Huddersfield Town planning to keep plenty in reserve from Rhodes

LEE CLARK has revealed how a desire to keep Huddersfield Town striker Jordan Rhodes fresh for the entire season is behind last season's top scorer having started the last two games on the bench.

The 20-year-old was a revelation in his first campaign at the Galpharm Stadium as his 23 goals helped the Terriers reach the League One play-offs.

This time around, Rhodes has already found the net four times in the league as Town look to go one better than last term and clinch automatic promotion.

It means the former Ipswich Town striker again leads the way at the top of Huddersfield's goalscoring charts but that has not prevented him from being left on the bench for the recent wins over Leyton Orient, when he came on to score what was ultimately the winner, and Yeovil Town.

Manager Clark said: "Jordan could have considered himself unlucky (to be on the bench) because he has got goals this season.

"But the reason he didn't start the last two games is I want him to be fully energised for the full 10 months of the season.

"I don't want to get to March or April and he is feeling fatigued because he played every part of the early season games. He understands that. I want him flying come the end of the season."

Clark's reasoning is sound and backed up by statistical evidence, Rhodes having started last season in such scintillating form that he got to Christmas with 15 goals already to his name.

His scoring prowess then dropped off, however, with the final 28 league and cup games – of which Rhodes started all but one – yielding just eight more goals as the striker finished as the division's joint-sixth highest scorer.

Rhodes may not have started last Saturday against Yeovil but he did come off the bench to play his part in a stunning second-half comeback as Town came from two goals down to win 4-2.

The win was enough to power Huddersfield to the top of League One for the first time since October 2005 when Peter Jackson's side beat Walsall 3-1 to move a point clear of Southend United.

Defeat to Chesterfield the following week then saw Town surrender pole position to the Shrimpers, who six months later would clinch promotion as the Yorkshire side had to make do with a place in the play-offs.

Since then, the Terriers have risen as high as third – twice last term –and the challenge now is to maintain top spot in the coming back-to-back away games against Swindon Town and Rochdale.

Clark, for one, is certainly not getting carried away by his side's lofty position.

He said: "Let's not get too excited just because we are top. We have two very tough games coming up

"Being top in September means nothing but we are averaging two points a game, which if we stick to will usually be enough to get you promoted."

Meanwhile, Clark has assured Liam Ridehalgh he has a big role to play despite not being named in the starting line-up against Yeovil.

The teenaged left-back had started the previous three games after making a sterling debut in the home win over Charlton Athletic at the end of August.

He said: "It was a tough one. For the first time this season I didn't finalise the team until the morning as opposed to telling the lads on Thursday or Friday.

"I told Liam Ridehalgh how terrifically he has done for us. We have taken seven points from nine in the three games he has played.

"Unfortunately, though, you're talking about one of the best defenders in this League in Lee Peltier."