It’s through extremely blurred vision and with a very heavy head I write my final match report of the season. A season full of ups and downs, ended in a match many of us will be telling the next generation about in years to come. As the champagne flowed around Leeds City centre last night, the events of the day were celebrated and relived amongst thousands of ecstatic Leeds United fans, as the promotion party continued late into the night.

It could all have been so very different though. The match itself was as eventful as they come. Historically, Leeds United are well known for bottling the big games. You only have to look back to the drama of the play-off’s over the last few years to see Leeds United seldom do things the easy way, and this was to be no exception.

A sold-out and deafening Elland Road crowd sang their heroes onto the pitch for what we hoped would be the final game of the season. No Richard Naylor, Robert Snodgrass or Jonny Howson in the starting XI, Max Gradel moved out wide and Jermaine Beckford restored to the starting line-up as captain. Simon Grayson had hinted at changes, but few had seen this coming.

Leeds looked hungry and it seemed as though things would be simple. All we had to do was get in front, and with Leeds dominating as they were, it was unlikely that Bristol would be able to respond.

Controversy soon struck though; after Jermaine Beckford’s opener was ruled out by the linesman, Max Gradel sought retribution for an earlier foul and stomped on Rovers left-back Daniel Jones. Jones hit the floor like he’d been shot and feigned injury to his face. Chaos ensued, with Leeds and Bristol players clashing violently. Another dismal referee dismissed Max Gradel, but despite his part in escalating the situation, Jones escaped with just a yellow.

Marching orders for Gradel

The scale of the situation hadn’t escaped Gradel and he reacted furiously to the sending off. Jermaine Beckford in his new role as captain tried to play peace-keeper, but Gradel was a man possessed and determined to get his own back on Jones or the referee – whoever he could get to first. After several minutes of drama, Gradel was forcefully removed from the pitch by his team-mates, but he wasn’t finished yet and came back on for another go at whoever he could get to. This time, two pretty hefty security staff were sent on, finally managing to restore order.

The tense and nervous atmosphere inside Elland Road was replaced by one of anger and disbelief. To the on-looking Leeds fans, it seemed that we’d once again been the victim of a major injustice that could well have cost us our place in the Championship. The referee was subsequently ridiculed with chants of ‘this games too big for you’ and ‘you’re not fit to referee’ along with some more x-rated stuff towards half-time. Daniel Jones’ part in the incident hadn’t been forgotten either and he was booed every time he touched the ball from that point on.

After five minutes added time, an angry Leeds United crowd left for the break where the events of the first half would be analysed further. Most of the crowd were busy watching Beckford at the time, so few had actually seen the incident involving Gradel. There was much confusion as to what actually happened and many believed Gradel had punched the left-back, probably because of his exaggerated reaction. You have to wonder whether the referee had drawn a similar conclusion, but either way, the odds were now stacked against Leeds United and we were in for a roller-coaster 45 minutes that would ultimately decide our fate.

Such is the way with these things, the villain of the day Daniel Jones hadn’t finished tormenting Leeds United yet. Minutes into the second half, Hughes failed to close Jones down and his cross led to a soft goal conceded by the make-shift Leeds United defence. 1-0 down, and the news elsewhere was that Charlton were winning. Whilst Millwall and Swindon were level, I can only imagine the roar that came from both sets of fans on discovering Leeds United’s troubles.

Leeds were wounded and in total disarray. Fresh out of ideas and struggling with a numerical disadvantage, Simon Grayson was forced into his first change of the day. Jonny Howson was brought on in place of Shane Lowry in what would prove to be an inspired substitution from the gaffer.

Just six minutes after coming onto the pitch, Howson levelled the scores. For all his inconsistencies and lack of goals, Jonny has a habit of scoring when it matters. Few will have forgotten his brace that sent us into the play-off final a couple of years back, but even those goals weren’t as big as this one. From the edge of the area, Jonny found himself in space and struck sweetly to curl the ball past the Bristol keeper and restore parity for the Whites. The roof lifted off Elland Road once again, but this time, it was a roar of defiant brilliance – Leeds weren’t done yet!

Howson levels the scores

It was easy to forget Leeds were a man down as they pushed Bristol back and went in search of a winner. All out attack was what the crowd wanted, and that’s exactly what Leeds United delivered. Those that did remain on the pitch will have been fully aware of what another goal meant for Leeds, and it seemed only fitting that Jermaine Beckford would be the one to get it.

For all his flaws, Beckford’s goal tally is a big part of why we were in this situation to start with. Even his most hardened of critics couldn’t knock his performance today, he’d chased everything, battled hard and been an exemplary role-model for the younger fans in trying to resolve the sending-off situation peacefully. As Leeds United exits go, Jermaine Beckford’s is unlikely to be forgotten.

