Pub Fact: This was Southend's first home draw in 21 league and cup games since the 1-1 result with Stockport County on October 11th, 2008.
Blues boss Steve Tilson decided not to play new signing M'Voto from Sunderland and start skipper Adam Barrett and Colchester loanee Matt Heath in the central defence and the other Col U man John White at left back.
He also selected a more defensive looking midfield with all three of Grant, Christophe and McCormack lining up with the Moose on the left.
Laurent then started in his favoured central position up front along with Barnard.
The Col U Two, White and Heath, both made solid debuts in the back four, the latter surviving an early yellow card
Southend certainly started brightly with tackles going in hard and fast, while the speed and accuracy of the passing brought applause from the majority in the 8,059 crowd basking in hot August sunshine.
For all their spending the West Yorkshire side seemed all over the place at times, the advantage of playing them first when they had so many new faces in their side.
However, their central defensive pairing of Roberts and ex-Blue Peter Clarke was run ragged throughout the game, while the other former Roots Hall favourite, striker Theo Robinson was kept quiet mainly because his main asset of pace was never given the chance to shine.
'Oh Lord Lee Barnard', scored against the Terriers, again!
Something had to give and it took only 14 minutes for Southend take the lead through a Lee Barnard penalty.
Anthony Grant spun around Terriers defender Robbie Williams into the penalty area and was brought down, the offence only given by referee Cook after being signalled by the linesman.
The good Lord did the rest by sending away keeper Alex Smithies the wrong way and the ball settling into the right hand side of the net. Lee's fifth goal against Huddersfield in four starts.
The home crowd were soon on their feet again, but this time shouting for a red card as Francis Laurent was carried off on a stretcher following a strong challenge by Andy Butler.
Cook decided it was not even worth a yellow, though he did get a card soon after for a 23rd-minute tug on Laurent's replacement James Walker, Butler was lucky to still be on the pitch.
Huddersfield had a couple of shots, ex-Stockport man Pilkington looking lively, but were continually pulled apart by the Blues midfield who were running the show, and it was the Moussa who came closest to doubling the lead with a 42nd-minute shot that was well saved by the impressive Smithies.
The Moose had to wait until after the break to make his mark. The SUFC Exiles sponsored player finishing off an excellent passing move involving McCormack by slotting home in the 59th minute.
Tiredess had to come into play in the second half in such warm conditions and it was hard to see how the Blues midfield, having put so much effort in could keep going at such a pace. Captain Adam was certainly showing his lack of training after returning from his ankle injury so soon.
Maybe Tilly should have made some earlier substitutions but it was the away manager, Lee Clark, who reacted to his side's beating first by replacing both his forwards Robinson and Simpson with fellow debutants Rhodes and Lee Novak, it proved decisive.
They also turned to a more attacking 4-3-3 with the former Ipswich favourite Michael Collins making inroads down the left.
Novak then had a 70th-minute shot cleared off the line brilliantly by Francis before, only sixty seconds later, Pilkington pulled a goal back when he volleyed home from Gary Roberts' cross.
McCormack nearly restored Southend's two goal lead, heading onto the crossbar from Walkers cross.
Novak though was back in the game again when Steve Mildenhall pushed away a hard low drive in the 73rd-minute drive before Rhodes took adavntage of some poor defending, heading in from close range in the 80th minute.
Mildenhall really must come for the ball more decisively, there were a couple of chances to punch the ball to safety.
Freedman eventually came on for Barnard but the Blues found themselves with playing against ten men when Collins was shown a straight red card after stupidly throwing the ball directly at Simon Francis.
To his credit Huddersfield boss Lee Clark agreed, telling his official site: "Michael said he threw the ball at the player and deserved to go. It is totally out of character, not like him at all and it could have cost us being a man down. I told the players that I hadn't been happy with the discipline of some of the challanges that occured in the first half. I want us to be competitive but I want us to keep our discipline and even though I stressed that to the players at half time, we still went down to ten men, which was disappointing."
Tilly then brought on Betsy for Christophe to try and stretch the Terriers and it nearly worked when a post was struck in the dying stages but it was not to be.
Overall United can feel aggrieved to have let two points slip yet the positives far outweigh the negatives with the battles, and M'Voto, to come.
A promising start.
Southend United: Mildenhall - 6, Francis - 7, Heath - 7, Barrett - 6, White - 7, Grant - 6, Christophe - 6 (Betsy 87), McCormack - 8, Moussa - 8, Laurent - 6, (Walker 20 - 7), Barnard - 8, (Freedman 84 - 6).
Huddersfield Town: Smithies - 8, Peltier- 6, Collins - 7, Clarke - 6, Roberts - 6 (T Clarke 84), Kay - 6, Robinson - 5 (Novak 59 - 7), Simpson 5 (Rhodes 56 - 7), Williams - 6, Butler - 6, Pilkington - 8.