only weakly touch it to Lee Nicholls.

Ben Jackson looked dangerous when he got into crossing positions but Jordan Rhodes was not quite able to stretch to his delivery from the left after 24 minutes.

Thomas' hunger to win the ball saw him rob Fernandez and again he went for a low curling deliver. Once more, Rhodes could not quite stretch to it.

With a good turn and run by Holmes achieving no more than a collision between two Preston players, Huddersfield were very slowly upping the pressure without really threatening to score.

But twice shortly before the interval left wing-back Fernandez nearly scored, producing a low free-kick which eluded every player and the far post, then driving a shot Nicholls saved at his near post.

Bleak got bleaker five minutes into the second half when Cunningham leapt and leant back a touch to head Whiteman's corner in.

It did little to enliven the game. Preston are not a team to want to have a lead to defend when they are so skilled at shut-outs.

Etienne Camara played a lovely pass to Holmes but his shot hit the back of a defender and went out for a wasted corner.

Former Sheffield United loanee Ben Woodburn put a couple of volleys well clear of the Huddersfield goal. Fernandez missed a great chance on the full when he arrived at the back post in the 81st minute.

Inevitably Huddersfield had a few chances late on, but only a few and they did little with them. Centre-back Ollie Turton stepped up and ballooned a shot, Holmes was off balance and off target with his.

All three of the game’s shots on target came from players in yellow.

It was dull, it was desperate and it was demoralising. Fotheringham has a lot of work to do on the training ground pitches and perhaps a lot more harsh words to deliver. It is clearly his natural habitat but the tools at his disposal are looking pretty blunt right now.

Fotheringham’s lack of substitution suggests he sees it the same way.

With Coventry City picking up points as well as games, on this evidence Huddersfield do look like a team capable of going places, just not in the direction they want to.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Lees, Helik, Turton; Thomas, Kasumu (Rudoni 71), Camara, Jackson; Holmes; Ward, Rhodes. Unused substitutes: Mahoney, Ruffels, Nakayama, Diarra, Bilokapic, Ondo.

Preston North End: Woodman; Hughes, Cunningham, Storey; Ledson, McCann, Whiteman, Fernandez (Maguire 90); Potts; Woodburn (Brady 66), Riis. Unused substitutes: Browne, Evans, Diaby, Cornell, Cross-Adair.

Referee: A Woolmer (Northamptonshire).