The most valuable goal of the season, probably Jermaine’s final one in a Leeds shirt and the one that sends Leeds United up was beautiful in it’s simplicity. A classic poachers goal which was started by Jermaine’s hassling of the Bristol keeper. His poor throw was deflected by Beckford into the path of Bradley Johnson who surged down the left and sent a cross into the box. The Bristol defence struggled to deal with the cross and when it spilled free, Jermaine Beckford was on hand to send Leeds into the Championship. Needless to say, the Leeds fans nearly took the roof off Elland Road once more.

Leeds continued to try and put the game beyond reach, and Bristol gave us a few scares as the final whistle agonisingly drew closer, but the poachers goal from Jermaine Beckford would prove to be decisive. The pitch invasion began before the referee could blow for full-time, but it didn’t matter. As the Leeds fans spilled onto the pitch to celebrate a historic win, the reality of it all began to sink in. The PA man’s attempts to get the fans off the pitch proved completely ineffective, and it took a plea from Simon Grayson to restore some order so the players could come out for a well-deserved lap of honour.

"Na na na na na na na na na na, Leeds are going up..."

As the players and the fans struggled to control their emotions, all order at Elland Road was lost once more. Some cheer-leading from TSS’ player of the season, Patrick Kisnorbo would follow and once Elland Road was finally vacated, the party spilled into the streets of Leeds. After six long years of demise, Leeds United have finally began to rise again.

TSS man of the match

Before I return to a state of slumber to recover from one of the most vicious hangovers I’ve had in years, I’m left with the final man of the match of the season decision, and perhaps, one of the easiest. In what is most likely to be his final game in a Leeds United shirt, Jermaine Beckford led by example. Not only did he score the winning goal, but he also assisted in Jonny Howson’s screamer. One of the most dramatic love/hate relationships I’ve ever seen between a player and fans ends in style. Whatever happens to Jermaine Beckford from here on in, I wish him well and thank him for the memories.

Another crazy day of mixed emotions for Leeds fans after we escaped from defeat at the Valley with automatic promotion still in our own hands. Throughout the game, the travelling Leeds United fans were kept informed of events elsewhere and when Andy Robinson made it 2-0 to Tranmere Rovers, Leeds United were one goal away from their seasons aim of automatic promotion.

This being Leeds however, things were never going to be that easy. The team had looked bright and hungry throughout the first half and although we went into the break at 0-0, there was a lot to be optimistic about. Unfortunately, things didn’t run quite as well in the second half and Charlton started to edge Leeds out.

Still at 0-0 and knowing the results elsewhere were going in our favour, Simon Grayson took a calculated risk to give Leeds United more options upfront. Beckford was the first player on, replacing Robert Snodgrass with Gradel dropping back a little. This was followed by Sanchez Watt replacing Micky Doyle ten minutes later and Mike Grella replacing Andy Hughes with about five minutes remaining.

When you need a goal to secure promotion back to the Championship, it makes sense that you give yourself as many attacking options as possible upfront and Simon Grayson did the right thing. It had been another closely matched game where for large parts, both teams had absorbed any attacking threat from the other, but the changes opened things up noticeably. It worked in Leeds’ favour to some extent, allowing Beckford a good chance, but it also allowed Charlton more space on the attack too and they ultimately punished us for it with three minutes remaining when Akpo Sodje scored via the head of Richard Naylor.

The Leeds fans were silenced. It was a nervous performance from Leeds, and when playing it along the ground in the first half didn’t prove affective, they resorted to the dreaded long-ball and the chances became even fewer and farer between.

It wasn’t the most unexpected of results, or performances. The reverse fixture at Elland Road earlier in the season that ended 0-0 was just as frustrating as this one so it seemed unlikely the goals were going to flow at the Valley. The problem is that both teams play a similar style so neither ends up with much room.

What the result means is that there are now five teams capable of achieving automatic promotion from League One next week. Two of them play at the New Den as Millwall host Swindon. If that game ends in a draw, then both Charlton and Huddersfield could capitalise. Charlton would need a win away to Oldham, whilst Huddersfield would need to do a demolition job at Exeter City, but could mathematically go up by goal-difference.

As it stands, Leeds United lead the way though and that’s all that really matters. A win over a Bristol side who we destroyed 4-0 earlier in the season is all Leeds United need to escape the hell of League One football. In our previous meeting, Bristol had a defence made of play-dough and Leeds United came back in style after our first defeat of the season to Millwall. A similar display next week and it’ll be one hell of a party at the sold-out Elland Road.

With a lot of thanks to Andy Robinson and the usual unpredictability of League One, we head into the final game in a position I think we’d have all accepted at the beginning of the season. 90 minutes of football on Saturday will determine what division Leeds United play in next season and that’s all there really is to it. Our lack of points against the top six this season, the defensive hole Paddy’s injury has left, the lack of goals from midfield and our apparent need to do things the hard way have taken us all on a journey through third division hell that boils down to one game against Bristol. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going…’

Five goals, four injuries, three red cards and a brace for Jermaine Beckford made for one very happy Elland Road crowd as the struggling MK Dons cast their thoughts to next season and the end of a disastrous run.

