Huddersfield Town boss Michael Duff believes his side should be pleased with their current League One position as they near the halfway point of the campaign.

The Terriers sit fourth in the division, on 42 points from 21 matches played, following their 1-0 victory at home to fifth-placed Stockport County on Boxing Day.

Reflecting on his side’s season to date, Duff told HTTV: “We’re a lot better as a group than what we were at the start. We unearthed a few things we didn’t like, which we think we’ve sort of ironed out. I don’t think there’s anyone in the building that if you’d have offered them two points a game after 21 games, they’d have all taken it.

READ MORE: Michael Duff hits out at Huddersfield Town refereeing decision after narrow Stockport County win

READ MORE: Every word Michael Duff said on Huddersfield Town's injury list, Joe Hodge and Sorba Thomas

“We can’t control what’s going on above us, they’ve been on brilliant runs. All we can do is look after ourselves, and if we can do the same in the next 21 games, I’d take that now as well.”

Town extended their unbeaten run in the division to 12 matches with their victory against the Hatters, with Duff’s side having taken 30 points from the last 36 available.

On his side’s strong form, the head coach said: “They were different types of results. We haven’t been brilliant in all of them, we’ve not been rubbish in all of them either, but the results have been consistent wins.

“I can bore the life out of you with certain things that we have to do during the week, but they’ve shown a willingness to adapt and learn. We said at the start, we didn’t think they were a bad group, they were just used to losing.

“You can change managers and players, but sometimes it’s a cultural thing at a football club, that’s why people in my position often ask for time obviously, because you need it to try and change those things.”

An own goal from Lewis Bate inside the opening minute proved decisive in Town’s Boxing Day encounter at the John Smith’s Stadium, and Duff acknowledged that his side weren’t at their best in the contest.

“It sounds like a ridiculous thing to say that sometimes you can score too early, because all the game plans that you’re working on all week – them as well – it sort of all goes out of the window within 55 seconds,” said Duff.

“It was a good game against a good opponent. We weren’t brilliant, there’s no getting away from that. I think the referee’s made a massive call when I think it’s a penalty, I’m not saying he’d score it but it’s an opportunity to go 2-0 up, and I think the outlook of the game looks completely different.

“It’s finding a way to win. We can be miles better than that, we know that. We were really good last Friday and won 4-0, today we weren’t very good but we won, that’s the key. It’s the same three points.

“We want to be better than that at home obviously, because we didn’t put enough passages of play together, and in the end, we had to go 5-4-1 because we just kept tossing the ball away. Every time we made five or six passes, we opened them up, we just didn’t do it often enough.

“There’s things to work on as always, but we’ve been better than that this season and lost, so that’s the key – that mentality of just win, win, win.”

Town host bottom-of-the-table Burton Albion next up on Sunday in a quick turnaround. On his side’s next clash, Duff said: “The supporters will probably [say] ‘well go on then, beat them’, because we’re in the top four and they’re in the bottom four, but as we know, it doesn’t quite work like that. We have to have the same mindset that we want to win.”