Rivals Huddersfield Town and Hull City set different targets in Championship

Lees’s goal from an early corner and Duane Holmes’s long-range finish handed Huddersfield a 2-0 win which left their visitors a point and a place above Barnsley and the relegation zone.

Town are sixth and Holmes’s beautiful finish apart, the ugliness of their win bodes well for staying in play-off contention. Lees, though, is far too experienced to get carried away.

“We know it’s early doors and when it comes to January, there will be many teams in with a shout,” cautioned the 30-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United centre-back.

“We are just eager to make a good start and get as many points on the board as we can.

“But I think we have started very well and given ourselves something to build on.

“We’ve got the ability, we’ve got the work ethic, it’s a long old season and every year you see teams after January, February, start creeping up even from the bottom half so you never know what will happen.

“It’s such a long season and you need luck with injuries, suspensions and players in form, so we will just have to see.

“It’s about getting that consistency in our performances and at the moment we are demanding high-level performances.

“The hope this season is to be a competitive team, playing for something with 10 games to go, not being a can’t-go-up-or-can’t-go-down sort of thing, but give ourselves something to chase.”

Hull already look like they will have something to play for in the Spring, but unfortunately it will be survival. Not for the first time, coach Grant McCann said he felt confidence was letting them down.

“I was speaking to (Huddersfield’s) Harry Toffolo on the way in, I signed him for Peterborough, and he said he felt like that a little bit when he was in this division for the first time, he lacked a little bit of belief in himself. Maybe that’s what’s happening.

“They all know they’re good enough for this division and have to know quickly.”

Hull’s Jacob Greaves insisted: “I think everyone believes that (Hull are good enough for the division), we’ve said it. I feel that we do belong here but there’s definitely improvements we can make.

“I didn’t think there was much in the game between the two teams: I don’t think they had many shots from open play from what I can remember. I thought we defended really well but it was just two set-pieces that were the difference (although Holmes made space and curled his goal from the edge of the area, the ball came to him from a corner).

“The reason there wasn’t much between the sides is because we are two good teams.

“I think if they don’t score the first goal it’s a completely different game. They might come out more and leave more gaps but they just kind of sat in.”

The centre-back certainly looked the part in a commanding personal performance.

“I’ve played League Two, League One and Championship successfully,” he said. “I just think I’ve got to try and keep performing, do the best as I can and keep learning because I have only just turned 21 so there’s loads of things to learn.”