An early goal from the in-form Luciano Becchio set Leeds United on their way, but it was quickly cancelled out by Lewington just six minutes later. With Leeds United legend, Lucas Radebe watching on, the Whites defence once again crumbled from a set-play and gifted Milton Keynes the equaliser. Maybe we can get the Chief in to give Naylor and Collins a few pointers?

Leeds’ first goal had been created from nothing by the on-loan Arsenal youngster, Sanchez Watt dispossessing one of the Dons defenders. A similar blunder was punished again as Neil Kilkenny won possession, then found Sanchez Watt who set Max Gradel up to put Leeds back in the lead and give the youngster his second assist.

Just before half-time, the referee made an appalling decision by sending-off MK Dons Mathias Doumbe, but levelled his mistakes out shortly afterwards by denying Leeds what looked like a clear-cut penalty. Nevertheless, Leeds United headed in for the break 2-1 up and would return to play a MK Dons side ravaged by injuries, lacking a permanent manager and down to ten men. It really couldn’t be any easier.

The second half was a bit of a precession if truth be told. The Dons never looked capable of getting back into it, and as their injury crisis deepened with two more players added to the list, you had to feel sympathy for a team who looked likely to make the play-offs earlier in the season. Leeds meanwhile were having our own injury problems as Ben Parker was taken off with what looked to be a season ending injury.

Despite being down to ten men, the Dons held out and Leeds struggled to kill the game off. Luckily, we had our most dangerous weapon ready to pounce from the subs bench and his introduction brought with it a new lease of life for the Whites. Jermaine Beckford entered the field to a positive reaction from the crowd in what is likely to be his penultimate appearance at Elland Road.

The pace of Jermaine Beckford instantly caused problems for the makeshift Milton Keynes defence and it took just five minutes for Jermaine to extend the Whites lead. A cross from Bradley Johnson was pounced upon by Beckford and put beyond the Dons keeper to secure the three points for Leeds United.

Sanchez Watt’s man of the match performance was prematurely ended by injury as Leeds headed into the last ten minutes. The Arsenal youngster received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Leeds United faithful as the fans crossed their fingers and prayed it was nothing serious.

With four minutes remaining, Jermaine Beckford doubled his tally after being bundled down in the box and earning Leeds a penalty. Milton Keynes were struggling to cope with Becks’ pace and David McCrackan was sent off under the last man rule. Beckford’s penalty was a weak effort, but still managed to beat the MK Dons keeper, as the Whites put the final nail in their coffin.

All that was left was for the referee to send off his final player of the day which was Peter Levens, meaning Milton Keynes finished the match with eight men and the referee had taken his card tally to five yellow and three red. Personal best perhaps?

Overall, Leeds weren’t as good as the result suggests. Our defensive frailties were once again highlighted as everyone went missing during set-plays and we really should have had the points sealed up earlier than we did. Milton Keynes are a wounded side that never caused us any real problems. Their injury crisis, management problems and the fact they have nothing left to play for means they’re just making the numbers up at the minute and looking forward to drawing a line under a devastating season. That said, Leeds got the three points and that’s all that really matters.

All that leaves Leeds United still in second place, but since Millwall managed a late couple of goals at home to Leyton, they’re still only one point behind us. The good news is that Swindon and Charlton only managed draws leaving them pretty much out of the running now as Leeds head to the Valley next Saturday.

TSS man of the match

Simon Grayson rung the changes for this game and the one that paid off most notably was the starting place for Arsenal’s Sanchez Watt. The youngster was a real breath of fresh air, linking up well with Max Gradel throughout and getting himself two assists for his efforts. Hopefully his injury wasn’t too severe.

The best away record in League One came up against a Gillingham side that had lost just three at home all season. Despite an impressive record at Priestfield’s, Gillingham haven’t won a single game on their travels all season and are currently in a battle to stave off relegation. Add to that the fact they haven’t lost at home to any of the top six, and anyone expecting an easy ride was in for a bit of a shock.

This being Leeds United, we didn’t make things easy on ourselves either. Gillingham battled hard for the ball, never afforded Leeds United too much time or space and won pretty much all the aerial battles, whilst Leeds failed to get a foot-hold on the game.

Both Richard Naylor and Neill Collins failed miserably in the air time and time again, making it far too easy for Gillingham to float balls in and create chances. Leeds’ back-line might as well have been cemented in place for the Gills opening goal which was headed home by Adam Miller with less than 10 minutes played.

Things failed to improve for Leeds and Gillingham continued to dominate. Leeds were being out-muscled, out-tackled and out-fought as Gillingham scrapped away and Leeds tried to play them at their own game. This was the most frustrating part to watch because Leeds United currently sit second in League One and should be asserting their dominance on these “lesser” teams. Going away and trying to play the opposition at their own game was never going to work – no matter how good Leeds United think they are.

