Rovers are drifting. They end 2020 out of form and out of the Championship’s top half and with just one win in their last seven matches.

That followed an unbeaten run of seven matches, a frustrating theme which encapsulates this team since promotion from League One.

That leaves them making little progress, having now lost nine of their Championship matches, and approaching halfway looking far from a team able to compete for a top six spot they crave over a consistent stretch.

They are underachieving, and any positive statistics from earlier in the season are now drifting away, having now gone over two months without a clean sheet and their goal gluts having dried up.

Twice Rovers allowed Naby Sarr the freedom of the penalty box to find the back of the net, giving away cheap goals once again, having seemingly got out of jail with Sam Gallagher's equaliser four minutes from time.

Rovers were looking for the ball in behind from the first minute, but Huddersfield equally looked a threat in behind, a game between two sides who looked happier with the ball than without it.

It resembled a basketball match at times, the ball exchanging sides particularly quickly, with neither side able to have any control, but what it did bring about was an open game.

There was fluidity of movement from both, plenty of pointing and passing on of runners, the respective managers frustrated at various points of the opening stages.

Rovers had made three changes for the game, but one of them was reversed inside 11 minutes, Lewis Holtby replacing Tom Trybull who couldn’t shake off a late Lewis O’Brien challenge.

Trybull did have a hand in an early Rovers chance, his pass to Armstrong sent on to Harvey Elliott whose shot was blocked behind.

Elliott failed to hit the target with an effort from the edge of the box, after good work down the left from Ben Brereton, as Rovers looked to build up ahead of steam.

Rovers changed the left side of their defence as Amari’i Bell replaced Barry Douglas, but Huddersfield were looking to target that channel with the deep runs of Juninho Bacuna, Daniel Ayala fortunate to escape what looked to be a pull on the midfielder as he ran in behind.

Either side of the half hour mark the two sides’ respective dangerman, Bacuna and Armstrong, traded shots.

Kaminski palmed one Bacuna effort away at his near post, with a more comfortable save from a 20-yard effort as Huddersfield exchanged passes in and around the Rovers box.

Ryan Schofield pulled off a save of the season contender to deny Armstrong soon after, the keeper getting a strong hand to Armstrong’s left-foot snap-shot from inside the six yard box after Bradley Johnson had an effort blocked.

That came in the 27th minute, while just after the half hour Armstrong dragged a shot wide of the post after collecting a Brereton pass.

He would have expected to at least hit the target with a chance seven minutes for the break, found unmarked inside the box after a break down the right by Ryan Nyambe, but he wrapped his foot around his shot too much, only able to find the side-netting.

Harry Toffolo suffered the same fate with the final effort of the first half, found completely unmarked from Isaac Mbenza’s cross as Rovers were found short of numbers, the full back disappointed not to have done better.

Rovers had managed shy of 42 per cent possession in half, a rarity on recent showings, and went a sixth consecutive game without a goal in the opening 45 minutes.

Then, eight minutes into the second half, for the sixth game in a row, Rovers conceded first. Centre half Naby Sarr was able to pull off the shoulder of two defenders to head into the corner unchallenged.

A ninth game without a clean sheet almost got worse, Fraizer Campbell meeting a right wing corner, only to head into the arms of Kaminski. Bar two blocked Armstrong shots, the hosts were the ones looking more the likely to find a goal.

Rovers turned to Bradley Dack, as well as John Buckley and Sam Gallagher, after a desperate start to the second half. Stewart Downing arrived as Ayala limped off, compounding Rovers’ miserable run of injuries in defence.

Rovers were looking lopsided as Huddersfield attacked down their left, Eiting and Toffolo both whipping shots wide of the target when free on the edge of the box.

All the Rovers changes appeared to do was add confusion, huge gaps between the back and front and very little suggestion of an equaliser, Dack virtually a passenger after coming on.

There was no indication of the frantic finish that would ensure, Gallagher equalising when lashing home after Armstrong’s shot was parried, only for an unmarked Sarr to smash home the winner just as the fourth official put up five additional minutes.