Have your say: Rhodes’s future mapped out and it will remain with Town, says Clark

Rhodes struck four times against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday as the Terriers fought back to share the spoils in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

His equaliser, deep into stoppage time, took his personal tally for the season to an impressive 19 in all competitions and prompted Wednesday manager Gary Megson to hail the Scottish international as the ‘best striker outside the Premier League’.

Clark insisted that Town chairman Dean Hoyle would not sell the 21-year-old at any price next month because of his immense value to the club’s promotion push.

Rhodes has also told Hoyle that he is happy at the club and has no desire to move on at this stage of his career.

“We are not selling but we know he will be hot property in January and that calls will come to try and test our resolve,” said Clark.

“But the chairman will not sell and he’s already stated that his money is better in Jordan than it is in the banks at the minute.

“When he says that, there is no issue,” Clark added. “When you have a man who owns the club who is a massive supporter and who has a bob or two, you don’t have to be in that position.

“Promotion is more important to him than pounds. He’s got enough (money). I don’t think if he lived to 250 he would be able to spend all the money he has got.

“The lad doesn’t want to go too – which is just as important. He’s already said that to the chairman and we dealt with that many, many weeks ago.”

A crowd of 28,600 – the biggest for a league fixture anywhere in Yorkshire this season – watched Saturday’s derby and was treated to a genuine roller-coaster ride of an afternoon.

Rhodes scored twice inside the first 16 minutes to give Town a 2-0 lead but two goals in two minutes from defenders Rob Jones and Reda Johnson put the Owls back on level terms by the interval. Owls winger Ben Marshall and striker Chris O’Grady then put the Owls 4-2 ahead only for Rhodes to score again in the 78th minute before equalising in the sixth minute of added time.

The result left the Yorkshire rivals four points apart in the race for promotion with Wednesday still second in the table – five adrift of leaders Charlton Athletic – and Town in fourth spot, six points clear of the chasing pack.

Rhodes’s father Andy, the goalkeeping coach at Wednesday, stayed on the touchline after the final whistle to embrace his son.

“We will go out and have a bit of food, socialise, and then go back to the family,” said Town’s striker.

“Nothing was said about this game last week – we have been too busy sorting out what’s on his Christmas list. Dads are awful to buy for, aren’t they?

“But I think this is a good day for me and I also think it’s a good day for him.

“If Huddersfield finish top this season and Sheffield Wednesday finish second that would be ideal,” Rhodes added.

“I will just keep working hard and hopefully there will be more games to come before the end of the season. I am just trying to get better as a person and a player for the long run.

“Other people can talk about my future and speculate,” he said. “I just take one thing at a time. Whatever happens around that, I am not thinking about it.”

Town manager Clark described Saturday’s game as a great advertisement for football in Yorkshire, saying the fixture belonged at a level higher than League One.

“I loved being out there in that atmosphere with this fantastic old stadium rocking in the way it was,” he said.

“It wasn’t great when their goals were flying in but over the course of a game, it’s where you want to be. Even at 4-2 down, I was saying to Chris Evans, Wednesday’s assistant manager, that it was a magnificent football match with two sets of players showing tremendous character for their clubs and supporters.

“The people of Yorkshire can be proud of their teams. I know Sheffield Wednesday fans will be frustrated because they were in such a good position with the clock going down but overall it has shown that these two clubs have the ability and the infrastructure.

“This game would not have looked out of place at a higher level without any shadow of a doubt.”