With half hour gone, things didn’t improve for Leeds and Gillingham’s second goal didn’t surprise many of the travelling 3,000. Another high ball into the box – this time from one of the million free-kicks we’d given away – was headed home by Mark Bentley who went totally unchallenged from close range.

Careless mistakes and failure to get the basics right were costing Leeds United all across the pitch, non more so than Gillingham’s third goal that was headed home by our very own Richard Naylor. By now, it was like watching a car crash in slow motion as the Leeds fans stood in silence, arms crossed and shaking their heads.

Some hope was restored for Leeds United shortly before half-time when Leeds finally managed to string a couple of passes together and find Luci inside the box. With his back to goal, Becchio powerfully turned away from his marker and placed his shot beyond the Gillingham keeper. Half-time, and despite a late consolation, it was hard to see how Leeds would turn this round.

At half-time, Leeds United fans were offered some small consolation in knowing that our promotion rivals were failing too. For me however, this just rubbed salt into the wounds as I knew this was our opportunity to create some breathing space, and once again, we were making a mess of things.

Leeds improved a little after the break and finally looked like they may try and force Gillingham onto the back foot. Within the first minute, Max Gradel cut inside from the wing and fired goal-wards, only to see his shot blocked by the opposition keeper.

The failed passes, poor defending and lack of aerial threat continued to hinder Leeds United though and it seemed obvious we needed a change. Grayson duly obliged, bringing Jermaine Beckford and Ben Parker on in place of the ineffective Robert Snodgrass and largely useless Andrew Hughes. As poor as the two players being removed had been, I think the majority of Leeds fans were expecting Parker to replace Naylor in a reshuffled defence, but it seems only Larry had failed to spot how useless he’s become.

Parker livened things up a bit, but one man simply can’t make a team and his efforts were wasted as the rest of the team continued to fail across the pitch. What I did notice was a good move from the opposition manager shortly afterwards when he made a change that allowed one of his strikers to be moved out wide-right to nullify the threat Parker was causing.

Meanwhile, Max Gradel had somehow managed to convince himself that he’s the new Lionel Messi and decided to take things into his own hands. Unfortunately, his own hands (or boots as it were) seemed to be smothered in butter. His crossing and passing were hopelessly misdirected, as was his shooting, whilst any attempts to get back and help the defence usually resulted in a free-kick to the opposition. After what had arguably been three man of the match performances, Gradel was truly woeful.

By now, Leeds were enjoying more of the possession than the Gills, but it never felt like we were going to do anything with it, and sadly, I wasn’t mistaken. Gillingham defended in numbers and when they did get the ball, sent it up the wings and ran our full-backs ragged. The only hope came five minutes before the end when Jermaine Beckford’s pace earned him a penalty, which he tucked away with confidence.

3-2. but the Gills were always going to hold on. It was too little, too late from Leeds and there was to be no way back from what had been a tragic performance in the first half, with some minor improvement in the second. The defence was missing all day and had no aerial presence whatsoever. Gillingham exploited this and deservedly took a 3-0 lead leaving Leeds United with no chance to recover.

Whilst the Becchio-Gradel partnership has worked wonders in the last three games, it failed to pay-off here. Becchio spent half the match trying to battle for possession, but this just gifted the opposition free-kick after free-kick as the Argentine did nothing to dispel the theory that strikers can’t tackle. Gradel meanwhile will have to battle it out with Naylor for the most useless player on the pitch award as his crossing, passing and shooting continually went astray. The youngster was also dispossessed with ease at times and gave away too many free-kicks trying to get the ball back.

Needless to say, the 200 mile journey back to Leeds to drown our sorrows was much quieter than the one that had brought us south. The chance to extend our lead had been wasted. Only one point separating us from third as we head into a home game against MK Dons, where the tension is likely to be amplified as the games quickly run out. Three to go…

Leeds United moved back into second place with a comfortable win over a Carlisle side with one of the worst central defensive partnerships you’re ever likely to see.

It was the strange cycle of League One results that helped Leeds United clinch back an automatic place. Only a couple of weeks back, Millwall strolled to a 2-0 victory over Leeds United. Leeds finally got back to winning ways however with a win over Yeovil Town, so logic suggests that Millwall are better than Leeds, Leeds are better than Yeovil so Millwall should pretty much walk past Yeovil. Unfortunately for Millwall, logic is something that rarely applies to League One and it was only a last gasp goal that clinched them a 1-1 draw.

Leeds meanwhile had a much easier time of it as they exploited a weak Carlisle defence without the help of top-goalscorer Jermaine Beckford. Before Leeds registered their first goal, Max Gradel missed what was a great one on one chance v the Carlisle keeper and Richard Naylor had a header ruled out for what I assume was pushing in the box. Snoddy also had a chance to put Leeds ahead but blazed his shot high over the bar as Carlisle’s defensive pairing – which included former Leeds United left-back Ian Harte – struggled to cope. All this, and the clock had only just hit ten minutes.

