HUDDERSFIELD director of rugby Mark Sowerby believes the time has come for his senior players to stand up and be counted.

Sowerby’s side head to Harrogate tomorrow on the back of four straight National II North defeats.

That run is in stark contrast to their opening assault when they won four of their first five fixtures.

It’s a situation Sowerby finds hard to accept.

And he believes it’s down to the more experienced members of his side to find the spark that will help arrest the slide.

“What’s happened over the past few weeks has been pretty tough to take,” admitted Sowerby, who has brought 21-year-old hooker Tom Doughty in on loan from Doncaster.

“The vast majority of the players who have been part of this losing run are the same that helped us make such a tremendous start to the season, and it is a bit of a concern,

“Losing, just like winning, can become a bit of a habit. Right now it has the makings of becoming an addiction!

“But we clearly have the players to turn things round, and tomorrow I want to see our senior players start taking the lead.

“We need a spark from someone to get us going again, and we all know it’s the more experienced players who can provide that spark, someone like a Chris Johnson.

“As far as I’m concerned this type of situation is tailor-made for Johnno to take the bull by the horns and to get us back on track.

“If he does that and we get back to winning ways, I’m sure we’ll start to become a force again.”

Huddersfield: Slater, Davis, Stringwell, Rhodes, Harris, Sharpe, Whitehead, Hyde; Hinchcliffe, Johnson; Sutcliffe, L Paxman, B Paxman, Ryder; Van Vuuren. Subs: Battye, Doughty, Owen, Lewis, Hinchliff.