Huddersfield Town 3 Colchester United 2: Huddersfield stake their claim for share of long-term future

No, not Saturday’s opening win which extended the club’s all-time record run of unbeaten league games to 29.

But the fact that they have regained – the legalities may take a couple of months to complete – their 40 per cent share in the Galpharm Stadium, paving the way for a £100m redevelopment of the site and the creation of more than 900 jobs.

Town’s original share in the company which runs the venue, Kirklees Stadium Development Limited, was transferred by former chairman Ken Davy to his Huddersfield Sporting Pride company to protect them from the stadium’s debts in 2005.

The owner of Huddersfield Giants – they have a 20 per cent stake in KSDL – agreed to return the share to new Town owner Dean Hoyle in 2009 and Kirklees Council, who own the other 40 per cent, rubber-stamped the transfer in midweek, allowing the development of a ski slope, hotel, flats, bingo hall, shops, restaurants and nightclubs on the site.

It is even envisaged that a cable car will run from the town centre to the stadium once everything has been built.

The return of the share means the football club will now play a prominent role in attracting new investors, explained chief executive Nigel Clibbens, talking to the Yorkshire Post from the secretary’s office in the bowels of the stadium after Saturday’s win, which followed three consecutive draws.

Clibbens said: “We have made a great step forward with the latest news from Kirklees Council.

“We would anticipate that changing the share-holder agreement from two to three parties should be straight-forward – it will just take some time but it is a big step forward for the club and it is very welcome news for everybody.”

Asked if the redevelopment would not otherwise have gone ahead, Clibbens explained: “The football club – and the same with the rugby club – regardless of whether they have any shares or not has got a lease which gives them rights to the stadium for usage on a match day etcetera, etcetera.

“That is cast-iron and can’t be altered. In terms of any development of the site, clearly that would need changes to the lease. Those changes might actually in the short term result in detriment to both clubs but if there is a big development in the longer term then you get a gain in the longer term.

“If we weren’t to have any shares then why we would we as a club take the detrimental position in the short term if there is no upside later on? So it would have been like a development where the tenants had to be looked after and that would have made it much more difficult. This way, rather than being passive and just sitting here having buildings go up around us we can participate, we can take an active role and, hopefully, put our full weight behind it and make it more successful.

“One of the problems is that although the stadium has been up for 15 years, the debts that were incurred in building it still have got a long time to run in terms of being paid off. That means that the football club and the rugby club have to pay rents that go towards paying that debt. While you are paying that debt back, it is a drain and one football game a week isn’t really viable which is why we need to develop other facilities on the site.”

That is for the long term – what concerns Town fans is gaining automatic promotion this season after two seasons of play-off heartache.

Statistics show that Town are more solid when they go with just one up front but there comes a time when it is far better to trade blow for blow in an attacking sense.

On Saturday, Jordan Rhodes was recalled to partner Lee Novak and the pair responded with goals.

Last season’s top scorer Rhodes soon showed his predatory instincts, peeling back from his marker to engineer enough space to convert the squared pass from right-back Jack Hunt, who had burst past two men on a great run down the flank.

Within a minute, Town’s defence was exposed as Anthony Wordsworth knocked the ball forward and powerful former Barnsley striker Kayode Odejayi held off Peter Clarke before firing home.

Mark Cousins produced a brilliant save from Rhodes’s point-blank far-post header before more poor defending allowed Ian Henderson to chip the ball across for on-loan Reading winger Michail Antonio to head home for the visitors.

It should have been 3-1 in stoppage time when Clarke missed a header and the ball struck the shin of Odejayi, who should have been more alert, and bounced wide of the far post.

Gary Roberts, who had taken a knock in training, was replaced at the break – the injured Antonio also departing – and the introduction of Danny Ward gave Town greater impetus.

Town equalised just before the hour mark, Rhodes taking a return pass from Novak and cracking a dipping drive beyond Cousins from the edge of the area.

Novak then struck the winner five minutes later, accepting a great chipped pass from Donal McDermott out on the right and cooly lobbing Cousins as the goalkeeper rushed out.

Town goalkeeper Ian Bennett showed bravery in keeping Colchester at bay in the closing stages when Antony Kay also had to be brought on to sit in front of the back four.

Huddersfield Town: Bennett, Hunt, McCombe, Clarke, Naysmith; McDermott (Arfield 81), Miller, Robinson, Roberts (Ward 46); Rhodes (Kay 88), Novak. Unused substitutes: Colgan, Lee.

Colchester United: Cousins, Wilson, Okuonghae (White 77), Heath, Rose; Antonio (Coker 46), Izzet (Bond 71), O’Toole, Henderson; Wordsworth; Odejayi. Unused substitutes: Gillespie, James.

Referee: I Williamson (Berks).