HUDDERSFIELD Town turned up the heat on their rivals at the top of League I with a slick display in sweltering West London.

Lee Clark’s side swept aside their hosts with a display which, in temperatures in the high twenties, bore testament to their fitness levels as well as footballing skills.

Recalled Jordan Rhodes notched twice while Lee Novak and Gary Roberts got the others as Town chalked up their biggest away win since Stockport were hit for six without reply in April 2010.

What made it all the more impressive was that Brentford started the day a point and two places above Town.

They finished it looking distinctly dejected as the travelling supporters gave their team a deserved standing ovation.

They had looked on in delight as any chance of a home comeback following Rhodes’ first-half opener was crushed by three goals in 10 glorious minutes – right in front of them.

As well as scoring four, Town hit the woodwork three times, and limited Brentford to just two efforts on goal.

Ian Bennett was equal to both, parrying Frenchman Toumani Diagouraga’s 72nd-minute shot, then saving Niall McGinn’s follow-up.

That set the tone for the team as a whole, because every member played a part in a win which was as pleasing as the recent 3-0 success at Sheffield United.

Captain Peter Clarke, relishing his return after seven games on the sidelines, first through injury then the form of others, led the way with a determined display, and twice came close to a breakthrough goal, heading just wide from Roberts’ 23rd-minute free-kick and against keeper Richard Lee’s right-hand upright from the wideman’s 28th-minute corner.

After a week of debate about whether Clarke or Liam Cooper would come in for suspended centre-back Jamie McCombe, both ended up on the field as Town were forced into a 13th-minute change when Calum Woods went off with a tight hamstring.

On-loan Hull man Cooper eased in at left-back pretty seamlessly, with his personal highlight a superbly-timed chance-saving tackle on Marcus Bean late in the first half.