The Scratching Shed

Weekend off

A rare Saturday off for Leeds United fans, but the rest of the teams carried on with out us. Norwich were held to a 1-1 draw at Swindon thanks to a last minute equaliser from Greer, whilst third place Charlton also drew at home to Gillingham (2-2).

Meanwhile, Colchester lost away to Walsall whilst Southampton and Huddersfield both recorded away wins at MK Dons and Leyton Orient. Overall, it’s been a pretty good day for Leeds United then. Swindon and Norwich shared the spoils which haults Swindon’s climb, leaving them four points behind ourselves (having played a game more). Charlton also failed to take their chances and drew so Leeds could open a seven point gap up on Monday with a win over the in-form Millwall.

Millwall will present a strong challenge for the inconsistent Leeds United side, but aside from the trip to Southampton, we’ve looked a bit better lately and I’m pretty confident the Sky Sports factor will help us achieve a much needed win.

Somma makes it six

Elsewhere today, on-loan Leeds United striker Davide Somma netted another two goals for League Two side Lincoln City to help them to a 3-2 win over Torquay United. The striker has now managed six goals in as many games for Lincoln. The idea of going out on-loan will have been to try and impress the manager back in Leeds and work his way into our plans, and with such impressive goal-scoring stats, I imagine Simon has been taking as much notice as the rest of us.

Scum fans rig Leeds poll

Those pesky glory-hunting cretins (Manchester United fans) have been busy casting votes in a Leeds United fans greatest player poll to change the obvious outcome of Billy Bremner to Eric Cantona.

This calls for an instant response. Update your firewall, run your virus scanner, defrag your hard-drive and be incredibly cautious around any pro-ManU sites. This is the start of the E-hooliganism wars. A bit like the 80′s but ran by geeks. The FA needs to act now!

Blackwell heading for dole queue

Seems Sheffield United fans have finally tired of Kevin Blackwell and want him replacing in the summer. They point to poor transfer signings and horrible displays of football as their main reasons (deja vu anyone?)

Never liked the man while he was the Leeds boss. Found him intolerable in interviews, his signings were largely atrocious and the football on display was less interesting than the George Graham days, so can totally empathise with the Sheffield lot. Still… Couldn’t help but laugh.

Two good loan signings and the unsurprising permanent move for Max Gradel didn’t make for the January transfer window most of us had probably hoped, but it does seem to have done the trick. Of course, one result at home to Colchester can no more be considered good form than two uncharacteristic losses be considered bad form, but the new additions certainly seemed to bring a bit of freshness into the side and they’ll hopefully get us back on track.  

Whilst much of the attention was on the players being linked with a move to Elland Road, David Prutton left for Colchester United. Always a favourite with the fans, affectionately nicknamed ‘Jesus’ after he went uncut and unshaven for the best part of a year, Prutton is one of the great characters of the game who is so easy likable and I’m sure the Colchester fans will take as much of a shine to him as we did.

In leaving, Prutton sent an open letter to the club and it’s fans thanking them for the the time he enjoyed at Elland Road;

Dear All,

It’s been one of the privileges of my life so far to have played for such a world renowned, highly respected football club.

The friendships I have made, the memories I hold dear and the sheer pleasure of being a Leeds player will stay with me for a long time.

Leeds United gets under your skin (as I’m sure all you avid fans know) and there will be a part of me that will always be Leeds.

I am proud to have played a part in bridging the gap between an uncertain past and a no doubt glorious future.

Leeds fans are loud, loyal and passionate. Make no mistake, you are the lifeblood of the club and always will be.

You were always fantastic to me and I hold that in my heart as I move on.

Thanks for everything,

David Prutton (aka Prutts, aka ‘Jesus’)

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling a little emotional in reading that letter and in Prutton’s departure. I’ve said on here before that he was one of the players I expected to leave as such a player was unlikely to continue playing reserve team football, so the move came as no real shock. The letter however, did catch me a little off-guard. Very few players ever forge such a bond with any club these days, but in reading the above, you can really tell how much David Prutton loved playing for Leeds United.

I wish him all the best as he moves on from Leeds United. His humurous interviews were always good value and I’ve known several of his team-mates describe him as the joker in the changing room and I’m sure they’ll miss him too.

It’s good to be a Leeds fan again this morning after our 2-0 victory over Colchester ended the dismal run of league form we’ve been experiencing lately. The frustrating run of results left many Leeds United fans pulling their hair out when taken into context with the brilliant FA Cup displays they were sandwiched between. Simon Grayson called for an improvement, and a reshuffled Leeds United delivered.

