All Rhodes point to promotion bid

THE ONLY two unbeaten sides in npower League One this year also happen to be those geographically closest to Athletic.

Rochdale have surprised many by bouncing back from a sticky patch to surge towards the fringe of the play-offs.

The latest triumph for Keith Hill's men saw them defeat Bristol Rovers 3-1 at Spotland on Tuesday night, a fifth win in nine league games in 2011.

And Dale's resurgence is only matched by that of fellow near-neighbours Huddersfield Town — who host Athletic on Saturday.

The big-spending West Yorkshire side have won five out of seven league matches in the calendar year to sit third in the table, the latest victory coming by way of an impressive 4-1 thrashing of Exeter City last week.

But the one Huddersfield match that stands out above the others is the FA Cup fourth-round clash at Arsenal two weeks ago.

The televised game saw Lee Clark's men put in what the manager described as the best performance of the season to rock the Premier League big guns.

Town created a number of scoring chances against a shaken Gunners outfit, who badly needed the experience of Cesc Fabregas to see them through.

Arsenal's captain came onto the field as a substitute and converted a penalty four minutes from full-time for a 2-1 victory, but anyone watching can't help but have been impressed by Huddersfield's sterling effort in front of a crowd of 59,375.

In terms of goals, the Terriers are not quite as free-scoring as they were last season. But though Jordan Rhodes — son of ex-Athletic goalkeeper Andy — has had a mixed season, he has still bagged an impressive 17 in all competitions.

Behind him is winger Anthony Pilkington, who scored his 14th of the campaign in a 3-0 home win in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern final second leg on Tuesday night. That result wasn't quite enough to get the team to a Wembley final at the expense of Carlisle, who won 4-3 on aggregate.

And fellow wide man Gary Roberts has weighed in with 13 goals so far this season.

Huddersfield have had their squad boosted in recent weeks with the addition of experienced midfielder Kevin Kilbane, who has arrived on loan from Hull City, and Danny Cadamarteri, who signed for the second time on deadline day after being released by Dundee United.

Athletic have recorded one win at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, when goals from Gary McDonald, Chris Porter and Paul Warne secured a 3-0 whitewash in the 2006-07 season.

Paul Dickov's Athletic side will certainly be keen to claim a rare double over their West Yorkshire neighbours, after a superb performance earned a 1-0 victory at Boundary Park earlier this season.