Just a few minutes later and Leeds took the lead they deserved with Luciano Becchio opening the scoring. A free-kick from Snoddy looked easy for the Carlisle keeper, but he spilled his catch and Luci was on hand to give Leeds United the lead.

The game continued in much the same manner with Luci missing a chance that was easier to score and Max Gradel losing out on another one on one chance against the Carlisle keeper. It’s no exaggeration when I say Leeds United should have been four or five goals up by this point.

As we’ve seen so many times however, failing to take your chances usually leads to you being punished and there was no let off here for the Whites. Minutes before half time Ian Harte whipped in a powerful free-kick which was weighted perfectly for Richard Keogh to direct it home and level the tie at the interval. As bad as Ian Harte was in defence, he was Carlisle’s biggest threat elsewhere. His perfectly hit free-kick made it all too easy for Keogh to level the tie. 1-1

A frustrating interval for the Leeds United faithful who almost unanimously agreed Beckford would have had a hattrick by now. Although definitely out of form lately, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have had a field day with the endless chances Leeds United wasted and the sheer uselessness of Carlisle’s defence.

Despite the wasted chances of the opening 45 minutes, Simon Grayson stood by his starting line-up and was rewarded almost instantly when Max Gradel fired Leeds United back in front. Leeds pressed forward immediately from the restart and with the first proper attack of the second period a cross landed nicely for Gradel who headed home to put Leeds back in front.

Just three minutes later and the game was over when a ball from Gradel set Luciano Becchio free who slotted home to put the game totally beyond Carlisle’s reach with forty minutes left to go. Euphoria broke out in the away end with the Leeds fans fully aware of the score in Yeovil and sensing there may be more to come for the Whites. “Na na na na na na na, Leeds are going up!” A welcomed return for that chant.

The Leeds fans were now urging Luciano Becchio on to finish his hattrick and he was gifted the perfect opportunity but his header from close range lacked direction and was far too easy for the opposition keeper. However happy he’ll be with the two goals, Luci must be disappointed with the series of easy chances he missed.

The game kind of died off with Leeds comfortably in front and Carlisle posing little threat. Beckford and Grella got a bit of a cameo role with a couple of minutes left to play but this was probably more time wasting than anything else as neither had any chance to score with the team seemingly happy with the scoreline.

Can’t help thinking this should have been closer to a rugby score, but it was total dominance from Leeds. Three straight wins and back in the automatic spot so can’t complain really.

Leeds without Beckford

Hard to say we were better without him because Carlisle’s defence was pathetic and he’d have probably had a field day had he started. Some of the chances Luci missed were criminal, but not surprising as he’s never been the most natural of goalscorers (and may not be 100% match fit). I guess the major difference is that Luci relies on hard work to get his goals, whilst Beckford gets his with clever positioning and by playing off the shoulder of the last man. In this game, Beckford would have definitely been more effective, but in those games where the chances are few and far between, the hard-working partnership of Becchio and Gradel would likely pay off. A definite thinking point for Larry as the debate undoubtedly rages on…

TSS man of the match

Despite my criticism of his missed chances, Luci’s hard work paid off and he won us the game so the man of the match could be no one elses. I know it sounds like I’m yoyo-ing a bit here, but two six yard misses are hard to ignore. Still, he never gave up, kept his head high and sent us back to Yorkshire with three points.

Leeds United recorded their first back-to-back wins of the year with a 2-0 home win over struggling Southend. In a game the Whites dominated, Leeds also recorded their first clean sheet since the 2-0 victory over Oldham back in February.

The game is unlikely to be remembered for another match-winning performance from Gradel and an improved Leeds United side unfortunately, as the headlines will undoubtedly focus on the fans continued criticism of Beckford. After failing to challenge the keeper for the ball, Beckford was booed by the fans and subjected to a chorus of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ before the Leeds fans sang for Luciano Becchio.

There’s no denying Beckford’s loss of form lately, but the fans reaction was completely out of order. There’s plenty of other players in the squad who have given inadequate performances and escaped being singled out because the fans know this squad is heavily reliant on our top goalscorer. It’s an unfortunate position to be in for Jermaine as any loss of personal form usually leads to a loss of form for the entire team (or vice versa I guess). For me, the fans anger once again reflects the clubs failings in January and the lack of goals provided from elsewhere. Not getting another striker in then was a major failure in my mind and is a big part of why we’re currently occupying third place.

After 58 minutes of frustration, Jermaine Beckford was replaced by the returning Luciano Becchio. It was unquestionably the right move from Simon Grayson as Beckford simply doesn’t look like scoring at the minute. After his antics earlier in the season, it was good to see Beckford had learnt his lesson and left the field in a sporting manner seemingly accepting his performance was below-par.

