Town’s play-off aspirations suffered a significant blow as they were beaten 2-1 at Huddersfield. Nahki Wells and James Vaughan gave the Terriers a two-goal half-time lead and despite Luke Varney netting three minutes after the break the Blues were unable to get back on terms.
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, wearing their orange away kit, threatened for the first time in the third minute when Chaplow crossed from the right and the ball reached Jay Tabb at the far post, Huddersfield defender Tommy Smith - one of their three centre-halves - cleared his effort 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 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, previously without a win in seven, gained greater belief and soon after Wells might have done better from James Vaughan’s cut-back from the left but scraped his shot out for a throw.
Sean Scannell, who was giving Fryers a difficult afternoon, claimed a penalty when he clashed with the loanee left-back as he broke beyond him but referee Tony Harrington, probably correctly, felt he’d made a lot of not much contact.
Huddersfield continued to look much 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 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.
The Blues never looked like pulling a goal back before the half was brought to a close by referee Harrington’s whistle.
Town, 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 their 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 McCarthy opted to make two changes ahead of the second half with Teddy Bishop and Freddie Sears replacing Chaplow and Wood.
Three minutes after the restart, the Blues pulled a goal back. Tabb crossed from the left and Varney flicked his first Town goal into the corner of the net across Smithies.
The early goal woke the previously quiet Town following behind the goal and almost immediately the Blues went close again. Berra headed Tabb’s left-sided corner back across the area from deep but Smithies grabbed the ball ahead of Smith.
There was a big scare for the Blues on 51 when Wells escaped on the right of the box but shot off skipper Luke Chambers and into the side-netting.
From the resultant corner the Terriers would have regained their two-goal lead but for a remarkable double save from Bialkowski, who somehow blocked from Hudson at close range and then Vaughan after he seized on the loose ball.
Just after the hour mark Bishop skipped away from two Huddersfield players in the middle of the field before feeding Sears, who cut in and hit a shot which was too close to Smithies.
Jonny Williams made his long-awaited return to action in the 67th minute, taking over from Tabb. The on-loan Palace midfielder’s most recent game was the final match of his previous spell with the Blues - the 1-0 home victory over Watford when he suffered his groin injury - back in November.
The Blues had been better after the break with Bishop adding some creativity and Sears more of a threat but without ever putting the home side under any major pressure.
On 78 Butterfield hit a 20-yard strike which Bialkowski saved to his left then Berra did well to get ahead of Wells as he ran onto a ball from the left.
From the resultant corner, Bialkowski failed to claim but Wells shot over from a tight angle on the right.
Smith curled a shot wide for Town on 87 but the home defence were still looking comfortable as the fourth official’s board announced four additional minutes.
Despite Berra having been sent forward to join the attack the Terriers were able to see out the final moments with little drama and referee Harrington’s whistle confirmed the Blues’ defeat.
After the dismal first half, Town improved after the break having pulled back the early goal but they never really got on top and rarely threatened to get back on terms with Smithies not forced into a serious save.
Half-time subs Sears and Bishop made something of an impact before fading, while Williams fleetingly showed his class but unsurprisingly after so long out looked a touch rusty, but even so Huddersfield had the better chances and would have won by more but for Bialkowski’s excellent double save.
The result sees the Blues stay seventh - for the moment with Wolves in action at home to Leeds later this evening - but now a point behind Brentford who drop to sixth after drawing 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest and three points off Derby in fifth, who have a significantly better goal difference.
Huddersfield: Smithies, Scannell (Wallace 90), James, Hudson (c), Smith, Lynch, Coady, Gobern, Butterfield, Wells (Edgar 83), Vaughan (Lolley 90). Unused: Allinson, Holmes, Carroll, Majewski.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Fryers, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Chaplow (Bishop 46), Varney, Tabb (Williams 67), Murphy, Wood (Sears 46). Unused: Gerken, Clarke, Anderson, S Hunt. Referee: Tony Harrington (Cleveland).