Ben Pringle’s first Town goal after 19 minutes saw the Blues to a battling 1-0 victory over Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium. Pringle netted in a first half largely dominated by the home side who missed a succession of chances and played the final quarter of a hour of the game with 10 men, Jonathan Hogg having picked up an injury after they had used all their subs.
Kevin Foley replaced Luke Hyam in an otherwise unchanged Town side, the midfielder having come off during Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat to Hull with a hamstring injury.
Youngsters James Blanchfield, who was offered a professional contract earlier this week, and Andre Dozzell travelled with the squad for experience but weren’t included in the matchday 18.
The Blues started with Pringle on the right and Freddie Sears on the left with Foley joining Jonathan Douglas in the centre of midfield and Brett Pitman and Daryl Murphy up front.
Huddersfield created the game’s first opening in the fifth minute, Jason Davidson whipping over a cross from the left for Kyle Dempsey, who powered a header back across the face of goal and wide when he should have scored.
On six Nahki Wells, who had a trial with Town as a teenager, looped an effort over Bartosz Bialkowski’s bar from distance with the Terriers starting the game well on top.
The home side again should have gone in front in the 10th minute when Wells broke through on goal behind Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith. The New Zealand international just about did enough to delay the Bermudian’s shot and when it finally came keeper Bialkowski had advanced off his line and blocked.
The West Yorkshiremen continued to dominate and on the quarter-hour Karim Matmour cut the ball across to Harry Bunn on the edge of the box but the ex-Manchester City youngster blazed over.
It had been all Huddersfield but on 19 the Blues, for whom Pringle and Sears had initially swapped flanks before Pitman moved wide on the left of a five-man midfield with the on-loan Fulham man moving inside, went ahead with their first shot of the game.
Foley challenged in the air midway inside the Terriers’ half and Pringle hooked the loose ball down the right for Murphy to chase. Joel Lynch sought to see the ball out of play but lost out to the Irishman, who sent over a deep cross to Pringle, who took a touch before smashing his first Town goal into the net off a defender.
The home side immediately looked to get back on terms but Wells under-hit his shot from the left of the area and Bialkowski claimed.
Wells continued to present the Terriers’ main threat and on 21 Bialkowski did well to push away the striker’s volley to his right.
Two minutes later, the Bermuda international hit another effort wide of the Town keeper’s right post after intercepting a Luke Chambers pass.
The Blues stemmed the tide in terms of clear-cut opportunities after the midway point in the first period, although with the home side continuing to have most of the ball and with the Town backline defending desperately at times.
On 39 the Blues had a chance to add to their lead from a Pringle freekick on the right but Murphy headed over.
Seconds before the end of the scheduled 45 minutes, Town created a third opportunity with their best move of the half.
Jonathan Douglas fed Pringle, who moved the ball on to Sears breaking down the left. The former Colchester man played in the overlapping Jonas Knudsen but Murphy turned the Dane’s low cross wide at the near post.
Referee Darren Bond ended the half soon afterwards with the Blues having managed to maintain their against-the-run-of-play 1-0 lead at the break.
Huddersfield dominated the first 20 minutes or so and had plenty of opportunities to go in front. But a combination of poor finishing, Bialkowski saves and desperate Town defending prevented them from not only taking the lead but from sealing the three points.
The Blues hadn’t managed a shot on goal when Pringle netted his goal after tenacious work from Murphy had forced Lynch into a mistake.
Town were more in the game after that - with willing runner Sears the main outlet - although with the home side still having most of the ball, albeit without seriously threatening Bialkowski’s goal further.
The Terriers dominated the opening minutes after the restart but without being able to breakthrough the determined Town back four.
Sears and Pitman switched flanks briefly at the start of the half before returning to the right and left respectively. On 51 Chambers was booked for pulling back Bunn as Huddersfield broke.
The home side were continuing to have most of the ball but were unable to find a way through the Blues’ massed ranks at the back.
