Huddersfield Town moved one step closer to getting itself out of the English Football League Championship relegation zone on Thursday night with Duane Holmes playing the hero for the first time this season.

Holmes celebrated his first goal of the season for the Terriers in a 2-0 home victory over Rotherham United, giving Huddersfield Town its first back-to-back victories since the final two weeks of last season. Holmes played 84 minutes for Mark Fotheringham’s squad, making his 23rd league appearance of the campaign.

The 28-year-old broke the deadlock for Huddersfield in the 31st minute, drilling a low right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner. It was Holmes’ first goal since February 19th against Fulham.

📸 Holmes with the hammer!#htafc pic.twitter.com/9YmuPz1t7P

— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) December 29, 2022

Huddersfield extended its advantage to 2-0 in the 56th minute as veteran forward Jordan Rhodes finished off Kaine Kesler’s pass to cap a shutout victory. Holmes finished the match with the most chances created (2), one dribble, and three duels won from his attacking midfield position.

“I started to think the ball wasn’t going in for a minute,” Holmes jokingly admitted during his prematch interview. “I had an easy chance in the first half on my left foot and I ended up hitting it backwards, but it’s nice to get a goal and to get the back-to-back wins is the most important thing.

“We looked at this run of fixtures, and we knew that we were playing teams around us and it’s a good chance for us to pick up points,” Holmes added. “I think at times this year we’ve played well and probably could have got more points than we have – it’s good that we’re getting the results that we’re after.”

Back-to-back wins over Preston North End and Rotherham United have moved Huddersfield to 22nd place in the standings, two points clear of 21st place Hull City. Up next for Holmes and his Terrier teammates is a home showdown with seventh place Luton Town on New Years Day.