Sheffield Wednesday 0 Huddersfield Town 0: Quality in short supply as search for first victory goes on for Darren Moore and managerless Owls

The Owls looked a better team than the one which started the season so miserably under Xisco Munoz, but still not good enough to take their first win of the season against a Terriers side still to get fully up and running under new manager Darren Moore.

Both playing 3-4-1-2 formations and both looking short of confidence, they cancelled each other out in an uninspiring 0-0 draw. Each could have done with more.

The result was probably a better one for the away side but the day a bigger step forward for the hosts.

Hillsborough felt totally different at kick-off to the demoralised, fractious ground it had been before the previous home game, against Sunderland.

Neil Thompson's team-sheet played its part in that.

The former Barnsley, Hull City, York City and Scarborough left-back is well used to life as a caretaker manager – this is his second stint at Hillsborough – and he played all the right cards, bringing a number of players out of the deep freeze previous manager Munoz had put them in, naming an XI with only one of the Spaniard's 13 summer signings – Di'Shon Bernard– and all were British-born.

It was warmly received by the crowd, as was Moore's emergence from the tunnel, hugging the opposition coaching staff and low-fiving the home mascots as Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri watched from the director's box, disilusioned enough to turn off his extra funding but not so uninterested as to stay away.

The game he saw was nowhere near the classic last time Moore led at team out at S6, for the miraculous 5-1 victory – and penalty shoot-out success – over Peterborough United.

Munoz was one of the reasons the Owls are bottom of the Championship, but not all of them. And Huddersfield are not in the bottom half by fluke either.

Wednesday rode on the early feel-good factor, soundtracked by the band, with George Byers volleying into the turf and over the crossbar in the fourth minute.

Huddersfield took time to grow into the game but when they did, SorbaThomas was ushered into it by a string of corners and free-kicks conceded to give him the crossing opportunities playing in the hole of a 3-4-1-2 formation denied him.

On his first league start of the season, optimistically Cameron Dawson came to punch a 13th-minute corner and presented Josh Koroma with an open goal he was unable to locate from distance.

Quickly after Dawson put a panicky kick out for a throw-in.

Lee Nicholls had similarly unconvincing moments at the other end, coming for and failing to get a Will Vaulks free-kick and also conceding a cheap throw-in when trying to hurl the ball to Thomas.

When Lee Gregory charged down an attempted clearance, Nicholls was wisely wide enough of his goal that the ricochet was never going to go in.

The mistakes were by no means limited to the goalkeepers. Callum Paterson played a lovely cushioned pass with his patches-up head in the second half to pick out Michael Smith but his ball was off beam and when it was worked out to James, his cross sailed out of play. It was that kind of day for both teams.

A sprint off his line to bravely deny Michael Smith in first-half stoppage time was more like the Nicholls Town fans know.

Thomas linked up beautifully with Delano Burgzog, thread a lovely return pass after nifty feet from the forward, but Koroma's shot was blocked when his strike partner picked him out.

Thomas dragged a weak shot wide after Rudoni burst past Byers on a one-two of his own and Michal Helik was unable to direct the free-kick the Wales international whipped over to end the half. Thomas would move to wing-back in the changes Moore made in the final half-hour. Unlocking the best of him, as Carlos Corberan did, should be high on Moore's to-do list.

Wednesday had a similiar experience in the slow start to the second half, Smith the nearest to connecting with a dangerous Vaulks free-kick. Another would go just beyond the far post in the 80th minute.

Paterson missed a good chance midway through the second half, spinning and volleying a knock-down Smith battled hard to win, and Helik did similarly well to create a chance for himself from an Edwards long throw-in but that too was off target.

Notwithstanding the effort put in by both sides, a game low on quality got what it deserved: 0-0.

Moore, like Wednesday, is still looking for his first win this season.

Sheffield Wednesday: Dawson; Palmer, Iorfa, Ihiekwe, Bernard; Vaulks, Byers, James (Valentín 85); Paterson (Buckley 77); Smith, Gregory (Wilks 61). Unused substitutes: Diaby, Hendrick, Vasquez, Cadamarteri, Musaba, Phuthi.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Pearson, Helik, Ruffels (Lees 62); Edwards (Wiles 66), Hogg, Rudoni, Nakayama; Thomas; Koroma (Harratt 66), Burgzorg (Diarra 83). Unused substitutes: Edmonds-Green, Maxwell, Headley, Hudlin, Jackson.

Referee: M Donohue (Greater Manchester).