Lee Grant admits Huddersfield Town must put their damning first-half habit right 'very quickly' after loss at Bradford City

Town, on their first visit to Valley Parade since October 2006, had started the derby encounter fairly well, only to go behind on 18 minutes when local lad Bobby Pointon finished off a fine team move to open the scoring.

Approaching the break, it looked like Town, still in the game despite trailing, were set fair to attack the second half, playing in front of their big away support, but a couple of disastrous minutes in stoppage-time saw them trail 3-0.

Pointon netted a second goal and is claiming a touch for the third goal, which was awarded to Josh Neufville. It was one for the dubious goal panel to decide, but Pointon left the stadium with the match-ball after watching video re-runs of the goal.

All the goals, from a Terriers’ point of view, were preventable.

Town pulled back a consolation late on through debutant Zepiqueno Redmond, but Grant took little solace from that.

Just like in their away game at Blackpool on August 16, Town shipped three goals before the break, while in their last fixture on the road at Barnsley, they conceded twice in an eventual 3-1 reverse.

Grant, who said that his staff are assessing Herbie Kane (groin), who came off in the second half, said: “The game was what we thought it would be and also what we planned for.

"In terms of the energy and way we started the match, I could not have asked for anything more, but you have to capitalise on certain moments which we had and we didn’t.

“We probably had more time in certain moments in the final third than what we realised and what the group are learning is that you will suffer if you are unable to capitalise on that sort of momentum and possession.

“It was a tough one to take (after). For me, there’s an important part to realise and understand that with the way the team is functioning in those moments when we are a goal down and 2-0 down and very quickly three; we need to discover and understand why that is happening and put that right very quickly.

"If it happens once, okay. Twice in a season, you can perhaps understand.

"But we’re barely 10 games in and the three results if you look at them collectively, Bradford, Blackpool and Barnsley feel too similar in terms of the way the goals have gone in.

"The feeling around the goals in those moments and we have to understand why they are happening and that’s my job.

“The boys have to work really hard at it as well and it’s a collective effort. But we’ve got to put it right quickly.”