Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner was pleased with how his side executed his game plan after the 1-1 draw at Derby County.
After two successive SkyBet Championship away defeats at Bristol City and Nottingham Forest, the German head coach made four changes to the side which beat Preston North End at the John Smith's Stadium on Friday.
And it was this team selection along with Town's counter-attacking approach as opposed to the usual 'gegenpressing' style which left many frustrated at the resultant draw.
After taking the lead through a ninth minute Collin Quaner strike, Town had to settle for a point after Jacob Butterfield's deflected strike drew the Rams level with two minutes remaining.
And with Newcastle United losing 3-1 at Ipswich Town earlier in the day, many felt it was an opportunity wasted for Wagner's side.
However, the German boss not only insisted the Terriers focus is solely on the Play-Offs but the Derby result, and more importantly the performance, was perfect preparation for the end of season lottery.
“We wanted to give Derby the ball, we wanted to play on the counter and show we are able to manage teams away from home,” David Wagner said.
“It was a totally different game plan to the one we have done before and I think it worked out over a long period of the game.
“I was very pleased with the performance - especially after the last away games when we weren't very stable and compacted.
“We took a step in the right direction with this performance - of course we are disappointed because the equaliser was late, but I am pleased how we managed the game.
"This is not an easy place to come but we kept them away from our goal for most of the game and we deserved the draw.
“At home we are so strong and confident but away we have shown we need to try something else.
“We wanted to progress and show we are able to manage results because we have the play-offs in the back of our heads.
"If we are in the play-offs, it will be very important to manage the away games against good opponents."
Despite the credible draw, other results mean Huddersfield Town dropped down to fourth in the table with the race for the top six tightening up with just a handful of games to go.
On the Play-Offs, David Wagner added: "If we secure a play-off spot then we will be very happy. We are humble and we know how difficult it is to get points in this division.
"We are Huddersfield Town and to have this points total is an unbelievable achievement. We have to focus on ourselves and not Newcastle.
"We are in a wonderful position but we do not have enough points yet. We would like to have more points and we would like more good performances.