Just two minutes after that substitution, Leeds United finally took the lead when Max Gradel’s deflected shot beat the Southend keeper to give the youngster a much deserved goal and settle the nerves inside Elland Road. His excellent performance was capped with seven minutes to go when he provided the cross for Luciano Becchio to double the lead and secure the three points for Leeds United.

A game of ups and downs considering the frustrations prior to the goal, but Southend were kept back all day. The stats show Leeds had ten shots on target as opposed to Southend’s one, so this really was pretty straight forward stuff.

What has to be noted is that Leeds United aren’t doing anything different from what they were when Swindon visited, it just seems things are starting to run for us again. Against Swindon, we dominated almost entirely until they scored (rather fortuetously) and then the heads dropped and we were destroyed. Yesterday, we kept pressing and got our just desserts. Confidence is clearly key and hopefully the back-to-back wins signal a corner well and truly turned.

What was also nice to see today was a left footed player on the left-hand side (Johnson). What wasn’t nice to see was the same player getting booked which means he now has to serve a suspension. Collins also gave a solid performance at the back and looks like he may have been a clever signing by Larry. Let’s hope he can deliver the goods in the tougher games.

TSS man of the match
Back to back man of the matches for Max Gradel and no less than he deserves. The lad was tireless in his efforts today and once again proved the difference for Leeds United. Hopefully he’ll be the second consistent goal-scorer we’ve been looking for all season.

A much more pleasent journey home for myself and the rest of the Whites travelling army as captain, Richard Naylor netted his first goals of the season to sink relegation dodging Yeovil to put an end to Leeds United’s losing streak.

The game started as planned with Leeds United’s brilliant travelling support turning their backs on the game as the whistle blew for kick-off to show our united disgust at the lack of justice served to the murderers of Chris and Kev. Ten years on and we still haven’t forgotten. Nor will we ever!

The result wasn’t as surprising as recent league form would suggest. Despite losing both games, there was real glimpses of the early season Leeds United on show in our previous two matches. We were ultimately unlucky to lose to a late goal away to Norwich and against Swindon just 45 hours before, we dominated almost totally until they got lucky on the break and Leeds fell apart.

Today, the luck turned in our favour as Richard Naylor netted his first goal of the season with a header that was almost certainly meant to be a cross, looping up and over the Yeovil Town keeper and landing in the back of the net. It’s that little bit of luck that escaped us at the weekend and despite all our efforts and domination, as soon as Swindon scored there was no way back as the heads dropped and Leeds went into submission.

Simon Grayson started with Max Gradel upfront alongside Jermaine Beckford. Max made a clear and noticable difference, tormenting the Yeovil defence throughout with his runs, control and hard work. Perhaps unlucky not to be on the scoresheet himself, Gradel shone throughout for the Whites and was much more affective than Grella and Dickov combined against Swindon.

Leeds once again tried to keep the ball down and create chances. After failing to get the results they needed with this style of play against both Swindon and Norwich, it would have been easy for them to give up hope and revert back to the horrendous hoof-ball nonsense we’ve witnessed in other games. The only thing we’d really been missing from the last two games was the shooting, but once Naylor fired Leeds United into the lead the Yeovil keeper had to work hard to keep the scoreline down. The confidence had returned and Leeds United were once again looking like the capable team they are.

Just six minutes after his opening goal, Naylor once again netted from a set-play. His strength and movement proved too much for Yeovil and his headed finish was joyous to watch. 2-0, and things seemed simple again.

Leeds continued to dominate proceedings and Yeovil looked resigned to defeat. Midway through the second half however, they pulled one back after Leeds’ defence failed to deal with their advances and Bowditch found the bottom corner of Shane Higgs’ goal with a placed finish. Of course it wasn’t going to be simple – this is Leeds after all. 2-1

From there on in, Leeds started to look a little suspect once more. Yeovil applied the pressure and Leeds struggled to clear their advances. With twenty odd minutes left to play, the fans were starting to expect the worst.

Our full-backs once again went missing and Yeovil used the wings to their advantage, getting cross after cross in with very little effort made to stop them. Despite his brilliance in netting the two goals and having several other headers saved by the Yeovil keeper, Richard Naylor still didn’t look up to the job in defence. Out of them all, Collins was probably the strongest player but even he had some dodgy moments.

Elsewhere, Doyle made several blunders in midfield (one of which cost us the goal) and was largely inaffective all game. Both of the wingers did little to support the full-backs and the only player in the midfield that I’d actually praise when our backs were to the wall is Howson. Not someone who usually shines defensively, nor did he here, but he did do better than the rest.

I don’t think we’re totally incapable of defending with our current line-up, although Hughes still isn’t a left-back and Ben Parker’s return can’t come soon enough, but with the confidence still a little fragile, we seem to make too many mistakes and stand-off players for too long.

Overall, you have to be happy with the three points. After our dismal run of form lately, I’m delighted with a win no matter how hard we made it for ourselves. We are getting glimpses of the early season Leeds United once again and you can only hope this win does something to re-inspire the confidence before Southend’s visit this weekend. Still making it hard for ourselves, but the automatic goal is still attainable. On and on.

