Goals from Nahki Wells and James Vaughan have given Huddersfield a 2-0 lead over the Blues at half-time at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Town boss Mick McCarthy made two changes with Richard Chaplow and Chris Wood coming into the team for Teddy Bishop and Freddie Sears, who dropped to the bench alongside Jonny Williams but there was no place for David McGoldrick.
The Blues threatened for the first time in the third minute when Chaplow crossed from the right and the ball reached Tabb at the far post, Huddersfield defender Tommy Smith - one of three centre-halves - cleared his header on goal off the line.
The home side went in front via their first serious chance. Left-back Zeki Fryers, in for Tyrone Mings, who was serving the second game of his ban, tried to play the ball inside to Christophe Berra but instead fed one-time Town trialist Nahki Wells, who cut into the middle and curled a left-foot shot from the edge of the area beyond the diving Bartosz Bialkowski’s right hand.
Having gone in front the Terriers, without a win in their last seven, gained greater belief and soon after Wells might have done better from James Vaughan’s cut-back from the left but he scraped his shot out for a throw.
Sean Scannell claimed a penalty when he clashed with Fryers as he broke beyond the on-loan Palace man but referee Tony Harrington, probably correctly, felt he’d made a lot of not much contact.
Huddersfield continued to look the more dangerous side and on 21 Vaughan went close to making it 2-0 when Christophe Berra headed a cross from deep on the left up in the air but the former Norwich man’s overhead-kick flew straight at Bialkowski. A foot or so either side of the keeper and he would have doubled his team’s lead.
A minute later the Blues weren’t far from getting back on terms. Varney flicked on a long ball sending Daryl Murphy in on goal to the right of the area. Town’s 23-goal top scorer took the ball around keeper Alex Smithies but Terriers defender Smith got back to clear off the line.
It was a missed chance the Blues would rue on the half hour when the home side doubled their lead.
Jacob Butterfield chipped a cross to the far post from deep on the right to Vaughan at the far post from where he nodded an inch-perfect header over Bialkowski, under the bar and into the corner of the net.
After Oscar Gobern had shot well over for Huddersfield, Berra picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Scannell with the home side still well on top against a lacklustre Town side which had never really recovered from going a goal behind.
On 40 Bialkowski was off his line quickly to clear ahead of Vaughan after Varney had under-hit a backpass from halfway. Two minutes later, Town’s Tommy Smith was booked for a foul on Vaughan.
Town never looked like pulling a goal back before the half was brought to a close by referee Harrington’s whistle.
The Blues, as poor as at any time this season, could have had few complaints about the half-time scoreline, the Terriers having been well on top having gone in front.
Front two Wells and Vaughan had given the Town backline as difficult an afternoon as they’ve had this season, while at the Blues had rarely threatened, although Tabb may feel he should have done better with his early chance and Murphy might have opted to shoot rather than take the ball past the keeper when he had his opportunity.
Manager Mick McCarthy opted to make two changes ahead of the second half with Teddy Bishop and Freddie Sears replacing Chaplow and Wood.
Huddersfield: Smithies, Scannell, James, Hudson (c), Smith, Lynch, Coady, Gobern, Butterfield, Wells, Vaughan. Subs: Allinson, Edgar, Wallace, Lolley, Holmes, Carroll, Majewski.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Fryers, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Chaplow (Bishop 46), Varney, Tabb, Murphy, Wood (Sears 46). Subs: Gerken, Clarke, Anderson, Williams, S Hunt. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland).