Facts
Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City fought out a 0-0 stalemate at the John Smith's Stadium as neither side did enough to break the deadlock in a game where both defences came out on top.
Russell Slade's side had the better chances, including Eoin Doyle's first-half header which was superbly pawed aside by Alex Smithies while Peter Whittingham saw his drive blocked by Murray Wallace.
Town's best opportunity fell to former Cardiff captain Mark Hudson, who missed out on a goal against his previous employers due to a stunning David Marshall stop.
Town team (3-5-2): Smithies; Smith, Hudson, Wallace; Scannell (Bunn, 88), Butterfield, Hogg (Lolley, 88), Coady, Robinson; Vaughan, Wells (Miller, 68). Not used: Murphy, Edgar, Gobern, Majewski.
Analysis
Poor pitchstifles Town - It was a largely turgid affair at the John Smith's Stadium, owing to caution from both managers in the first half and a surface which looked worn from the moment go and meant neither side could find any sort of rhythm.
Passes went astray and first touches were often miscontrolled as the turf took its toll and it resulted in the likes of Jacob Butterfield attempting ambitious long passes which failed to pay off.
In pictures: Huddersfield Town 0-0 Cardiff City
Main man
Alex Smithies - The only real positive to take from a disappointing afternoon, where Town were not able to seize an opportunity against a side who initially looked bereft of confidence after just one win in 12.
He proved his performance at Bournemouth last week was no fluke with some assured handling and one outstanding save to deny Doyle in the first half while also dealing with some treacherous backpasses that came his way.
Bigger picture
Home malaise continues - This looked, on paper at least, a great chance to stop what has been a small rot at the John Smith's Stadium but the form shown here at the tail end of 2014 was sadly lacking once more.
They looked solid throughout and Cardiff's pressure was only intermittent, but there was not enough cohesion from the Terriers in their play or the 3-5-2 setup which has served them so well all season.
