Rotherham United 2 Huddersfield town 5: Town see the value in taking Trophy bid seriously

Lee Clark fielded a strong Huddersfield Town line-up last night and was sufficiently rewarded with his side's progression to the Northern Area semi-finals at the expense of their weakened Yorkshire rivals.

The long-term prize is a place at Wembley, for which Huddersfield are now just three games away thanks to this handsome victory.

Jordan Rhodes set the tone with a goal inside the first 30 seconds, and though Ryan Taylor levelled for the League Two Millers, Rhodes again, Benik Afobe twice and Scott Arfield sealed a relatively trouble-free passage into the last eight.

For Rotherham, the bigger picture is promotion to League One, an objective that has been made increasingly harder in recent weeks with just one point in three games dropping them from the automatic places into sixth.

Hence the shuffling of the pack from Ronnie Moore who made four changes, including a second start for left-footed midfielder Stephen Brogan after his catalogue of injuries.

Clark stayed true to his pre-match promise of naming a relatively strong team despite his side's status as the highest-ranked team left in the northern half of the draw.

He made two changes to the side that were held at Cambridge in the FA Cup last Saturday; Arfield in for Anthony Pilkington and Jamie McCombe for Peter Clarke.

Last Saturday's goalless FA Cup draw against York only heightened the anxiety for Millers fans inside ice station Don Valley, and after 27 seconds last night there was further cause for restlessness among the natives as Rhodes cleverly curled home the game's opener.

Jason Taylor surrendered possession from the kick-off and Town moved the ball quickly down the left from where Graham Carey fed Rhodes who spun inside the box and gave Jamie Annerson little chance with his accurate finish.

Such an early setback could have set a perilous tone for the Millers but they were not immediately over-awed.

Moore's men struck back on 11 minutes with a fine goal of their own after enterprising running down the right channel by Marcus Marshall set up a corner which Nicky Law sent to the back post for the unmarked Ryan Taylor to volley home from 12 yards.

Joey Gudjonsson slammed a drive into the side-netting for the visitors, yet it was Rotherham who should have taken the lead on 24 minutes when Tom Pope raced through on goal, but after taking a touch too many, Ian Bennett was able to dash off his line and smother the ball.

They were made to pay moments later as two goals in five minutes effectively ended the tie.

Firstly Carey's goal-bound shot after he had worked the space was too hot for Annerson to handle and despite the ball heading for the bottom corner, Rhodes nipped in to steal the glory.

Rhodes then turned provider on 28 minutes when his deep cross beat the static Ryan Cresswell, leaving Arsenal loanee Benik Afobe the simplest of first career goals as he headed low past Annerson.

Nicky Law curled a long-range effort narrowly wide but the wind had been knocked out of Rotherham's sails.

Annerson was called on to beat out Damien Johnson's long-range effort on the stroke of half-time before the Town defence again switched off at a corner to allow Luke Ashworth a free header, but the substitute could only divert Brogan's corner over the bar.

They had no need to be alert at the back, though, such was their power up front.

Scott Arfield made it 4-1 on 53 minutes with a straightforward placement past Annerson after Afobe had cut inside and cut the ball back from the left byline. And the former Scotland Under-21 international should have had a second moments later when he sprinted ahead of Nick Fenton to meet Carey's low cross, only to divert his shot wide.

Paul Warne and Law dragged efforts past Bennett's post as Rotherham showed glimpses of an attacking threat but this game had long since been a formality.

Afobe, the England Under-19 striker who has scored four goals in four games at that level despite only being 17, rolled home the fifth after rounding Annerson in the 73rd minute.

There was still time for Cresswell to give the Millers fans something to cheer when he headed an injury-time consolation from Brogan's corner.

But as Rotherham move onto the more serious matter of three points against Oxford on Saturday, the Terriers fans made the short return trip home up the M1 dreaming of Wembley.

Rotherham United: Annerson, Mullins (Ashworth 23), Cresswell, Fenton, Green; Law, Taylor (Bradley 65), Brogan; Marshall, Taylor (Warne 46), Pope. Unused substitutes: Warrington, Ellison.

Huddersfield Town: Bennett, Peltier, Kay, McCombe, Ridehalgh; Arfield, Gudjonsson (Croft 82), Johnson, Carey (Roberts 79); Rhodes (Garner 70), Afobe. Unused susbstitutes: Colgan, Clarke.

Referee: A Bates (Staffordshire).