Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Huddersfield Town 3: Clark looking for old boss Reid to do Town a favour

Second-placed Southampton, level on points with the Terriers but with a significantly better goal difference, can join champions Brighton and go up by winning their game in hand at Reid’s relegation-threatened Plymouth tomorrow.

But any other result will take matters to a last-day climax when Huddersfield entertain Brentford and Southampton are at home to Walsall.

Boss Clark says he has no plans to watch the Monday night showdown, but quipped that Reid will benefit in the form of a couple of bottles of the finest wine should his strugglers shock the Saints.

Clark, signed by Reid when he was in charge at Sunderland, has the highest regard for his old manager and feels Reid’s professionalism gives Huddersfield hope they might receive the result they so desperately need.

Said the Town manager: “Peter is very motivated and has done an unbelievable job at Plymouth in difficult circumstances.

“He’s a fantastic manager and a man I’ve got tremendous respect for. He has had Plymouth fighting all season and I have got no doubt they will be on Monday.

“If he can pull it off, there will be a nice couple of bottles of red wine on their way to him.

“I won’t be watching the game. We’ll be training as usual and working towards the Brentford match.”

Town, already boasting a club record high points tally, set two new club records with a sixth-successive away win and 13th in all, and such is the momentum, Clark has no doubt they would excel in the play-offs – should they have to go down that route.

He asserted: “We can lift ourselves for the play-offs. The desire, commitment and the fact that we have gone 24 games unbeaten gives me the confidence that we will do well in the play-offs.

“You have got to move on. We have got two chances, the second automatic spot or winning the play-offs.”

Clark felt the manner of his side’s victory could not have been better as Town became the first team to do the double over Brighton this season in what was the Seagulls’ final game at Withdean Stadium.

He enthused: “My players have done me immensely proud, they were absolutely fantastic. I knew that Southampton were winning, so I thought let’s go for it. It was win or bust. We have got fantastic momentum and, most importantly in football, desire. The players have been outstanding and I couldn’t be more proud.

“Remember, Brighton are the best side in this division. We showed unbelievable quality, desire and commitment against the best side.”

Town chairman Dean Hoyle, who took part in Pedal for Pounds – a gruelling 260-mile cycle ride between Huddersfield and Brighton with the aim of raising around £250,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Huddersfield’s academy – had barely settled into his seat before loan striker Benik Afobe gave the Terriers an early lead.

Ashley Barnes levelled soon after the break by nodding in a rebound after goalkeeper Ian Bennett parried his penalty, before Afobe cashed in on another defensive error to restore Town’s advantage.

Substitute Matt Sparrow looked to have given Brighton a point when he rifled in a low angled shot but the impressive Daniel Ward, who came on for Jack Hunt nine minutes into the second half, clinched a dramatic win with an unstoppable left-foot shot after being fed by Afobe, and now all eyes are on Plymouth.

Brighton: Brezovan; Calderon, Greer, Elphick, Painter; Bennett, Bridcutt, Dicker, Noone (Sparrow 65); Wood (Hart 65), Barnes. Unused substitutes: Navarro, Holroyd, Kishishev, Dunk, Poke.

Huddersfield Town: Bennett; Peltier, Clarke, McCombe, Naysmith (Lee 87); Hunt (Ward 54), Gudjonsson (Rhodes 76), Arfield, Kilbane, Roberts; Afobe. Unused substitutes: Kay, Cadamarteri, Novak, Colgan.

Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset).

Man of the Match: Benik Afobe (Huddersfield).