There’s an old saying in football that it’s a game of two halves. This match however, was a tale of two halves of the first half. Leeds started looking a little panicked and shaky across the field, but slowly gained confidence as the scoreline remained level. On-loan signing, McSheffrey found his feet and started playing some excellent link-up play with the other attacking players. His ball holding skills proved valuable throughout and there’s no mistaking how good an addition he was.

The on-loan striker made his first real mark in a white shirt in the build-up to our opening goal. As Leeds found their feet and confidence, the sheer strength of our attacking options started to pay dividends with McSheffrey, Snodgrass, Becchio and Beckford all present to trouble the Colchester defence, forcing them to keep more players behind the ball than they probably would have liked. It was Becchio that was brought down inside the area for another one of those nervous penalty moments, but McSheffrey’s contribution to the build-up shouldn’t be overlooked.

Cue Beckford once more with the penalty. No nonsense from the Leeds United striker, struck firmly into the side of the net to send Leeds infront. Colchester’s keeper did guess the right way, but Beckford got the fundementals right by hitting it with enough pace to leave the U’s keeper with no chance. Before the Spurs game, we’d only scored one of our last seven penalties. Beckford has now buried the last two and our penalty woes may finally be at an end.

Meanwhile, our second new addition was a left-back from Villa called Lawry. Another great signing by Simon Grayson who has successfully identified the weak spot in our team once more. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Leeds United manager seems to be reading from the same page as the rest of us. His arrival is a welcomed one and the youngster gave a very impressive performance for the 70 or so minutes he played before being forced off with what looked like cramp. That said, the last full-back we got on-loan from Villa got injured in the warm-up to his debut so I wouldn’t be surprised if lightning has struck twice. This is Leeds after all, we’re hardly the luckiest team in the world.

Both the new arrivals were involved with the next major Leeds United move which followed the opening goal and looked destined to make it 2-0. Lowry’s break fed Beckford who selflishly linked with McSheffrey who was massively unlucky not to score on his debut. Only an excellent one-handed save from the impressive Colchester United stopper spoilt the dream debut for McSheffrey who was realing starting to make his mark on the fixture.

The second half started much the same as the first ended with Leeds on top. The teams confidence had clearly built throughout and the vast supply of attacking options Leeds had was keeping Colchester’s defence extremely busy. Elsewhere, there was a massive improvement on recent weeks in Howson and Doyle’s display who ran the show in the centre of the park, battling hard throughout.

By this point, McSheffrey and Beckford were looking like the ultimate combination upfront, linking well and creating chances almost at will. However, the second, and ultimately final goal came ten minutes into the second period via Jonny Howson. Jonny brought the ball down neatly to create an nice shooting opportunity and struck sweetly, only to see his effort come back off the woodwork. Jermaine Beckford was as alert as ever inside the box though and pounced on the rebound to give Leeds a two goal lead and a much needed three points.

From there on in, we continued to create opportunites. Beckford was unlucky not to bag an hattrick when his third goal was ruled out for offside. Not sure on that one, but I’ll give the officials the benefit of the doubt since we won. McSheffrey received a well deserved standing ovation as he was replaced by Max Gradel who himself went on to nearly make it three after Beckford played him in and his shot was saved by the Colchester keeper.

Overall, and despite a shaky opening period, this was more like the Leeds United we’ve got used to this season. The new additions were integral to the performance bringing some much needed life to what had been a fading team. Colchester played well enough and won’t be too dishearted by the result, but Leeds’ attacking options proved the difference.

The tactics used by Grayson in this match showed a real belief in the manager who could have easily tried to iscolate any threats and hope Beckford gets lucky. Instead, he fielded a very attack minded team in what was at times a 4-2-4 formation. Howson looked much more comfortable in the centre of the park with Doyle alongside him doing what he does best in making the challenges and cleaning up the mess.

Aside from the three points we needed desperately, what makes this victory extra sweet is the satisfaction of silencing the anti-IGWT (In Grayson we trust) contingent. Whilst I was cynical of the decision to play the same team in the cups as we have in the league, changes in form will happen over the season and the main thing is that Grayson identified the problem, acted on it and resolved it before it became anything too serious. That’s what makes Simon different from the rest of the managers who have passed through Elland Road over the last decade or so and that’s what will take this football club forward.

