Huddersfield Town 2 Colchester United 1: Town will press Leeds down to the wire, says hero Novak

Town head to relegation-threatened Exeter needing to win their final game and overhaul a five-goal margin while hoping Leeds lose at home to Bristol Rovers and other results go for them in order to finish second.

"It's a slim chance but we scored six at Stockport the other week and we will not give up the chase for automatic promotion until it's all over," said Saturday's last-gasp match-winner.

Novak came off the bench to volley home his 14th goal of the season with the last kick of the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time to increase the pressure on the four teams above them in the fight for second place.

Leeds lead the way on 83 points, a point clear of both Millwall and Swindon, who meet at the Den on Saturday, with Leeds' conquerors Charlton, who head to Oldham, a further point adrift and one ahead of Town.

Like manager Lee Clark, Novak, plucked from non-league football with Gateshead, is a lifelong Newcastle United fan and he says: "It would cap an unbelievable first season as a professional for me if we can do the same as Newcastle and win promotion."

Clark is also determined to be celebrating, having watched Newcastle capture the Championship and seen two of his other clubs also having achieved their goals this season – Norwich winning League One and Fulham reaching the Europa Cup final.

"It would be fantastic to take Huddersfield up. I want to give Dean (chairman Hoyle) and the board something that would be absolutely superb – promotion," said Clark, who had claimed his third manager-of-the-month award at lunchtime.

"If we can achieve that and I stress it's still a long way off, it would be an unbelievable season for me. I hope we can deliver over the next four weeks the ultimate dream. We are just going to go to Exeter to try and win first and foremost and then see what happens but it's important we keep the momentum going."

With a play-off spot already having been secured, multi-millionaire chairman Hoyle – around 350m richer having sold his Card Factory chain – slashed prices for the final home game and supplied 16,000 'We are Town – I believe' blue and white T-shirts to keep things bubbling.

His generosity produced a splendid sight and atmosphere but Town's performance did not match it, Clark admitting his players looked somewhat "fatigued and brain dead."

Visiting manager Aidy Boothroyd, however, was in no doubt that the club he began his career with as a trainee in 1989 is going places.

"You can feel the energy and effervescence about the place," he said.

"The place is bouncing and is a different club to when I was here at the old Leeds Road – I had to go to the back of the stand and put in the light bulbs as part of a character-building exercise. They said then that it was a sleeping giant but now it should definitely be in the Championship and possibly beyond."

Boothroyd departed from his normal direct style by employing Anthony Wordsworth behind lone striker Kevin Lisbie and the tactic troubled Town, even though they caused plenty of problems themselves with their four-man strike force.

They received an early boost when former Barnsley defender Paul Reid, falling backwards, handled an inswinging corner and Theo Robinson scored his 16th goal of the season from the penalty spot in the 16th minute.

But the game increasingly fell flat until another former Barnsley player, Kayode Odejayi, came off the bench to add muscle to Colchester's attack.

He set up the 76th-minute equaliser, shrugging off Town captain Peter Clarke, who must have been embarrassed to receive the sponsors' man-of-the-match award, to drill a low cross which the unmarked Simon Hackney converted.

Town responded and Novak failed to connect with a cross-shot from fellow substitute Nathan Eccleston before racing onto a whipped in free-kick from Gary Roberts to clinch victory with the very last kick to underline their never-say-die attitude.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, T Clarke, Trotman, P Clarke, Peltier; Pilkington (Eccleston 80), Kay, Drinkwater, Roberts; Robinson (Novak 59), Rhodes. Unused substitutes: Eastwood, N Clarke, Pearce, Williams, Simpson.

Colchester United: Williams, White, Okuonghae, Reid, Tierney; Henderson (Odejayi 68), Izzet, Fox, Hackney (Platt 80); Wordsworth; Lisbie. Unused substitutes: Cousins, Heath, Bender, Gillespie, Hamilton.

Referee: K Stroud (Hampshire).

Man of the match: Gary Roberts.