West Bromwich Albion v Huddersfield Town: We are standing united and strong, says Jonas Lossl

So, too, was the immense pride after Huddersfield Town had made light of playing the final half hour or so with 10 men following Christopher Schindler’s red card.

Rajiv Van la Parra’s quite exquisite first-half strike had clinched all three points and the Terriers, written off almost exclusively outside the West Riding town before a ball had been kicked, were in the top half of the table.

The talk was still of survival, but Huddersfield gave every impression of being a team who had acclimatised to the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League.

Then came a truly bleak midwinter as Town’s results, even allowing for welcome December victories over Brighton and Watford, went downhill faster than the bobsleigh teams at this month’s Winter Olympics.

Just 12 points have been claimed from 16 games since that win over West Brom. Only the Baggies among the 20 elite clubs have taken fewer with 10, while relegation rivals such as Crystal Palace (23), West Ham (21) and Swansea City (19) have prospered.

“We are heading into a very important run of games,” said goalkeeper Jonas Lossl as the Terriers head to The Hawthorns. “This part of the season is huge, every game is a (cup) final now.

“We feel very confident going into this game against West Brom, we are really looking forward to it. I think it is going to be a good game for us.”

Lossl’s optimism can be put down to the last three weeks bringing a daffodil-like emergence from the harsh realities of winter to suggest Town are ready to blossom.

A repeat of the vibrancy and energy that saw Bournemouth handed a 4-1 hammering would be most welcome in such a crucial fixture.

West Brom, of course, will have something to say about that. Their need is, if anything, greater than that of Town.

Since starting the season with back-to-back victories, Albion have won just once in 25 league outings. Alan Pardew, brought in to replace manager Tony Pulis 16 days after the club’s loss at the John Smith’s, knows his future is on the line after not only this horrible run, but also the unseemly events of last week in Barcelona.

Four senior players – including former Hull City duo Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill – made a public apology for breaking the club’s midnight curfew on the club’s mid-season break and “the events which have been the subject of widespread and negative publicity”.

Namely, the allegations that the quartet stole a taxi from outside a McDonald’s in the Catalan city at 5.30am and then drove back to their hotel.

Livermore, Myhill, Gareth Barry and captain Jonny Evans were all branded “ridiculously stupid” by Albion legend John Wile in the immediate aftermath of a trip that had also earlier seen Pardew’s wallet and mobile phone stolen in a restaurant.

Huddersfield will be looking to pick Pardew’s pocket today in the quest for survival points.

Lossl, one of only two ever-presents in the league this season, added: “You try to prepare yourself exactly the same, no different if it is Manchester United, Stoke or West Brom that you are playing.

“Obviously, you know at places like Old Trafford you will be up against world-class players. It means you have to be that little bit more defensive.

“So, of course, the tactics are different and that means the psychology is also different.

“When the whistle blows it probably makes no difference, but maybe a little bit in the preparations without you really realising.

“But the target is the same against any team, to get the points we need. The spirit we came into the Premier League with is still there, definitely.

“In the stands the fans would not have been there when losing if we were not giving it everything. I feel it (spirit) in the team as well. We stand united and we stand strong.”

This unity was definitely needed during the five-game losing run at the start of the year that took Town from 11th in the table to the relegation zone.

Lossl insists the squad never lost belief. “Even in defeats such as Manchester United in the league, we showed spirit,” said the Danish international goalkeeper. “That was important in terms of going forward.

“Of course, no one likes to lose. I had a similar run in France (with Guingamp). But, as I discovered in France, one game can change everything.”

Town must hope the victory over Bournemouth can be that season-changing moment.

Certainly, the manner of the performance – and, in particular, how Alex Pritchard acted as the perfect foil for record signing Steve Mounie – was a hugely encouraging way to start an eight-game run that features clashes with most of their relegation rivals.

West Brom, five points adrift at the bottom and seven behind Town, definitely fall into that category. As for tackling a team still reeling from those unseemly events in Barcelona, Lossl said: “To be honest, I didn’t know much about it. I just heard they had some problems.

“But we know what West Brom normally stands for and that is a big fight, very good at set-pieces and we need to prepare ourselves for that.”