And finally…

That just leaves the man of the match, which could easily go to McSheffrey as his contribution was excellent, but for me, it was Jermaine Beckford. Even without the two goals he delivered, he was brilliant. He linked well throughout with everyone, creating plenty of opportunities and seemed to enjoy every second of the game. Nice to see him smiling and enjoying life at Elland Road once more.

There was an increased crowd at Elland Road, as is the norm for Boxing Day, the majority of whom were no doubt feeling a little sheepish after the excesses of Christmas Day and I was no exception.

Charlton had kicked off early and drew 2-2 with Swindon Town after Sam Sodje was sent off for a two-footed challenge early on and Deon Burton followed him just before half-time. Charlton were 1-0 up at this point, but with another half to follow and only nine men available, it wasn’t going to be easy. Predictably enough, Swindon came out firing and turned the game on its head. With only injury time remaining, they’d managed to get themselves 2-1 in front, but a last second equaliser from Miguel Llera (90 +4) put Charlton level and secured them a hard fought point. .

Norwich meanwhile had beaten Millwall 2-0 and Colchester also took three points away to Southend United. Nevertheless, the Leeds fans knew that a victory here today over the inconsistent Hartlepool would be enough to take us six points clear at the top as we approach the New Year.

Leeds were undoubtedly heavy favourites for the tie and as the game got underway, it looked like there would be no surprises. Robert Snodgrass had three early shots blocked by the visitors defence as he made himself available all over the pitch.

There was a stoppage in play early on after Andrew Hughes went down in some pain. It looked like he’d taken some kind of knock to his knee and the Leeds United physio came on to assess the situation. Hughes finally managed to get himself up and was taken off the pitch, returning shortly afterwards.

Leeds continued to pile on the pressure and the next chance fell to Jermaine Beckford who fired a shot on goal from a tough angle. It was an easy save from the Hartlepool keeper but there was an early indication of how the Leeds fans were feeling about their number one striker as the stands burst into a chorus of “Jermaine Beckford, Jermaine Beckford,” clearly indicating that last weeks incident had been put to bed.

Next up to try his luck was Jonny Howson who struck well from the edge of the area, but it went straight at the opposition goalkeeper who saved with relative ease.

The game lost a bit of pace and Hartlepool managed to get up the other end of the field. Their efforts resulted in a corner which was whipped in at some pace, being headed on to the back post where an unmarked Bjornsson knocked it in to send the visitors into the lead, totally against the run of play.

Leeds tried to reply but found themselves on the back foot once again. A shot from Adam Boyd deflected out for another corner as Hartlepool found some belief. The corner was subsequently cleared by Becchio, then knocked back in but the offside flag was up giving Leeds a free-kick and time to regain some composure.

The game then turned back in Leeds’ favour. Howson had another shot from range which deflected off a defender leaving the keeper wrong footed. The shot was spilled but as Jermaine Beckford moved in to poach a goal, the keeper managed to clean up and save his team from danger.

Beckford looked extremely hungry and the fans were more than appreciative of his efforts. There was still the odd one or two who stubbornly refused to forgive and forget, but on the whole, the Leeds fans had his back.

After a three on two move was ended by a poor pass from Beckford, the striker redeemed himself by levelling the scores. Neil Kilkenny took a shot which whizzed through the area and Beckford got a touch to it to make it 1-1 and put Leeds back on level terms. The striker’s celebration was somewhat subdued, perhaps because he was in front of the previously critical Kop, or maybe because of the poached effort. The fans reacted favourably though with a chorus of the striker’s name.

Robert Snodgrass continued to make himself available wherever and wasn’t afraid to shoot. Another shot from him was saved with ease by the Hartlepool keeper, but Leeds were totally on top once more.

As the three minutes of extra time came close to an end, Leeds got themselves in front. Some fans will have missed the goal as they headed in to the stand for half-time refreshments, but there was more than a little luck involved. As the Hartlepool bench appealed for handball, Howson sent a cross in which Becchio headed towards goal. The header took a deflection and found the back of the net to send Leeds in, in front at half time.

Although Leeds deserved the lead, Hartlepool fans had a right to feel aggrieved. The referee was another fine example of how poor the officials are in this division and made so many errors it was often comical. The decisions did seem a little one sided at times too and I’m sure we’d have felt annoyed had it been the other way round. When things are going for you though, you have to take it.

After a quiet opening, Jermaine Beckford got the first chance of the second half when he broke free and unleashed a powerful shot that clattered back off the bar to deny him his second. He had another chance shortly after too as he met Snoddy’s cross but couldn’t direct his effort towards goal from six yards.

