The pressure is on at the John Smith’s Stadium – and not just for Huddersfield Town.
Blackburn Rovers cross the Pennines having also lost their first two games of the season, including a home Capital One Cup first-round defeat to a lower-level side.
While Town supporters won’t need a reminder that League II Notts County were 2-1 winners in West Yorkshire on Tuesday, League I Shrewsbury Town claimed a 2-1 victory at Ewood Park, where Rovers lost by the same scoreline against Wolves in their Championship opener.
Blackburn boss Gary Bowyer rung the changes for the Shrewsbury tie as Rovers went out to third-tier opposition for the fourth season in succession.
Town, defeated but not disgraced as they lost 2-0 at Hull City on day one, had been looking for a pick-me-up as well as a place in round two of the League Cup.
They played well enough up to the point where Murray Wallace headed them in front in the 34th minute.
But Liam Noble’s leveller came all too soon, and while the midfielder’s winner was a sweet strike, Town’s highly disappointing second-half performance left a sour taste.
Former Town striker Dale Tempest has warned against panic in his latest Examiner column.
But manager Chris Powell needs to get the fans back onside, and get some points on the board, fast.
Successive home league games – Brighton and Hove Albion arrive on Tuesday – provide a realistic chance.
Both Powell’s team selections so far have been perceived as too defensive by many supporters.
It would be good to see Town go firmly on the offensive against Rovers.
The hoped-for return of Sean Scannell after a hamstring injury would be a help.
And it would be great to see Nahki Wells follow up his encouraging pre-season form with a first competitive goal.
But, of course, Powell would take a strike from any of his players.
And a three-point haul would put a far better complexion on the campaign.
Town’s record against Blackburn is far from encouraging – they haven’t beaten them in 10 attempts – and old boy Jordan Rhodes has a tendency to cause problems on his returns to Huddersfield (five goals in three visits), so now would be a good time to improve matters.
