Role model: Tommy Smith '˜proud' to take Huddersfield Town armband on David Wagner's and Bill Shankly's anniversaries

Not only was Saturday the first anniversary of David Wagner’s appointment as head coach but also the 60th of Bill Shankly being appointed manager at Leeds Road.

Shankly, of course, went on to build the dynasty that is Liverpool and one of the mainstays of his reign was another defender of that name, and of whom he once said: “Tommy Smith wasn’t born, he was quarried.”

The current Tommy Smith plays on the opposite flank to his namesake and the 24-year-old right-back was given his opportunity to lead the side when Wagner dropped both central defender Mark Hudson and midfield man Dean Whitehead following the previous week’s 5-0 defeat at Fulham.

The Manchester City-raised defender said: “It was only about an hour before kick-off that I knew I was captain. We went into the changing room and all the kits were laid out as normal but there was a captain’s armband on my place. It’s a proud day for me. I’ve been here four years so I’m one of the more senior players if you like.

“I was proud to lead the lads out. My family, my mum and dad were here, so it was a really special moment.

“I’m happy to be seen as a role model but there’s a lot of good lads, a lot of leaders in this team but I feel as though I’ve been here long enough to warrant that.”

Smith would have loved to have seen Town keep a clean sheet but, despite dominating possession, the rub of the green certainly went against them.

It took until the 69th minute for them to go ahead, the outstanding Aaron Mooy spreading the ball wide, where Elias Kachunga failed to take possession at full stretch. Smith was up in support, however, and knocked the ball into the path of the German, who curled the ball home despite Tomasz Kuszczak getting a hand to the effort.

Birmingham, whose attack had been devoid of menace, struck back through their biggest asset, aerial dominance. Mooy was unlucky to have a foul awarded against him for a tackle on Lukas Jutkiewicz, who promptly scored with a fifth header of the season when Jonathan Grounds headed back across goal a driven free-kick from David Cotterill.

Birmingham could have won it but two late headers were off target and Town were left to bemoan their luck after Nahki Wells had struck the bar and the striker had also been denied a penalty for a trip by Ryan Shotton.

The visitors possibly deserved their point for the way they had kept their defensive discipline but it proved another close encounter – the Craven Cottage debacle being an exception to the rule – for Town. Smith put things in perspective saying: “If you’d said before the season we’d be third after 16 games we’d have definitely taken it.

“But we know there’s a long way to go and we’ll keep plugging away and see where it takes us.

“Games are tight but that’s the nature of the Championship Apart from Fulham, we’ve been competitive in every game, we’ve won by a goal and lost by a goal.

“It’s fine margins. We know we’ve got good attacking players and we know they’ll start scoring eventually.

“But, on the whole, we’re doing fine. There’s 21 teams below us, so we’re doing okay.”

Of the man inside him, Hudson’s replacement Michael Hefele, who gave former Harrogate Town striker Clayton Donaldson a bit of a battering, he added: “He’s a good lad, he’s all heart. He plays 200 per cent. He’s come in and done very well.”

The 26-year-old Hefele was happy to have played his part after being given his second start of the season.

“It’s always hard to come back after such a defeat (at Fulham). When you lose 5-0 it’s also tough for the head but we worked hard and showed we are a very good team.

“We are not afraid of anybody. We are a small club but we have a very good squad. I was very happy to be selected because I want to help the team and show I can play Championship football. It’s very cold on the bench!

“I would have been happier if we had won but I’m happy the boss gave me a chance. I always give 110 per cent, put my heart on the pitch. The rest is for the boss to decide.”

Huddersfield Town: Ward, Smith, Hefele, Schindler, Lowe; Scannell (Van La Parra 60), Hogg, Mooy, Kachunga; Palmer (Payne 60); Wells. Unused substitutes: Coleman, Whitehead, Hudson, Billing, Holmes-Dennis.

Birmingham City: Kuszczak, Spector, Morrison, Shotton, Grounds; Cotterill (Stewart 75), Kieftenbeld, Gleeson, Davis (Fabbrini 64); Donaldson, Jutkiewicz. Unused substitutes: Legzdins, Robinson, Adams, Maghoma, Dacres-Cogley.

Referee: S Martin (Staffs).

Man of the match: Aaron Mooy.