Things quietened down, giving me some time to interact with my followers on Twitter. Although a little over-eager at times, Beckford was having a good game and shortly after I suggested he may well hit an hat trick today, he added his second. A beautifully chipped shot over the Hartlepool keeper sealed the victory for the Whites and sent the 30,000 fans into raptures. This time, Beckford celebrated in style in front of the South Stand and last weeks antics were now but a distant memory.

As the half wore away, Leeds started to play ole football, safe in the knowledge that the result was confirmed. Simon Grayson made a few changes bringing Bradley Johnson on for Micky Doyle, Tresor Kandol on for Richard Naylor and Mad Max Gradel on in place of Lucciano Becchio. The referee meanwhile was handing yellow cards out like Christmas cards after an incident involving Bradley Johnson led to a bit of handbags at five paces.

There were a couple of chances left for Leeds, the first of which fell to Max Gradel who shot from range when he should have played one of the many White shirt wearing players around him in. Jermaine Beckford was eager to get his hat trick, but the best effort he would get was a long ranged strike that sailed in to the packed South Stand. The game ended with a poorly struck free kick from Max Gradel, but the victory was secured and Leeds move six clear of Charlton Athletic.

A couple of interesting facts from my followers on Twitter; Firstly, Leeds now have the best goal difference in England with +30. The next closest being Chelski on +28. Secondly, with that win secured, Leeds are now guaranteed to end the decade as they started it – at the top of the table. Obviously, we started at the top of the Premier League and end at the top of League One, but an interesting fact nonetheless.

A good result today and a good response to going behind in the first half. Good to see 30,000 Leeds fans at the game today, some of which looked a little worse for wear, but all seemed to be enjoying the Christmas spirit. Special shout to those that attended in fancy dress, there were quite a few of them today for us all to laugh at.

TSS man of the match
I can’t give it to anyone other than Jermaine Beckford. He was over-eager at times, but looked desperate to make up for last weeks antics and responded in the right way – as did the fans! Mini goal drought over and the January speculation will snowball from here on in. Can’t see him leaving ‘til the end of the season though.

Funniest fan award
Goes to the lad in the Kop who called his mate (who is a bit of an occasional fan) a fair-weather fan despite the fact it was one of the coldest games of the season. Love it.

Managed to get home and complete a match report by 18:15. That’s got to be a new record. Please excuse any grammatical errors, but the pub awaits. Happy Christmas to everyone – TSS.

I’ve seen some poor games on my travels following Leeds United and the list continued to grow with Saturdays instantly forgetable bore-draw at Brentford.

The pitch was reminiscent of Histon’s last season, the referee was definitely in the wrong job and for what felt like a much more than 90 minutes, Leeds and Brentford failed to excite the crowd.

Patrick Kisnorbo made a welcomed return and Max Gradel was handed a rare start. The near-on 2,000 travelling Whites were pretty unanimously expecting three points, but I remained cautious knowing that Brentford had beaten both Colchester and Norwich on this ground.

A scrappy opening quarter of a hour passed with only one real chance. Kisnorbo was showing us exactly what we’d missed by organising the defence much better than in recent weeks and clearing anything Brentford could throw forward. Jermaine Beckford had the first real chance for Leeds smashing a powerful shot at goal, only to see the Brentford keeper touch it onto the woodwork.

That was about all the first half had to offer. Leeds were probably the better team given that Casper had been more of a spectator than a goalkeeper and not had to save anything that I remember. Capaldi was doing everything in his power to help Brentford out with another dismal performance that left me thinking he’d struggle to make the starting line-up of Farsley Celtic.

The under faciltated stadium caused a few half-time hiccups as 2,000 Leeds fans went for a break from the poor on-field performance. Leeds started the second half much brighter than the first and attacked from the off. Kilkenny and Howson were both providing chances for the Leeds attack, but Beckford missed a one-on-one I’d have put money on Showunmi scoring. That pretty much summed the days events up.

Whilst Brentford never really looked like winning, Leeds never looked like scoring. The pitch never helped matters and a referee unfit to take charge of an U9′s game couldn’t detract from what was a dismal day and a pretty poor performance all round.

So, the first trip to Brentford in half a century turned out to be a non-event. I’d usually give credit to the opposition for keeping us at bay, but the truth was they never really did. Leeds didn’t find it hard to beat their defence. Beckford broke the line several times, but aside from the thunderous shot he struck in the first half, seemed to have left his shooting boots at home. Capaldi was once again woeful and should be remembered alongside Roque Junior when he returns to Cardiff, whilst Larry’s substitutions proved unaffective for once.

