And while I could then easily segue into a quip about the Simple Minds of footballers, that would be too cheap a dig, well what do you know I’ve already done it. I digress.

The Simple Mind about whom this is dedicated is none other than our Beloved `Barn Door Missing’ Billy Paynter.

He’s scored one goal, a good one it has to be said, against Preston last season. But his tale of woe is well-known to most supporters of Leeds. Signed as our chief centre forward for the 2010-11 season he’d trumped even our beloved Beckford to the top of the scoring charts in League One, implausibly scoring 29 goals for them the preceding season.

His goal scoring record then speaks for itself, a strikers value is measured in how many he scores, as per the title of Allan Clarke’s autobiography he told us all `goals are my business’. He came way behind the likes of Becchio who made the transition from League One to Championship with ease.

If only goals were Mr Paynters business. If only he was 1% as good as Allan Clarke.

Simon Grayson’s stock has fallen with many Leeds fans since the appointment of Neil Warnock, but in a rare moment of vision he did more to damage Brighton’s play-off bid than any formation change, loan signing or tactical substitution. Paynter’s loan to Brighton – unsurprisingly unproductive – coincided with a slide down the league table that perhaps only beleaguered fictional comprehensive school Waterloo Road could compete with.

So what now? The training ground’s a-buzz, Paul Connolly has been re-animated; Darren O’Dea has purchased a Kisnorbo hat and started to defend. And Paynter seemed to be on that path too, on the bench for Warnock’s first three games, in which we didnt score, but – then didnt get on the pitch?

The YEP is telling us today that he’s turned down the chance to play for Notts County for the rest of the season, presumably so Warnock could see if he really can play. He wants to fight for his place. Well great.

You’re put in mind of Mike Grella (now at Bury) he refused (allegedly) to play on loan at Bradford; he thought he could do better, and indeed better than Beckford and Becchio, so wouldn’t go. Which attracted the ire of Simon Grayson. His fall from grace is all too visible, and he’s – by the looks of things – decided time on the bench at Brentford also isn’t acceptable to a player of his talents, opting for the bench at Bury instead.

What’s irritating to the average fan in these situations is:-

A) To the outsider it would seem a gilt edged opportunity for the player to find his goal scoring boots again, and he’d (hopefully) come back the better player

B) If it didn’t work out, we’d have some clarity as to whether he was in the squad next season

C) That might enable us to sign up a player coming in on loan for this season (which will invariably be lined up)

So in summary, Paynter not going creates inertia in the squad, and you’d have to say that our striking options are not brilliant. Forssell is clearly not up to it, Webber seems more of a winger, so if Becchio and McCormack got injured that would bring in Paynter, with a lack of match fitness and an inability to score at the moment, which a spell at Notts County might assist.

Come on Billy, Nottingham’s’ quite a nice place you know? Not as good as Leeds (naturally) but where is?

If you take your eyes slightly out of focus (isn’t that what you usually do when you play?) you can pretend you’re playing for Newcastle or West Brom. On finishing this i note that Lloyd Sam has taken the very same option with both hands. You’d argue he probably had a better stake for a first team place than Paynter, so where does that leave him now? Good luck Lloyd, it’s an opportunity to show us all what we’ve been missing.

The last day of the season in the Football League saw the end of the time away for many of the Leeds loanees – only Adam Clayton is involved in the play-offs. It’s been a mixed season for many of the players but they will all be looking forward to renewing the fight for a first team place or perhaps looking for pastures new in the summer.

Ramon Nunez scored his third goal for Scunthorpe as they drew at home to Portsmouth. It was a fantastic twenty yard strike and he could have extended his tally after going close with another long range effort. His contract is up in the summer so it remains to be seen how much time he will have left at Leeds United.

Aidy White and Adam Clayton played ninety minutes each as MK Dons got the better of Oldham. Clayton’s through pass took a deflection to set up the Dons opening goal. Some Oldham fans have complained about White’s inconsistency but would still like to see him at Boundary Park for another season. It could happen as Simon Grayson suggested this week that, though he’s not ruling out his first team chances at Leeds, he could well go out on loan next season. Clayton will stay with MK Dons until their involvement in the League One play-offs is over.

Fede Bessone played ninety minutes for Charlton in a goalless draw versus Hartlepool. According to fans he had a decent enough performance and even managed to test the opposition goalkeeper. A nightmare start to his Leeds career and an inability to convince the Charlton faithful during his time in the capital leaves doubts over his future.

Tom Lees played the full ninety for Bury in a 3-3 draw away to Stevenage. As we highlighted earlier in the week, Grayson has not ruled out Lees’ future involvement in the Leeds first team but has suggested there are clubs interested in taking the young defender on loan next season.

Loan players will return to Leeds and, depending on individual contract extensions, will take part in pre-season.

With the end of the season drawing nearer nerves are tested and emotions run high. Amongst the Leeds loanees there’s been a mixture of successes and failures.

Ramon Nunez was unable to do a favour for Leeds as Scunthorpe United went down 2-1 to Millwall. Nunez was fairly lively and was keen to test the goalkeeper from distance.