TSS man of the match – Max Gradel
Would be easy to select Naylor after his two goals. He was brilliant from the corners and set-plays and could have had an hattrick had it not been for the Yeovil keeper’s damage limitation efforts (maybe we can move him to centre forward?). His defending however remains suspect, so with that in mind, it has to be Max Gradel. The youngster ran Yeovil ragged all afternoon. He held the ball up well, moved past players, created chances and had several shots of his own saved. Hopefully more to come from Mad Max.

A day that started with a tragic reminder of injustice ended with a tragic result as Leeds United were once again soundly beaten without response. Four consecutive defeats in four matches where Leeds United have failed to find the back of the net mean Leeds United now occupy a play-off spot after a start to the season that looked like we’d be going up as champions.

Friday had gone well for the Whites with Norwich being comfortably beaten and Millwall only managing a draw at home to Brentford. Saturday didn’t start off too badly either with Manchester United getting the biggest cheer of the day when they lost at home to Chelsea. Not often you see Chelsea goals being cheered in the Old Peacock but there is an exception to every rule.

Chris & Kev. Never forgotten!

Around Elland Road there were numerous people collecting in honour of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight for the childrens cancer charity, Candlelighters. Billy Bremner’s statue was surrounded by wreaths and flowers as the 10th anniversary of our fellow supporters brutal murders was marked.

The players arrived on the pitch carrying two wreaths that were laid behind each of the goals and a minutes silence preceeded the kick-off. The sickening thoughts of that night were only made worse by the knowledge that ten years on the families of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight are still without justice.

The game itself started out brightly for the Whites and the early indications suggested we may well get a result. The players were passing the ball better, getting stuck in, closing down and creating chances. For all their efforts however, the best chances fell to Andy Hughes who missed an absolute sitter infront of the dismayed South Stand and Jermaine Beckford who headed well, only to see his shot saved by the visiting keeper and former Leeds United player, Lucas.

Swindon had very little to cheer about early on as Leeds United dominated proceedings, but just three minutes before the interval with the scores still level, disaster struck. A fortuetous strike from Paynter beet Shane Higgs via the woodwork and sent the visitors into an undeserved half-time lead.

The teams returned for a second half to forget from a Leeds perspective. For all their efforts early on, the Leeds United team were behind and with confidence so notably lacking, the heads dropped and Swindon took control. With just three minutes gone of the second period, Swindon and Paynter doubled their tally and Leeds United never managed to respond.

From there on in, things went from bad to worse. The team fell apart totally and Swindon had it all too easy. Their third and final goal came just ten minutes into the second half with the troublesome Paynter once again involved and Austin hitting home to secure the three points.

It was hard to believe the same Leeds United team had returned after the interval as the differences in performances were glaringly obvious. A few players did well and earnt their wages, most notably Howson who was getting increasingly frustrated at the fickle nature of the Whites side, but the majority of players heads dropped after the first goal and remained facing downwards until the end of the game.

As the Swindon fans partied and taunted the Leeds United faithful with chants of “top of the league and you f**ked it up” and “6-0 on aggregate” the Leeds United fans vacated Elland Road wondering just how we’d managed to lose the game by such a margin. By the time Swindon had netted their first goal, Leeds really should have been infront. Their lead was totally undeserved, but as the saying goes ‘goals change games’ and never has there been a more fitting testimony to that old cliché.

The result was a hard pill to swallow after seeing Leeds so dominant in the first half. I can’t help thinking that had Andrew Hughes not fluffed his sitter of an opportunity, or had Jermaine Beckford or Jonny Howson been a little more lucky with their attempts, Leeds United would have won this encounter, but after all the hard work, one goal was enough to totally destroy the lads confidence and leave us looking like a local pub team once more.

Yeovil tomorrow in the early kick-off where there will undoubtedly be changes to the starting XI with the game coming just 45 hours after our previous one. If Leeds are to stand any chance of getting out of the rut we’re currently in and making a play for the automatic position, then they have to get back to winning ways sharpish.

Sorry for the delayed match report. Been away with work for a few days since the Norwich game and unable to update the site. Plenty of talking points from this game though, despite the lack of chances on goal.

It was, for the most part, a much improved performance from Leeds. A nervy, scrappy battle where both teams struggled to create chances and effectively cancelled one another out. Both teams fought for the ball like their season depended on it and it never really looked like either would score. Unfortunately for Leeds however, a final roll of the dice from the Norwich boss paid off and his late substitute earned him a valuable win which has undoubtedly tied the bow on their title challenge.

The biggest upset of the day for Leeds United was seeing Luciano Becchio being stretchered off after swallowing his tongue. All reports say he’s recovering well, but the incident itself seems to have been largely ignored. How Norwich’s player got away without a red card for that challenge still baffles me. It’s hardly questionable to whether his feet were high and a potential danger when A) he’s hit Luci in the head and B) Luci went off injured.

