TRANMERE kept League One’s form team on the back foot for much of a tight contest at Prenton Park – yet ended up losing by a scoreline that mocked their endeavours and left them uncomfortably close to the danger zone.

The saving grace of a frustrating afternoon for manager Les Parry and his staff was that none of the players who emerged from the home dressing room bore the look of downhearted men. They played too well.

Rovers stood up their reputation for giving the division’s top sides a hard time when they come to Birkenhead. But on this occasion they could not find the cutting edge in front of goal that delivered notable home wins over Peterborough, MK Dons and Southampton and a draw against leaders Brighton.

The scoring opportunities went begging, many a promising situation was squandered and a succession of sharply delivered free kicks and corners from the left foot of Aaron Cresswell went unexploited.

As a consequence Huddersfield secured a victory with goals at the end of each half that extended their unbeaten run to 19 games and kept them in the second automatic promotion spot.

The first by Benik Afobe on 39 minutes climaxed a flurry of intense pressure on the Tranmere goal. The second one 87 minutes was clinically finished by Lee Novak but left the home players complaining that the Huddersfield substitute was aided by an off the ball decoy run by Gary Roberts as he moved back from an offside position.

The second strike rubbed salt into the wound but it also served to underline how Huddersfield’s lavish investment in players is liable to deliver that little touch of class where and when it is needed.

The visitors brought 2,165 followers to Prenton Park, so many that scores spilled into an overflow section of the Johnny King Stand after filling the Cowshed end.

“We’ve got more fans than you,” they sang. And that much was true by the end of the afternoon as disappointed home supporters headed for the exit once the second goal settled the outcome.