SIR Alex Ferguson used to say that while attacks win you games, defences win you titles.

Everyone of a Huddersfield Town persuasion would take promotion, however it transpires, and any silverware would be a bonus in truth. But one thing is for sure, if they don't tighten up defensively, then it won't be happening.

Town's leakage of 28 goals so far this term is currently the joint-third highest goals against figure in League One. Only Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient have conceded more. Granted, the Terriers' goals for haul of 30 goals is bettered only at third-tier level by their weekend conquerors Cardiff City, who beat them 3-2. But until Town improve from a defensive perspective, then finishing in the top-two positions - where the Bluebirds currently are - seems a way off.

Frustratingly, Lee Grant's side have shown their rearguard resolve at times. In their opening five league matches, they kept four clean sheets. But since August 23, they have registered just two shut-outs, while just one has arrived on the road. Saturday’s concession of three goals at Cardiff represented the sixth occasion already in which Town's net has been breached three times, five of those away from home.

On the defensive. Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant wants to see a stronger defensive unit moving forward.

placeholder image — On the defensive. Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant wants to see a stronger defensive unit moving forward.

It's not the sort of thing that you associate with successful sides in May and a clean sheet, allied to three points, at Sixfields Stadium on Tuesday night is something that Grant is hankering for.

Grant said: "We have to get back to what we were (earlier in the season). The nice thing is that there's plenty of teams in the division that have not experienced or found their rhythm yet. We have found our rhythm when we feel like we can score three goals every week now. We've also shown that we can keep clean sheets consecutively and be dogged and be hard to beat. But we're not doing that at the minute.

"The group are desperate for it. Players are hungry for it. So there's a real desire from all of us to put that right.

"We've got to fight for it and get back to it because we know that's going to be a real cornerstone of a lot of the good things that we want to achieve."