Exeter City 0 Huddersfield Town 4: Rhodes takes praise after sinking Grecians with another hat-trick

The hosts were certainly not helped by some chronic defending – with goalkeeper Artur Krysiak being hauled off at half-time – but that takes none of the shine off another excellent away performance which saw Huddersfield register a 38th league game without defeat.

Saluting the clinical Scotland Under-21 striker Rhodes, Clark said: “Jordan seems to be scoring every time he steps on the pitch at the moment and his goal ratio is ridiculous.

“All three of our strikers are doing brilliantly, though. I was upset when I had to leave out Lee Novak.

“Does Lee deserve to be left out? Of course he doesn’t, but then neither do Jordan or Alan Lee.

“They are all making a huge contribution.

“We’ve now scored 12 goals in our last four away games, and conceded just one. That’s a terrific return by anybody’s standards.”

Lee opened the scoring in the eighth minute when he beat the hapless Krysiak to Scott Arfield’s cross and Rhodes, who also netted a treble against the Grecians two years ago, made it 2-0 when he capitalised on a mix-up between Krysiak and Danny Coles.

Exeter rallied after the break and had a strike from former Barnsley forward Daniel Nardiello disallowed, and Guillem Bauza headed straight at Town goalkeeper Ian Bennett, but Rhodes made it 3-0 when he rifled in a volley from six yards.

Goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley, who replaced Krysiak, then flapped at a cross from substitute Huddersfield winger Danny Ward, who had replaced Gary Roberts, to allow Rhodes to head in from close range to complete his match-winning hat-trick.

Exeter City: Krysiak (Pidgeley 46), Tully (Sercombe 62), Archibald-Henville, Golbourne, Coles, Dunne, Noble, Oakley, Nardiello, Bauza (O’Flynn 80), Taylor . Unused substitutes: Bennett, Logan.

Huddersfield Town: Bennett, Woods, P Clarke, Kay, Hunt , Roberts (Ward 66), Johnson, Arfield, Miller, Rhodes, Lee (Novak 58). Unused substitutes: Colgan, Naysmith, Robinson.

Referee: K Stroud (Gillingham).

Man of the match: Jordan Rhodes.