I won’t moan about the ref too much though because in fairness, he didn’t have a bad game. There was a lot on the line for both teams and passions were running high and he controlled it pretty well overall. His most bewildering act of the game however was sending Tres off after being on the pitch for 20 seconds. I saw very little of what happened, but from the replays it really doesn’t look like Tres does anything?

In all, this was the kind of battle we expected. A scrappy contest with neither team giving the other an inch which would ultimately be decided by one moment of brilliance. In defeat, I was actually quite content. This was never a game we were likely to win, but what we did do was improve massively on recent performances. The players showed fight, desire and hunger which is what we’ve been sadly missing of late. If they can take that kind of play into the Swindon game, we’ll undoubtedly be smiling again on Saturday.

Unfortunately, events off the field totally overshadowed this game. Although I wasn’t in the centre of Norwich prior to kick-off, reports of our fans harrassing innocent passers-by doesn’t really surprise me given some of the stuff I did see around the stadium. I know the actions of these fans has risen from the frustration they’ve been feeling lately, but a lack of Police presence allowed certain individuals to go way too far in venting those frustrations.

This wasn’t football hooligans clashing with other hooligans. Whilst I would never condone that, it’s not something that particularly bothers me either. Hooligans are grown men kicking lumps out of other like-minded grown men. So long as it doesn’t affect the innocent general public, then what they do is none of my concern, but this wasn’t that kind of behaviour. It was a sizable portion of the Leeds United fanbase hurling abuse at anyone in the opposite colours, regardless of age and gender.

It reminded me of the pitch invasion a few years back at Elland Road where a small minority added weight to our terrible reputation. Whilst the majority of Elland Road was busy singing ‘you’re the scum of Elland Road’ to this minority, that isn’t what people remember of that day and those that condemned the Leeds United fans in Norwich won’t be the ones remembered from that day either. Instead, the actions of a few will ensure the ‘Dirty Leeds’ reputation never escapes us.

After poor performances it’s easy to fly off the handle, lose the faith and respond irrationally and in a total rage, which is why I usually leave the match report until I’ve had time to cool down a little and get to grips with my emotions.

Tonight however, there’s no point pussy-footing around what was a truly dismal display from the Whites. There was no fight shown in the performance whatsoever and Leeds look destined to blow another chance at success. No matter how many times we bottle it, it’s not something that ever becomes any easier.

Prior to the match it was revealed that Beckford had been ruled out with an achilles problem, which is probably why Paddy Power were offering double the odds on him being the first goalscorer. Paul Dickov was chosen as his replacement and he started alongside Luciano Becchio, neither of which had any affect on the game at all, underlining my opinion that Paul Dickov is the most pointless signing under Simon Grayson’s leadership.

My contempt for Dickov could indeed be clouding my judgement and in truth, there’s little he could of done to change the result with such inadequate service from the rest of the team. When the squad insist on pumping the ball long and hoping for the best, it would have been nice to see someone with pace to chase the ball and pressure the Millwall defence into mistakes. Someone like… I don’t know… Grella!?

Dickov and Becchio? Hardly the most terrifying strike-force in League One is it?

Elsewhere, despite having the luxury of being able to name seven substitutes, Simon opted not to include a central defender, so once Kisnorbo left the field Aidy White was his replacement and the defence was reshuffled. This helped nothing and to be quite honest, there were times when we may as well have had four cones in their place as the Millwall team almost walked passed them.

Naylor, for all his merits last season has been carried by Kis for all too long now and is clearly past his peak. Nayl’s is one of my favourite players, but emotion can’t disguise his faults anymore. Aside from his deteriorating defensive ability, his leadership skills seem non-existant. The defence was disorganised, failed to close down and get stuck in and it never appeared as though Naylor knew the answer. When he should have been shouting, issuing orders and directing the others, he was too busy looking around clueless trying to figure out what’s gone wrong.

Finally we come to the midfield, which provided no real service to the inaffective front two and little support to the defence. Snoddy didn’t have a bad game, but that’s about as good as it got.

Prior to this match I called for unity. For the fans to act as one and be the 12th man, but patience is running thin now and understandably so. I can accept dips in form, and bad results, but what we’ve witnessed at Southampton and tonight was a team that didn’t show any fight and looked resigned to failure.

I honestly don’t know where we go from here. I’m trying to remain defiantly optimistic, but the team is giving me nothing to believe in. We seem destined for the play-offs once more and probably another long, disappointing year in League One.

The thing that’s really bugging me is that nobody ever responded. Not even emotionally. I’d be happier if half the team had been sent off after resorting to horrible challenges and swearing at the ref, because at least then, it shows they’re as frustrated as the rest of us. It honestly felt like they’d given in long before the final whistle. What happened to the ‘never say die attitude’ of early season? The late comebacks and inspired substitutions?

Disheartened, angry and worried.