I suppose on a positive note we remain top of the league by two points and with a game in hand. More importantly, we’re eight points clear of third place which is all that really matters. After conceding two against Huddersfield, Kis’ return brought with it another clean sheet. Some fans are suggesting this may be our bad patch and it wouldn’t surprise me as I’m never overly confident around Christmas, but if that’s the case then it’s the kind of bad patch we can ride out with ease.

Since the game Simon Grayson has criticised both the pitch and the referee. It’s not like Simon to be critical of anyone except his own team, but I think he’s more than within his rights to do. It was a frustrating day and the quality of the pitch definitely detracted from the quality of the football. Another poor referee spoilt any chance of the game flowing smoothly too.

Brentford manager, Andy Scott had the following reaction to Larry’s comments;

“Their left-back put the ball out of play three times. That wasn’t the pitch, it was the left-back not being able to keep it in play.

“We’ve had a lot of games on here recently and unfortunately we don’t have six groundsmen so it’s never going to be like Elland Road. I think any comments about the pitch will be taking away from a fantastic performance by my players.

“It was a physical game and I think that Simon is clutching at straws if he’s trying to blame the pitch and refereeing decisions.”

Although I understand Simon’s frustration as I felt pretty much the same, I’d be inclined to agree with Andy Scott. The left-back he mentions is Capaldi, who is truly, truly woeful. When all’s said and done, Brentford are a small club battling at the lower end of League One. They deserve some credit for holding the league leaders to a draw and irregardless of poor referee’s and poor pitches, Leeds should still have been able to beat them.

TSS man of the match
Great to see Patrick Kisnorbo back in the starting line-up and the fact his return coincided with another clean sheet is no coincidence. He organises the defence like no one else can, continually issuing orders and making important challenges. Truly invaluable to our promotion push!

Not since the early 1960′s have Leeds United and Brentford competed in a competitive match, so I thought there may be some point to doing a match preview for this one. That day saw Leeds progress to the next round of the League Cup with a 4-1 victory at Elland Road.

The last time these two clubs played in the same division however was 1954, which is more an indication of Leeds United’s recent demise, as opposed to Brentford’s success. Indeed, League One is common ground for Brentford. It’s been more than 50 years since Brentford competed in the top flight of English football and although they made a quick visit to the Championship in the early 90′s, much of their existance has been spent yoyoing between the third and forth tier.

After promotion last season from League Two, Brentford will have been early favourites for relegation this term, but they’ve faired quite well against the top teams with home victories over 3rd place Norwich and 4th place Colchester. They also drew away to Huddersfield, but were soundly beaten away to Charlton 3-0. Brentford are also unbeaten in the last four home games so are unlikely to be handing an easy three points to the Whites. The London-based team currently sit 18th in League One.

After former England captain Terry Butcher was fired at the end of 2007, his former assistant, Andy Scott took over as caretaker. After a successful spell in the caretaker role, Scott was appointed on a permanent basis and went on to guide Brentford to the 2008-09 League Two title. An unusual “Wikipedia fact” (I tend to use other sources, but was struggling) states that Brentford are the only team to have won the fourth tier under all three of it’s names, namely, the 4th Division, Division 3 and League Two.

Griffin Park

On Saturday, Leeds fans will be visiting Griffin Park, the home of Brentford for over a century. Plans are afoot to construct a new 20,000 seater stadium to help secure the long-term financial needs of the club, but have ironically been delayed due to the current recession.

Leeds fans will be housed in the Brook Stand which is known as the ‘Wendy House’ by home fans. It’s a double tiered stand made up of both seating and standing areas. The stadium is underneath Heathrow’s flight-path and as such, the roofs of stands are sold as advertising space. The stadium is also used for Chelski’s reserve and youth games.

Although a little early, team news so far for Leeds United is all positive. Both Shane Higgs and Bradley Johnson have resumed full training, although I think it’s unlikely they’ll play any major role, so with Luciano Becchio already back in contention, the injury list finally seems to be shortening (aside for Aidy White of course). However, it’s alledged Leicester may be planning to recall on-loan winger Max Gradel, which would be a major blow for the Whites.

It’s been a while since we had to rely on a last minute goal to net us the points, but none of us had forgotten that capability as the match neared the final whistle tonight. One of the oldest football clichés states that it’s ‘a game of two halves’ and that’s certainly what we witnessed tonight.