Dempsey screwed a shot well wide from distance before Terriers boss David Wagner made a double change, swapping Matmour and Lynch for Jamie Paterson and Martin Cranie.
Huddersfield went close for the first time after the break on the hour when Terriers defender Tommy Smith’s shot deflected to Davidson eight yards out but the Australian international put the ball the wrong side of the post. A minute later the tiring Pringle was replaced by Kevin Bru.
On 64 Berra did superbly to block from Wells as the striker turned Paterson’s right-wing cross towards goal.
Huddersfield’s dominance was starting to look ominous but in the 66th minute the Blues came within an inch or so of extending their lead.
Sears did well to turn Smith’s clearance on to Murphy, who spun away from his man, found himself space and hit a low left-foot shot across Terriers keeper Jed Steer but just wide of the post.
On 69 the home side replaced Dempsey with Elvis Manu, then two minutes later Sears was somewhat harshly booked for a foul on the on-loan Brighton man.
Paterson curled a 25-yard strike from the left which Bialkowski claimed comfortably on 73, then Huddersfield’s Smith was booked for a foul on Pitman.
Four minutes later, Wells nodded Jonathan Hogg in on goal inside the area but Bialkowski was equal to the midfielder’s shot and Berra cleared the danger.
Soon after, ex-Watford man Hogg required treatment after appearing to injure his knee as he slid in to make a challenge and was forced to go off. Having used all their subs the home side were forced to end the game with 10 men. For Town, Ainsley Maitland-Niles replaced Foley for the final nine scheduled minutes.
A minute later the Blues had Bialkowski to thank for keeping them in front when, during a goalmouth scramble, the Pole made an instinctive save after Town’s Smith had diverted Paterson’s effort towards his own goal. The ball rebounded back into the six-yard box and Bialkowski gratefully claimed.
With the numerical advantage the Blues were under less pressure as the game moved into its final minutes and were even starting to get chances on the break.
On 87 Terriers keeper Steer was sent up for a rare corner but it came to nothing and Town were unable to make anything of his absence.
Two minutes later, Murphy broke down the right and lobbed into the path of Sears, who was crowded out as he looked to shoot.
Paul Digby was handed his Town league debut as a sub for Sears as the game moved into five additional minutes. Steer again went up front, this time for a freekick, but Murphy was unable to get onto Maitland-Niles’s long ball forward.
Deep into injury time the on-loan Arsenal youngster made a strong run forward and forced Cranie into a foul, helping see out the final moments.
Seconds later referee Bond’s whistle confirmed that the three points would go to the Blues and manager Mick McCarthy celebrated with his assistant Terry Connor on the touchline.
Having ridden their luck in the first half, the Blues defended in depth after the break and kept Huddersfield down to only a handful of opportunities, although Davidson will feel he certainly should have done better with his chance.
Town might have added to their lead in the closing stages when the Terriers were down to 10 men but were still largely concerned with hanging on to their one-goal lead rather than adding to it.
While Huddersfield will be wondering quite how they managed to lose having dominated the early stages so completely, it was just the ground-out, battling win the Blues needed having been defeated in their previous three matches.
The win moves Town up to ninth, now only four points off the play-off places with a game in hand on Sheffield Wednesday in sixth and Derby two points ahead of them in fifth. The Blues are next in action at home against Nottingham Forest next Saturday.
Huddersfield: Steer, Smith, Davidson, Whitehead, Hudson (c), Hogg, Matmour (Paterson 58), Bunn, Wells, Dempsey (Manu 69), Lynch (Lynch 58). Unused: Murphy, Husband, Holmes, Bojaj.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Knudsen, Pringle (Bru 61), Foley (Maitland-Niles 81), Douglas, Sears (Digby 90), Pitman, Murphy. Unused: Gerken, Touré, Tabb, Varney. Referee Darren Bond (Lancashire). Att: 12,644 (Town: 936)