A strong Town U23 side, featuring seven players who have been involved with the first-team this season, were beaten 2-0 by a young Huddersfield team at Portman Road in the U23 Premier League Cup on Monday night.
Brett Pitman, Kevin Bru, Leon Best, Jonny Williams, Dean Gerken, Josh Emmanuel and Myles Kenlock all started for Gerard Nash's side in what was an unusually strong line-up, with the U18s facing Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in the FA Youth Cup tomorrow when Andre Dozzell appears likely to be among those involved.
Pitman was playing his first game since suffering an ankle injury at Leeds at the end of September.
Adam McDonnell curled an early freekick well wide of George Dorrington's post, then at the other end and with the half hour mark approaching Gerken did well to gather Jack Boyle's dipping long-range effort at the second attempt.
Jordan Williams then got the better of Jonny Williams in midfield and the young right-back strode forward and hit a low drive that flew just wide of Gerken's right-hand post.
In the final minute of the half the Yorkshire side took the lead with a well-worked set-piece routine.
A short corner was pulled back to Boyle who had advanced from a deep position and he then rifled a shot from 25 yards past Gerken and into the top corner.
On 54 Bru burst forward but blazed over when he should have at least tested Dorrington, and midway through the half Chris Smith saw a goalbound header deflected wide from a corner.
However, the visitors should really have doubled their lead with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Sub James Blanchfield gave the ball away and released Ollie Dyson, but Gerken was out quickly to block. George Fowler then got back to keep Regan Booty's follow up effort out to keep Town in the game.
The closest the Blues came to levelling the scores was when Jonny Williams's long-range effort was deflected before being acrobatically tipped over his bar by Dorrington.
The Terriers then broke forward and sealed their win on 89. A neat one-two on the left released Lewis O'Brien, who took the ball forward unchallenged before firing an unstoppable shot across Gerken and into the top corner.
Despite having more of the ball, Town couldn't find that cutting edge and were all too often unable to make the final ball count.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium and Dorrington was only tested with efforts from outside the area.
Kenlock and Emmanuel were offering most of Town's width but none of the senior pros controlled the game or looked particularly dangerous throughout.
U23s: Gerken, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Bru, Fowler, C Smith, McDonnell (Blanchfield 75), Williams, Best (McLoughlin 71), Pitman, Benyu. Unused: Marshall, Hayes, Wilton.