For much of the first half Leyton Orient had the better chances. Leeds probably had more of the ball, but the end product just wasn’t there. Orient meanwhile were carving out more chances than most teams manage in 90 minutes at Elland Road.

Maybe it was complacency from Leeds, afterall tonight would provide us with the opportunity to go twenty games unbeaten at home and in the last three games we’d scored eleven, with no reply. Whatever the case, the Leeds United that so effortlessly cast aside Brighton on Saturday had been replaced with a much scrappier side that seemed to have lost their flair.

It’s not that we were bad, far from it, but in the first half Orient were definitely the better team. We’d had the better of the possession, but a few stray passes – most notably from Robert Snodgrass – were making the team frustrated and we just didn’t do enough with the ball. The best chances from a Leeds point of view in the first half were a shot from range by Kilkenny and a skied effort from Sam Vokes. Neither troubling the Leyton keeper.

The second half started slowly, but Grayson made a couple of impact substitutions that proved decisive. Aidy White replaced Andy Hughes shortly after half-time, but it was Grayson’s next change that would prove the difference when Max Gradel replaced Sam Vokes.

It took half the second half for anything of interest to happen, but Leyton had definitely been pinned back by this point and were finding chances to break far more scarce than the first half. Gradel meanwhile was starting to make a real nuisance of himself in Leyton’s half, putting in a couple of good crosses and striking the first real chance of the half with his back to goal. The shot ultimately went over, but Gradel had once again sparked a resurgence in Leeds.

Although the frustration was evident in the faces of the fans and players alike, Leeds continued to try and work an opening. Two penalty appeals were denied by the ref (again) although one was admittedly a bit soft, but the other looked like a clear handball to me.

Grella was the next player to come on in place of Howson as Simon Grayson continued to look for options. Interestingly, Davide Somma was the other striker on the bench with Tresor Kandol nowhere to be seen, despite his return from suspension. Maybe the sending off was one chance too far for the frontman?

Both Max Gradel and Mike Grella forced saves from the Leyton keeper as Leeds continued to pile on the pressure in desperate search of all three points. News from Charlton was that they were in the lead and we certainly didn’t want to give them a chance to close the gap.

The ball was forced forward again and again with pretty much everyone in White in the opposition half at times, whilst Orient’s entire squad were back defending. It just didn’t look like the goal was going to come and the game was beginning to feel like a lost cause.

This Leeds United however is a different breed from ones in the past. This Leeds United doesn’t give up until the fat lady has sang and we’ve developed a bit of a reputation for snatching late winners over the last couple of years, so why change such a profitable habit? Since Gradel had come on, he’d changed the game and it seemed somewhat inevitable that if anyone was going to change the score, it would be him.

The youngster didn’t disappoint. With just a minute of normal time remaining, he picked the ball up inside the box, created a nice angle and fired home to give Leeds a 1-0 win. With only injury time remaining, it would have been easy for Leeds to run the clock down, but with Leyton still pinned back, they carried on and went for another with Snoddy hitting the side of the net.

Overall and despite Leyton’s early dominance, Leeds deserved the win. Credit where it’s due to Leyton, they put us under the kosh at times in the first half, but they never kept the momentum going and eventually Leeds punished them for it.

As for Leeds, it wasn’t the most inspired performance but job done and another three points. Hard to complain when you’ve just gone twenty matches unbeaten at home, but Snoddy was off his game tonight and the jury is definitely still out on Vokes who contributed nothing. Aidy White deserves a mention as he gave a very good performance in the second half.

Elsewhere in the top six
Charlton and Colchester both won so no change in the top three. MK Dons lost 4-3 at home to Carlisle whilst Huddersfield lost away to Swindon. Norwich were the big movers of the night who capitalised on those defeats thrashing Brighton 4-1. Honeymoon period well and truly over now then for Gus.

On Sunday we play Kettering Town (29/11) in the FA Cup, followed by a trip to Oldham Atheltic in the League (01/12). That’s followed by the local derby at Elland Road against Huddersfield next Saturday as the heptic Christmas fixture list gets underway.

There’s nothing like a late November trip to the seaside to remind you that global warming is doing little to improve our winter climate. Cold would be an understatement for days like these and for the travelling Leeds United fans, you just hope and pray the on-pitch activities will produce something that will warm up our shivering Northern souls.