Aidan White played ninety minutes for Oldham as the Latics drew. He really seems to have gone off the boil as the season has progressed which is really disappointing for someone with so much obvious potential. It seems the best thing for him now would be to get to the end of the season, have a decent rest and then come back and put in some real hard work during pre-season.

Elsewhere in League One, Adam Clayton played the last ten minutes for MK Dons and Fede Bessone played 86 minutes for Charlton, putting in a pretty average performance. The Charlton camp is still fairly undecided on Bessone but most would only have him signed in the summer if there were no other options. As far as Clayton is concerned, his signing still remains a bit of mystery. He looks likely to have a play-off to contend with as MK Dons currently sit 5^th in League One – hopefully he can have an impact giving him some confidence to take into next season.

Yet again though, this week’s big performer was Tom Lees. The central defender has been integral to Bury’s promotion push and on Monday he was on hand to help them secure promotion. He scored the opening goal – his fifth of the season and third in four games – to set Bury on their way to a 3-2 win over league leaders Chesterfield. It’s unknown how much contact he has had with Leeds over the course of the season but here’s hoping he has a good pre-season and is given his chance. While it may be harder for some of the other loan players to work their way into the team, considering the poor defensive record this season and the increasingly creaky legs of Richard Naylor and Andy O’Brien, there’s definitely reason to give Lees his shot.

Down in non-league, Will Hatfield was yet again an unused sub as York City’s play-off ambitions came to an end in a goalless draw at home to Cambridge United.

Ramon Nunez grabbed his second goal in two games for Scunthorpe United. The Honduran hit a first half equaliser against Coventry to boost The Iron’s survival hopes. His long range strike took a deflection to help it past the goalkeeper. He’s having a fantastic impact for the club.

Another big performer was youngster Tom Lees. He’s having a very good season for League Two Bury as they look to secure automatic promotion. Lees played ninety minutes and helped his side to yet another clean sheet. His biggest contribution however was the only goal of the game – a headed winner from a corner on 56 minutes.

In League One, both Adam Clayton and Aidan White were substitutes for their loan clubs. Clayton came off the bench on 74 minutes as MK Dons went down 1-3 at home to Huddersfield while Aidan White came on for Oldham just after half time. The young winger couldn’t prevent Oldham slipping to another defeat but almost clawed a goal back but his good effort was matched by Exeter’s goalkeeper.

Fede Bessone played ninety minutes as nine-man Charlton Athletic were held to a 2-2 draw with Bristol Rovers. He put in an assured defensive performance and managed to set up Charlton’s second goal.

Will Hatfield was an unused substitute for York City.

Fede Bessone played ninety minutes for Charlton in their 1-0 home defeat to Huddersfield. He seemed to struggle in the first half but grew into the game as it went on, putting in an average performance. The jury seems to be still out on Bessone amongst Charlton fans. Some fans rate him about as highly as Leeds fans do and are praying for a new left back in the summer while some think he’s been a consistent addition to their team. It would be fair to say that the majority are not sold either way and are not sure he brings anything outstanding to the side.

Ramon Nunez bagged his first goal in English football for Scunthorpe United. It was an all-important second goal away against relegation rivals Crystal Palace. The ball was half cleared by the Palace defence and fell to Nunez inside the box to the left of goal. His first touch was assured and he hit an excellent curling, looping effort through a crowd of players and into the net. He seems to have added some flair and creativity to Scunthorpe and, though his tendency to shoot from distance has frustrated some fans, he seems to have really impressed and is becoming a bit of a favourite with many hoping the Iron can capture him permanently in the summer.

While Nunez impresses at Scunthorpe, things seem to have gone stale for Aidy White at Oldham. He was a 73^rd minute substitute at the weekend and isn’t having the same opportunities or the same impact as he did when he first joined the Latics. There are suggestions that inconsistency my by White’s problem – if so, it’s a disappointing sign for his Leeds future.

Young defender Tom Lees has been pretty consistent in the heart of defence for League Two Bury. He popped up at the other end in midweek though grabbing a vital winning goal against Burton Albion and played well again at the weekend to keep consecutive clean sheets. Lees’ form will be invaluable to Bury as they continue to push for promotion.

Despite scoring a late winner last week, Adam Clayton was an unused sub for MK Dons this time round while Will Hatfield again didn’t feature for York City.

It was a poor weekend for Leeds but many of our loanees fared better.

Adam Clayton had the biggest impact of all our players – he came on in the 39^th minute for MK Dons and bagged a 94^th minute winner as they beat Carlisle 3-2. He diverted a low cross into the back of the net from a few yards. Given the nature of his goal, he can be forgiven for breaking his promise not to celebrate against his former club.

One of the biggest shock results of the weekend was Scunthorpe’s 4-1 trouncing of top of the table QPR. Ramon Nunez played in the middle of the park and though he didn’t get on the score sheet he did his bit to help Scunthorpe to a fantastic win after going a goal down early on.

Aidy White and Fede Bessone faced off in the only goalless draw in the Football League on Saturday as Charlton travelled up to Boundary Park. Neither player had an outstanding game.

