Huddersfield Town need to step up significantly before the Championship season kicks off in a fortnight.

The 4-3 defeat by Rochdale at Spotland posed as many questions as it answered for manager Chris Powell and the fans and, to be fair, most of the answers we knew already.

Jacob Butterfield is a class apart from anyone else in the Town squad.

Nahki Wells is a real predator when Town can feed him the ball around the opposition box and newly signed prospects Kyle Dempsey and Jordy Hiwula have plenty to offer as they step into second tier football.

Unfortunately the questions all came about because of Town’s miserable start to the match and woeful first 45 minutes.

In pictures: Rochdale AFC 4-3 Huddersfield Town

Town played with nowhere near enough intensity, authority or organisation and Rochdale, making use of pockets of space and shocking marking, went 2-0 up inside 15 minutes thanks to a firmly planted Calvin Andrew header and a brilliantly-worked close-range finish from Lewis Alessandra, following superb passing between Joe Rafferty, Andrew and Callum Camps.

Powell’s side got back in it on 23 minutes thanks to a wonderfully curled free-kick from Nahki Wells from inside the D, after Harry Bunn had been felled by Rafferty, but they still didn’t get into their stride and, after a warning shot from Camps which flashed inches wide of Alex Smithies’ left hand post, he delivered a screamer of a striker from 35 yards to put Rochdale 3-1 up on the half hour.

Fortunately for Town, Butterfield got on the ball barely a minute later and laid a magnificent pass for Wells to cross and Sean Scannell to finish smartly at the back post, but that still wasn’t the signal for Town to tighten up and take a grip of the game.

 With seven minutes to the break, a cross from Andrew caused confusion between Dean Whitehead and Mark Hudson and, with the former kicking the ball against the skipper, it fell nicely for Camps to score again from close range.

Huddersfield Town's Mark Hudson and Rochdale AFC's Calvin Andrew in the air Pre season friendly Rochdale AFC v Huddersfield Town 25/07/15 (Pic by John Rushworth)

That summed up a miserable first half from Town and one which left them too much to do in the second period.

Wells gave Town the ideal start, firing in at Lillis’s near post with just three minutes gone from the re-start, and the men in yellow looked a lot sharper after that, with Scannell getting involved and Butterfield pushing forward, prompting as much as he could.

Wells should have equalised when played in by Lolley on 52 minutes, the striker missing his volley after chesting down the pass, and Lolley produced a brilliant burst past the defence only to clip his shot wide with only the keeper to beat.

Most in Town’s travelling contingent in a crowd of 1,165 thought it was in, but the ball drifted agonisingly wide of Lillis’s left hand post.

Huddersfield Town's Joe Lolley Pre season friendly Rochdale AFC v Huddersfield Town 25/07/15 (Pic by John Rushworth)

Town continued on the front foot – although Rochdale knew they only had to protect a lead – and were unlucky not to equalise again 11 minutes from time when Lillis touched a Wells shot onto a post and Hiwula’s follow up was deflected wide.

Butterfield, again, was at the heart of pretty much all Town’s good work, while Jonathan Hogg got the last 10 minutes to launch his pre-season and Murray Wallace caught the eye with a surging run, having replaced Joel Lynch who might otherwise have been sent off for a scything challenge on Kisimba Kisimba.

Town’s general play and especially defending were worrying in the first half, though, and the positive response was the bare minimum that the fans deserved.

They need to build on that second half now against Deportivo on Wednesday at the John Smith’s and learn some valuable lessons from the horrors of the first 45.

Rochdale: Josh Lillis, Joe Rafferty (James Hooper 54), Ashley Eastham, Calvin Andrew, Lewis Alessandra (Nyal Bell 70), Reuben Noble-Lazarus (Donal McDermott 66), Brian Barry-Murphy, Michael Rose, Callum Camps (Jamie Allen 70), Kisimba Kisimba, Tom Kennedy. Subs not used: Steve Collis, Jimmu McNulty, Oli Lancashire, Peter Vincenti, Scott Tanser, Andrew Cannon, Ian Henderson.

Town: (4-2-3-1) Alex Smithies; Tommy Smith, Joel Lynch (Murray Wallace, 71), Mark Hudson (c), Martin Cranie; Jacob Butterfield, Dean Whitehead (Jonathan Hogg, 80); Harry Bunn (Jordy Hiwula, 67), Joe Lolley (Kyle Dempsey, 73), Sean Scannell; Nahki Wells (Adam Hammill, 83). Subs not used - Lloyd Allinson, William Boyle

Attendance: 1,165