After another one of those international breaks that left myself and countless other Leeds United fans with a weekend to scratch our heads and wonder how to spend the time, the Whites returned fresh and hungry. The Leeds United faithful were all too aware of Gus Poyet’s managerial talent and with two wins in his two games so far – including a 3-1 victory over in-form Southampton – there was some cautious predictiors, including myself. I thought we’d do well to leave with a draw!

The teams were a class apart however and the gulf between Leeds and Brighton in the standings is not by fluke. Brighton simply couldn’t contend with Leeds United despite the fact we’d lost two key players to injury. Bradley Johnson and Richard Naylor were sidelined with Lubomir Michalik and Neil Kilkenny in as replacements, whilst Jonny Howson picked up the captaincy.

In years past, the loss of key players often resulted in clueless below-par performances, but credit to Simon Grayson and Leeds United. We have enough depth in this team now to ride out even the most disastrous injury crisis. Lubo looks like a man transformed and gave a very solid display whilst Neil Kilkenny continued to impress everyone.

Brighton had given Leeds a pathetically poor allocation of 900, which is probably just in-line with the minimum of 10% that the FA demands. Brighton has one of the most ramshackle stadiums/huts you’ll ever visit, so it’s hardly suprising. You’ll see better attempts of a football ground at your local park. Many of my fellow fans that had managed to get tickets had donned some cheap and tacky plastic rain-coats/bin-liners that made them look like the Leeds branch of the KKK. Either way, if you hadn’t come prepared, they’ll have been welcomed as the Whites faithful settled in for a cold, wet and blustery afternoon.

Luckily, the on-pitch activites kept us all warm as we sang our hearts out for the lads. After a shockingly bad penalty shout was missed by another outstanding referee (not that we’d have scored it anyway) Robert Snodgrass fired the Whites into the lead just before the half hour mark. A great strike from some range swerved into the net to leave the Brighton keeper stranded and send Leeds United 1-0 up.

Beckford hit the post, Brighton had a couple of half chances, but overall Leeds were by far the better team and controlled the game throughout. We were rewarded for our dominance just before half-time when a beautiful long range pass from Neil Kilkenny found Jermaine Beckford who had all the time in the world to calmly slot home and give Leeds a 2-0 lead.

The second half continued in much the same style with Leeds clearly on top. Brighton tried to get into the game but never really gave Leeds too much to worry about. The referee continued his impressive display by failing to award another clear-cut penalty to Leeds when Robert Snodgrass was the victim of a WWE-style challenge from the Brighton defence.

Brighton simply never had the opportunity to play. Leeds pressed them whenever they were in possession and gave them no time or space to create anything. Leeds looked much more comfortable on the ball and the result was never really in doubt.

As the final seconds of the game ticked away David Prutton linked well with Neil Kilkenny who smashed a shot beyond the Brighton keeper to give Leeds a 3-0 win, which was no less than they deserved. Kilkenny had a very good game and should definitely be giving Grayson a bit of a selection headache when Johnson returns.

It was just too easy for the Whites today. Brighton simply weren’t up to the challenge and Leeds out-classed them in every area. I think overall, Brighton will be happy with 3-0 when you consider the two clear penalty decisions Leeds were denied and Beckford’s unfortunate shot that came back off the post.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to go with Neil Kilkenny, although in fairness, all the midfielders were contendors. None of them did much wrong all game and the fixture was definitely won in the centre of the park. Brighton were closed down quickly, given no space at all and Leeds commanded respect throughout.

Elsewhere in League One
Charlton came back from 1-0 down to earn a draw at Yeovil, whilst Colchester failed to take their chance and could only manage a 2-2 draw at Oldham. Huddersfield move up to third after beating Hartlepool 2-1 and Norwich also drew away to Southampton.

Leeds now sit nine points clear of third place Huddersfield and six clear of Charlton with a game in hand. We’ve still conceeded just eight goals in the League, which is still the best in the country alongside Chelsea who are easing towards the Premier League title with a 4-0 win. It’s still early doors, but the title is definitely ours to lose.

Stephen McPhail
Just like to send my best wishes to former Leeds United player, Stephen McPhail who has been diagnosed with stage one matt lymphoma – a type of cancer. He’s set to receive treatment for the disease shortly and is hoping to be back in action for Cardiff by January. Best wishes, Stephen.

With Leeds United deciding to take the weekend off with our hundreds of international call-ups, League One continued without us and since I have no Leeds United match to report on, I thought I’d check out how the rest of the top six got on.

