Huddersfield Town began life under Danny Cowley with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield Wednesday.  

There was plenty of optimism floating around the John Smith’s Stadium pre-match, but the Terriers were second best right from the off, as Wednesday gave Garry Monk the perfect start on what was also his first game in-charge.

Steven Fletcher met a Kadeem Harris cross for 1-0 on 10 minutes, before substitute, Sam Winnall, secured the points in the 72nd minute with a glancing header.

At 2-0, there was little fight from Huddersfield, with Wednesday strolling to another three points and their first win under Monk.

Here, we reflect on the game and pick THREE things we clearly learnt about Town…

They’re in a relegation fight already

This is the most obvious place to start: looking at the Championship table.

It makes grim reading for Stoke City and Huddersfield Town, who have both managed just a point so far this season.

Already, the pair are cut four points adrift of 22nd place and history tells us that clubs finding themselves in this situation face a battle to avoid the drop into the third-tier.

Cowley’s eyes are open to the problem

 

If Huddersfield are to survive, Cowley will have to get them going pretty soon.

In his post-match press conference, Cowley noted that he knew what the club needed: ‘grit and resilience’. With the new manager also pointing to a lack of fight at 2-0.

That suggests that Cowley knows where Huddersfield’s weaknesses are and that he’s identified the problem behind their form.

Now, it’s about turning a squad that has won only once in 2019 around, which isn’t easy.

He has to get Karlan Grant firing

The 21-year-old has four goals in seven appearances this season, but his attacking threat was hardly on show yesterday.

Cowley touched on the position he played Grant yesterday, with the forward on the left of a front-three and not playing centrally.

"We don't see him as an 11. In a 4-3-3, we call them (the wingers), our two 10s," he stated. 

Cowley doesn’t see Grant as a winger, he wants him working in the channel between the full-back and centre-half, where he proved to be so instrumental for Charlton prior to his switch to Yorkshire.

That didn’t seem clear yesterday and Cowley needs to get the youngster back in the groove.