Lynch's importance to this side underlined

It wasn't difficult to pinpoint just what went wrong for Huddersfield Town last night, likewise it hasn't all season as their defence crumbled under the second-half pressure applied by a Brentford side who sensed blood.

They tore through their opposition after a largely insipid first-half display and the frailties of the backline were once more exposed in brutal fashion by a side who simply had so much quality in attack.

What will disappoint Chris Powell most is that this was a similar lineup, setup and presumably formula to the one that had drawn 1-1 at Bournemouth just under three weeks previously but there was no such resolve here.

Joel Lynch's injury struggles so far in 2015 have hampered Town badly and prove that resilient performances at Millwall, Wigan Athletic and the excellent Cherries stalemate have papered over some cracks which were sadly evident here.

Mark Hudson's form has been patchy in his most experienced defensive colleague's absence and has particularly deteriorated over the last two games, while the likes of Tommy Smith and Murray Wallace are still learning their trade at this level with Town requiring the know-how of a seasoned performer in Lynch's mould to stop the rot.

Bunn is best suited to the left

There were few positives to take from this defeat and Powell will have been just as concerned by the intermittent nature of his side's attacking offerings, but there was a glimmer of light in the form of Harry Bunn.

He looked determined to put a disappointing personal showing at the weekend behind him and was typically industrious on the left flank, but his ninth goal of the season was not out of place in a game full of attacking quality.

The way he collected James Vaughan's pass, confidently sped away from Moses Odubajo and rifled a shot into the far bottom corner showed a real responsibility to haul his side level when their backs were pressed firmly against the wall and gave the Terriers a solid first-half foundation.

It was one that proved far from resistant but it all resulted from playing in his favoured left-sided role, where he is able to utilise his best traits of speed, power and strength.

Of his nine goals, five have come away from home when he has operated to the left of a lone striker, and he seems to fit the counter-attacking gameplan as well as anyone in the Town side which was certainly the case here as he thrived while others hid.

A new left-back may be on the agenda

Jack Robinson's first-half injury was untimely both in the context of this game and Town's season, with a late raid on the loan market for a deputy surely something Powell must pursue to avoid stretching his squad still further.

Fellow left-back Jake Carroll was handed the chance to stake his claim for a future at the club but failed to grasp it with his defending against the livewire Jota for the Bees' second goal proving the Irishman's nadir on the night.

Brentford came out going for the jugular after half-time and clearly targeted Carroll's side of the field as a potential area of weakness, but he was hardly helped by some poor defending from Jacob Butterfield and did actually improve as the game wore on.

But if Robinson's fitness issue proves serious enough to keep him sidelined for any prolonged period, Town must act immediately to avoid Carroll being their only tangible option in the position.

Powell has not spoken with any particular enthusiasm about a possible rise to the first team for Carroll, but he needs someone who can slot into the side without sacrificing on the qualities Robinson brings.

Jake Carroll made his first Huddersfield Town appearance of the season at Brentford
Jake Carroll made his first Huddersfield Town appearance of the season at Brentford

Coady is no longer an automatic starter

Given his standing until recently of featuring in each and every one of Town's matches this season, it was certainly a surprise not to see Coady start here as Powell opted to retain faith in those who simply had not delivered at the weekend.

Brentford's league placing and quality of personnel should not be overlooked, but Powell's decision not to bring others in to the first-team fold beyond Tommy Smith felt like a misjudgment.

He also failed to act quickly enough when the game was drifting away from his side and Coady's impact when he did arrive onto the field was minimal at best as he struggled to get to grips with the tempo of the game and the slick passing and movement the hosts had in abundance.

The Liverpudlian's absence from the starting XI for a third successive game felt significant because, while there were mitigating defences for leaving him out at Charlton following a recent bout of illness, he will have been as disappointed as most Town fans about failing to have any sort of role to play here.

The return of Jonathan Hogg, twinned with Powell's fluid formations and his recent illness have all merged to place doubt over whether or not Coady is still one of the first names on the manager's teamsheet.

Scannell's continued struggles a real cause for concern

It was yet another inauspicious performance from the winger, whose drop in form is probably best summed up by the heights he reached in downing the exact same opponents back in December.

Jake Bidwell returned to the Bees lineup but he could have been forgiven for approaching his latest contest up against Scannell with fear after being forced into submission by the Terriers wideman at the John Smith's Stadium.

Scannell was at the very acme of his talents this season as he drilled Town into a first-half lead after losing his marker before coercing the left-back into turning past his own goalkeeper as Powell's men clung on to a 2-1 win.

He represented a pale imitation of that player here, suffering from an apparent crisis of confidence once more as he struggled to get into any sort of rhythm with the ball at his feet.

Normally so positive and vibrant when posed with the task of taking on a full-back, here he looked tentative in everything he did and with such a key source of goals and assists becoming increasingly redundant when stationed on the right, Powell faces a difficult task in extracting any more out of a player who appears in the 'red zone'.