Weekend points to ponder: Tigers defiant | Town are dreaming | Leeds are leaking | Millers crisis | Blades relieved

For Huddersfield Town and Barnsley, a splendid opening month of 2016-17 was signed off in fitting fashion.

For Leeds United and Rotherham United, there was rather more food for thought.

In the top-flight, there were further plaudits, if no points, for Hull City, with the major business of transfer action now taking over.

A creditable point for Middlesbrough continued their steady start to the campaign.

As for Sheffield United, there was just plain old relief, while the sight of Doncaster Rovers hitting the heights was also welcome viewing.

Here’s five observations from the weekend:

1: Hull City. Now the business really does have to start.

Mike Phelan and his Hull City side can take a deserved bow after a start to the top-flight season which few would have envisaged. Yes, Manchester United took the points in East Yorkshire on Saturday, but they were pushed all the way - with Jose Mourinho quick to pay tribute to the ‘amazing’ spirit of the hosts after the game.

The club may have endured a close season from hell off the pitch, but on it, the Tigers have shown leadership and drawn strength from adversity and acquitted themselves superbly en route to taking six hard-earned and well-deserved points. They have done their bit..

Now, that clarity of purpose and command needs to be replicated upstairs to enable Hull to assemble a squad fit for Premier League purpose in terms of options and numbers over the course of a long and arduous season. The clock is ticking.

2: Huddersfield Town. What a dream start.

It took Huddersfield Town until October 20 to reach the 13-point barrier last season. They have now managed that total in the opening five matches of the campaign and if that is not evidence of the transformation at the John Smith’s Stadium, then nothing is.

Town are top of the Championship table and fully deserve that accolade. Not that David Wagner will be paying much attention, but it is certainly a nice little morale-boost for Town supporters who are justifiably sticking their chests out at the moment.

The good thing for Town is that they have shown their resolve along the way and displayed their endurance levels, mentally as well as physically.

They have grafted like hell to claim their haul, with every manjack of the Town squad having done their bit. That is a really encouraging sign. They look a side who are very hard to beat.

Character has been shown in several late wins, with the team ethic having outstandingly shone through. It was teams in the truest sense of the word who all excelled last season. Look no further than Burnley and Middlesbrough - and also Brighton, another team who were greater than the sum of their parts.

Town are stepping up to the plate in that regard.

3: Leeds United. Those oh-so-familiar defensive inadequacies.

The case for the defence has not exactly been overwhelming at Leeds for a fair few seasons, with countless options tried and ultimately dispensed with.

Sound defensive shows have arrived in isolation, but the inability to reproduce them on anything like a regular basis has been damning.

Leeds, once again, showed their bad side at Nottingham Forest and looked fitful at being able to deal with set-pieces with a clear lack of authority displayed.

The goals which were shipped in at the City Ground have been witnessed on far too many occasions since United’s return to the Championship. It is like a worn-out, tired old song.

Whether Pontus Jansson can provide some sort of antidote, who knows?

But one thing is for sure, Leeds have already leaked some really poor goals this term (again). They have also done little to dispel the notion, in Championship circles, that they are a soft touch and susceptible at the back. A different head coach in the chair, same old problems.

4: Rotherham United. An early-season crisis.

A disastrous second-half showing at Oakwell has provided much food for thought for Alan Stubbs, with a 4-0 derby defeat representing the worst possible way to head into an international hiatus.

The lack of cohesion, togetherness and fight in a one-sided second-half in which Barnsley ran riot was pretty damning and extremely worrying for Millers supporters.

The Millers failed to lay a glove on Barnsley and resembled a disjointed team of individuals by the final whistle with little stomach for the fight.

It has been a testing opening month for Stubbs, with the tale of the tape away from home pretty scathing. Three comprehensive losses, 10 goals conceded and no goals scored.

Rotherham need to shape up and fast or else it could be a desperately long campaign.

5: Sheffield United. Relief is the word.

It was all about the result at the Lane on Saturday with the Blades showing character in coming from one goal down to sink one of Chris Wilder’s old clubs in Oxford United.

The performance was not perfect by any means, but there were traces of resolve and defiance which you need, certainly at a club like Sheffield United - the team who are there to be shot at in League One.

It represented a start for Wilder after a tough opening to the season and his side’s character on the day will have pleased him. You have to begin somewhere.