Their is a refusal to let recent hard work fizzle out

Tuesday night's hard-earned point at Brighton and Hove Albion mathematically ensured Huddersfield Town's Championship safety and onlookers will have perceived the weekend meeting with Derby County as one where the foot may be lifted from the accelerator ever so slightly.

But such is the confidence currently coursing through this Town side that they were never likely to let up, roll over and simply allow Derby, with this match having a lot more riding on it from a Rams perspective, to saunter their way to three points at the John Smith's Stadium.

Chris Powell is determined for Town to beat the points tallies from the previous two seasons and also secure a seven-game unbeaten run for the second time this season, with the first in November so far adorning the manager's time in charge.

Derby were perhaps slightly complacent in their approach and were far more deserving of the 3-1 half-time deficit than the Tom Ince goal which had initially handed them the advantage as they struggled to get to grips with the speed of Town's attack.

Town's high-octane start was a byproduct of improved recent form and a belief that this run of results can be carried on until the end of the season, with Powell's thirst for more points and perpetual goal setting rubbing off on his players.

Town will have had a significant say on the promotion picture

After the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town there were only three teams outside the top eight who had a better record against the division's chief octet and Derby were the latest to receive a stern examination of their promotion credentials with a trip to the John Smith's Stadium as they were forced to overcome a raucous home crowd, a triple salvo from Town ahead of the break and the setback of going 4-3 down in a quite incredible match.

It speaks volumes of the quality Town have shown against the division's Premier League wannabes that Middlesbrough are the only side from those battling for promotion to have secured the double over the Terriers, and even they needed a last-minute penalty following a Tommy Smith blunder.

Bournemouth and Wolves were the only other sides amongst the mix to emerge victorious on Town's own patch but both games offered exonerative circumstances and in the final reckoning, Town will know they have had a key say in who does and who doesn't win the race for the top flight.

They almost seemed to take Derby by surprise in that respect, taking the game to the Rams in a bid to atone for the defeat at the iPro Stadium back in November which brought their best run of the season of seven games to an abrupt halt.

This point may yet prove a crucial one for the visitors, particularly the manner of it given their two comebacks and the other results for clubs around them, but this was proof that this courageous Town outfit are a match for anyone on their day as they landed another slight dent in a top-eight side's promotion aspirations.

Oscar Gobern caps his renaissance - with something tangible

Having wandered back in from the wilderness and then gone on to cement his place in the starting XI across the last three games, this was perhaps the only way Gobern's stock could rise any higher.

Not known for his goalscoring ability, he timed his run off the front pairing of Nahki Wells and Ishmael Miller expertly before controlling Conor Coady's seeking lofted pass and then landing a calm, if bludgeoned, finish beyond Lee Grant's desperate dive.

The return to favour of Gobern in recent weeks has been nothing short of a fairytale for a midfielder who was on loan at League One outfit Chesterfield earlier this season having failed to impress former manager Mark Robins and it has certainly taken time time to convince Powell.

He is now representing one of many leaders on the pitch for Town, with his control of midfield affairs the strong point from his run of form during the club's own, which has directly coincided with his elevation to first-team status, and leaving Jonathan Hogg frustrated on the touchline at present.

But if there were any lingering doubts about whether or not Gobern represents a long-term option in the centre of midfield or not, he drove home an emphatic message to any existing doubters with his goal, a first in more than three years, to influence on the game in more ways than one.

Sky Bet Championship - Huddersfield Town (4) v Derby County (4) - Oscar Gobern goal.

There are goals everywhere you look in this Town side

A clinical Derby side's four-goal haul took Town's goals against tally up to 73 and served to highlight the reason Town themselves are not challenging for the major honours at the other end of the table.

But at the other end, there are no such struggles. Blackburn Rovers (59) and Nottingham Forest (69) are the sole teams in possession of a better goalscoring record in the Championship this season and they themselves played out a 3-3 draw on a matchday full of goals.

Town may not be able to boast a 20-goal-a-season striker in their ranks at present, even if Wells and James Vaughan both have the potential to challenge this league's finest hotshots when fully fit and firing, but they more than make up for that with various sources of firepower.

With Gobern adding forward surges to his game, captain Mark Hudson proving a regular threat from set pieces now and Reece James taking that notion one step further with a devilish right-wing delivery, Town have a potency throughout their side.

Powell will understandably be keen to address his side's remaining defensive deficiencies in the summer, but goals win games and, offered a straight trade between an attack which has ultimately steered his side to safety and an improved defensive record, goal-getting prevails over goal-stopping.

Defensive flaws the only blot on the copybook

As aforementioned, there will be a satisfaction Powell can take from this game in that his side looked lethal offensively, but he will have been left tearing his hair out at some fairly routine errors which handed Derby a path back into the contest.

He will question the over-playing and lack of pressure on the ball thereafter as Ince fired the visitors ahead early on and will equally ponder whether or not Smith could have got out to stop Stephen Warnock supplying a cross for substitute Simon Dawkins to reduce the arrears right at the start of the second period.

There was a neatness to the third and fourth goals and yet they were eminently avoidable once more, with Jesse Lingard handed far too much room to manoeuvre and strike low beyond Alex Smithies' futile dive before chief dangerman Ince was left more or less unattended to stroke home an important fourth.

Each member of the backline could be placed at fault for the goals but it owed as much to the collective defensive effort and the unerring quality of the Rams' finishing as it did individual errors.

Indeed, Powell faces a fine balancing act this summer when it comes to bolstering his rearguard as the main struggle has been consistency, but whether first-choice options will be brought in or if quality back-up is required to coax the best form out of his defenders on a regular basis remains a topic for discussion.