On the six previous occasions that Charlton have scored in the first half away from home, they have gone on to claim all three points on five occasions.

The exception was at Crystal Palace so the portents were good when they took an early lead at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Chris Powell opted to stick with the team and 4-4-2 formation that produced such an entertaining performance at Peterborough on Tuesday. Dale Stephens was fit enough to displace Andy Hughes on the bench in the only change to the midweek squad.

Huddersfield were buoyed by grabbing two late goals on Tuesday to beat Middlesbrough.  The Terriers have a solid, if unspectacular, record at home and went into the match on the back of a nine match unbeaten run at the John Smith’s. The pitch was another to suffer from the weather this season and was in poor shape.

Goal scoring has been Huddersfield’s problem this season but losing the prolific Jordan Rhodes to Blackburn was always going to give them problems.

Charlton went ahead in the third minute with a move straight off the training ground. The Addicks were awarded a free-kick on the left of the Huddersfield penalty area. Chris Solly rolled the ball to Callum Harriott who cracked an unstoppable shot just inside Alex Smithies’ right-hand post.

The visitors had a couple of opportunities to extend their lead before the break. Lawrie Wilson’s header from a Johnnie Jackson free-kick from the right was hooked off the line and a clever through ball from Harriott put Danny Haynes through with just Smithies to beat. The keeper foiled Haynes though, saving the striker’s effort with his feet.

Huddersfield pressed forward after the break and virtually all of the second period was played in the Charlton half.

Huddersfield manager, Mark Robins, introduced Alan Lee and Danny Ward to the action early in the second half, in an attempt to stretch the game.

Chris Powell took Ricardo Fuller off midway through the half and put Dorian Dervite on to sit in front of the back-four. Cedric Evina replaced Harriott with eleven minutes to go and Jonathan Obika was a late replacement for Haynes.

The Terriers pumped plenty of high balls into the box but David Button was on his mettle and withstood the buffeting he received from the burly Huddersfield forwards.

The Addicks saw the game out, keeping their first clean sheet for over three months. That was at Millwall at the beginning of December, the same day that their hosts last suffered a home defeat.

Charlton moved up to 12th in the table, inching ever closer to preserving their Championship status.

Charlton: Button; Solly, Taylor, Morrison, Wiggins; Wilson,  Pritchard, Jackson, Harriott (Evina 79); Fuller (Dervite 66), Haynes (Obika 88).

Subs (not used): Hamer, Stephens, Wagstaff, Green.

Goal: Harriott 3.

Booked: Harriott 17 (foul), Taylor 48 (foul), Wiggins 77 (time-wasting).

Huddersfield: Smithies; Hunt, Gerrard, Clarke, Dixon; Clayton, Norwood (Ward 54), Gobern (Arfield 81), Danns; Robinson (Lee 54), Novak.

Subs (not used): Bennett, Woods, Wallace, Atkinson.

Booked: Lee 88 (foul), Danns 90 (foul).

Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).

Attn: 13,591 (470 Charlton).