As Chris Powell said afterwards, to pick up points in a division as competitive as the Championship, teams like Town have to be at their maximum every match.

They fell below that at Molineux, and paid the price as Wolves stepped on the gas in the second half.

Town, who lacked penetration up front and once again failed in their clean-sheet quest despite decent displays by defenders Joel Lynch and Martin Cranie and midfielder Dean Whitehead, suffered the heaviest of their four league defeats so far.

After the pick-me-up of six points from the wins over Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers and the comeback draw against Nottingham Forest, this was a big disappointment.

It’s important not to overreact. It was a first defeat in four and Wolves, who also put three without reply past Fulham last Tuesday, have greater resources than Town.

But so do most of the clubs in the second tier, which brings us back to manager Powell getting the best out of the players at his disposal if his side are to look up rather than nervously over their shoulders.

The next transfer window could well prove crucial, but there’s a lot of football to be played before January, starting with a tough trip to Ipswich Town after the international break.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Kortney Hause and Huddersfield Town's Harry Bunn (front) battle for the ball

The boss had fielded the same starting XI in four successive games, but is it time for a tweak here and there?

There could be enforced changes, since the initial loan spells of Aston Villa keeper Jed Steer and Bournemouth centre-back Elliott Ward end this week.

Joe Murphy is on his way back from a calf injury while skipper Mark Hudson was on the bench at Wolverhampton after recovering from a damaged ankle.

But the borrowed men have made their mark – despite shipping three goals, Steer made some good saves at Molineux – and Powell is interested in keeping both for the time being.

Town, of course, have three other loan players, and there’s no doubt about the talent of Emyr Huws, although the Wigan Athletic midfielder wasn’t as influential as in previous games as Wolves’ Kevin McDonald ran the show.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Nathan Byrne (right) and Huddersfield Town's Sean Scannell battle for the ball

While Mustapha Carayol has also made a contribution, the Middlesbrough winger was unable to win his duel with rangy right-back Dominic Iorfa – and over on the right flank, Sean Scannell never got going.

And is it time for Powell to promote Jamie Paterson, who came on for the closing stages, to the starting side?

Nottingham Forest’s former Walsall forward, who has 29 goals on his CV, has been here for more than a month, but has so far played only 90 minutes in total.

There’s more to a striker’s role than scoring, but ultimately goals are the name of the game, and while Bunn has notched just the once this season, Miller has yet to get off the mark.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Benik Afobe celebrates scoring his side's third goal

Meanwhile Nahki Wells, Town’s club-record signing and last season’s 14-goal leading scorer, had to make do with a place on tbe bench for the fourth game in a row.

Town created chances, particularly in the opening stages, but were unable to take them before home midfielder McDonald changed the pattern of the game with his slick 23rd-minute opener, curled home after a neat one-two with James Henry.

Any next goal was always going to be crucial, and it was former Town striker Benik Afobe, flagged up as a real dangerman by Powell beforehand, who claimed it in the 66th minute.

Town never put up a convincing case for a fightback, and Afobe, who came to life after a quiet first half, sealed it with his second in the closing stages.