Gaining fitness

The news of Ben Parker and Billy Paynter completing 90 minutes for the reserves will be music to the ears of most Leeds United fans after the disappointing display against Leicester City on Tuesday night.

Ben Parker has had continuous injury problems since Simon Grayson took charge at Elland Road and the manager has had little luck trying to fill the void, with several failures brought in including Federico Bessone and the dreadful Tony Capaldi.

Meanwhile, summer signing Billy Paynter was injured shortly after joining Leeds United. The striker has had to wait over two months to make his Leeds United début after injuring his shin during the clubs pre-season tour of Slovakia.

The 2-1 reserve defeat to Stoke City also saw Ramon Nunez score for Leeds United, whilst Simon Grayson said it was pleasing to see Leigh Bromby, Alex Bruce and Aidy White get some much needed time on the pitch.

It’s puzzling to see no mention of sidelined keeper Kasper Schmeichel who was said to be a possibility for Saturday’s clash against Middlesbrough on the BBC’s red button service. It will be interesting to see whether there’s any mention of the Dane before Monday nights clash against Cardiff City.

Overall, there’s a lot of welcomed good news for Leeds United fans. An inconsistent start to the season has no doubt been in part down to the injuries some key players have been suffering with. With twelve games gone, the Whites currently sit a very respectable 10th and with players returning all the time we should be able to build on that.