Meanwhile in League Two, Tom Lees played ninety minutes. He was unable to help Bury keep another clean sheet but ended up on the winning side as they beat Northampton 4-2.

Will Hatfield again wasn’t involved for York City and in a move that went under the radar, Mike Grella has returned to Leeds after his loan spell at Swindon Town.

Ramon Nunez made his debut for Scunthorpe after a 16000 mile round trip with Honduras over the international break. He started reasonably brightly and looked dangerous running at the Norwich defence, firing narrowly over from long range early on. That was as exciting as it got for Nunez and Scunthorpe fans though as he was substituted just after half an hour as Scunthorpe went 2-0 down and were reduced to ten men. The day got worse for Nunez and his new club as they were eventually turned over 6-0.

Fede Bessone played ninety minutes for Charlton in their 3-1 win over London rivals Leyton Orient. He put in an average shift and was unspectacular as fans continue to question his ability.

Oldham got a much needed win with Aidy White in the side. The Leeds winger played eighty minutes and could have got on the score-sheet in the first half but for a good block. Adam Clayton recently joined MK Dons on loan after having limited opportunities at Elland Road. The young midfielder came on for the last half an hour with his side winning 2-0 at Southampton. However, in the time he was on Southampton scored three goals to win the game. This reflects badly on Clayton but the goals weren’t really his fault though the substitution did seem to be misjudged, inviting Southampton to attack.

Striker Mike Grella came on for the last ten minutes or so for Swindon but the game was already tied at 1-1 and it finished that way.

In League Two, Tom Lees played the full ninety, despite Bury losing their manager to Scunthorpe in the week. He helped his side to another clean sheet as they picked up a 3-0 win.

Will Hatfield was not involved for York City this weekend.

The games are coming thick and fast now as we head towards the end of the season and while the rest of the country was focussed on the international break, League One and Two fixtures went ahead and a few Leeds loanees were in action.

Adam Clayton was named on the bench for MK Dons but didn’t get chance to play his first game for them. Will Hatfield also didn’t feature for his loan club, York City.

Aidy White was an unused sub for Oldham last week and came on as a 68^th minute sub in Tuesday night’s goalless draw with Tranmere.

Fede Bessone made his first appearance back from injury in Charlton’s midweek draw with Southampton and it seems he had a solid game, keeping the highly rated Oxlade-Chamberlain quiet all game. A number of Charlton fans gave him their man of the match. The message boards had very complimentary things to say about him with some hoping he’ll be signed up by the Addicks in the summer.

He played another 90 minutes before getting substituted late in stoppage time at the weekend. However he seemed unable to recapture his midweek form and there were questions surrounding his distribution and defensive play. One particular comment on a Charlton message board may be familiar to Leeds fans: “Bassone [sic] looked awful – long time since I have seen a player as bad as him.”

Tom Lees but in a decent performance for Bury once again, playing a full 90 minutes and helping the League Two side to a clean sheet in a goalless draw away from home.

Mike Grella played 84 minutes for Swindon as they went down to League One leaders, Brighton (a game in which ex-White David Prutton scored a belter). Grella was unable to get on the scoresheet but did rattle the bar with a snapshot from inside the area.

The disappointing weekend extended to our loanees with not one tasting victory. As a result there isn’t too much to report.

Mike Grella played 62 minutes for Swindon in their goalless draw against Huddersfield. It wasn’t as eventful an afternoon as last week for the young American but it seems as if Swindon fans were pretty annoyed at him being dragged off just after the hour mark.

Aidy White also started but lasted not much longer than an hour as Oldham went down 1-0 to League One leaders Brighton. Opinion seems to be that White isn’t imposing himself enough in games.

Tom Lees played ninety minutes but couldn’t stop Bury slumping to 3-2 defeat to Cheltenham.

Fede Bessone remains injured and Will Hatfield was an unused sub for York City.

Mike Grella played 90 minutes in midweek but couldn’t prevent Swindon losing 1-0. On Saturday however he fared better, grabbing his first goal for Swindon with a fantastic lobbed goal. He could have had another but saw his brilliant curling effort palmed away by the ‘keeper. He was also playing his part in creating chances, slipping ex-White David Prutton through on goal with a precise through ball only for Prutton to come out second best to the ‘keeper. Grella later picked up a yellow card and was substituted in the 79^th minute (to the bemusement of many Swindon fans) only to see his goal cancelled out by a late Dagenham and Redbridge equaliser. There seems to have been a mostly positive response to Grella by Swindon fans with many naming him as the stand out player in their recent games.

Aidy White has worked his way back into the starting eleven as Oldham’s slump continues. He played 76 minutes in midweek and 88 minutes on Saturday as they went down to Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient.

Tom Lees continues to impress in League Two, playing ninety minutes and helping Bury to a fourth successive clean sheet. The youngster was popping up at both ends, first clearing well of his own goal line and then missing a golden opportunity at the other end as inexplicably shot wide from close range when he should have scored.

Will Hatfield came off the bench in the 64^th minute for York City in their 1-0 win over Eastbourne Borough. Fede Bessone remains injured and missed both Charlton’s midweek and weekend games.