For me, the one to watch this weekend was Southampton vs Gus Poyet’s new team, Brighton & Hove Albion. A first half brace from Glenn Murray gave Gus the perfect start, but Southampton got a penalty just before half-time. Rickie Lambert stepped up and converted for his 12th of the season, sending him above Jermaine Beckford (11) in the top-scorers chart.

Without wanting to stray too far off subject Rickie Lambert is definitely a man Leeds should be targeting if Jermaine Beckford leaves in January. His goal-scoring record is incredible and he’ll no doubt want a chance to play higher. Southampton are very unlikely to achieve promotion, so I think we’d have a good chance of capturing him.

The BBC are reporting that Southampton’s problems stemmed from a “very shaky defence” and Brighton took full advantage adding a third shortly before full-time. The new manager effect seems to have worked well at Brighton who we’ll meet next Saturday. Let’s hope it was a one-off fluke.

Meanwhile, in London, Charlton returned to winning ways emphatically beating fourth place MK Dons 5-1. Although they’ve lowered the gap from us to four, MK Dons occupy the third to sixth place area, which is where we really need to move away from so this isn’t necessarily a bad result. So long as we go up automatically, I really couldn’t care less who wins the title.

The next stand out result in a free-scoring weekend has to be Huddersfield who battered Wycombe 6-0. Norwich also won, but Colchester could only manage a draw so without playing Leeds United are still seven points clear of the play-off positions. A game in hand means nothing unless you win it, but the chance to move ten clear so early on is a nice thought.

So the only change this weekend (in the top six) is Colchester United jumping MK Dons to take third spot. Charlton gained a bit of ground and the impressive scoreline will do wonders for their confidence. Huddersfield will be disappointed to remain sixth after the 6-0 demolition job, but they have opened up a little breathing room on Millwall who now trail them by two points.

I think things are really starting to take shape as we head towards Christmas. Was never convinced by Bristol and didn’t expect them to stay near the top for long. Southampton have such an impressive attack that they’ll climb steadily. Whether they can reach the top six or not though is debatable.

Would also expect Colchester to fizzle out eventually as I aren’t sure they have the depth. Millwall will most likely end in the top six, so come May I’d expect it to be pretty much as you are, but with Millwall possibly replacing Colchester running out of steam. If Southampton can keep hold of their key players, they may turn a few heads yet though.

It’s a prediction that will probably be as accurate as my football coupon this weekend. League One is simply too unpredictable for anyone to really know for sure, but it should be an interesting few months either way. On and on.

In a new addition to The Scratching Shed, I’ve decided to try and interview an opposition fan before each of our league and cup games. Hopefully it’ll provide a bit of light hearted fun and an insight into what we can expect from the forthcoming fixture.

Ahead of our FA Cup clash with Oldham Athletic and for the first outing of ‘Interview with an opposition fan’ I put my questions to Bob from the OAFC message board.

TSS – Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for TSS. Since Leeds United were demoted to League One, the FA Cup (and indeed all cups for that matter) have often been seen as a distraction from the primary task of getting promoted. How do Oldham Athletic fans view the competition?

Bob – Always look forward to re-living the dream shattered twice in two semi finals!

TSS – I think it’s fair to say that you’ve had a good run of results against Leeds United over the last two seasons, most notably a 2-0 victory at Elland Road last August. With that in mind, I guess you’ll be expecting a win in the FA Cup clash too?

Bob – Our team is full of injured players at the moment. Threadbare team for Saturday but we will give it a go.

TSS – Sticking with the forthcoming FA Cup tie, it’s going to be screened live from the FA’s website. I watched the England match in a sports bar in Leeds and found the viewing experience intolerable. What are your thoughts on the FA’s decision to stream the game?

Bob – Too much money is ruining the game. Theres only one way to view and that is to go to the match.

TSS – Chris Taylor is the player who I remember most from the 2-0 defeat last season, probably because he scored both the goals that day. Who else should we be keeping an eye on this weekend?

Bob – Chris is one of our many injured players. Furman is good in midfield but we are so weak that its difficult to name any threats.

TSS – After finishing in tenth place last season, I was expecting to see Oldham a little further up the table this time round. What are your expectations for this season and how do you think you’re getting along so far?

Bob – Mid table at best

TSS – I remember your current manager, Dave Penney from his time at Donny Rovers. His record at Donny is a truly remarkable one, including two promotions. Do you think he can achieve similar things at Oldham?

Bob – It will need a couple of seasons to find out.

TSS – Overall, who do you think the big winners and losers will be in League One this season? Any surprises yet to come?

Bob – I think Charlton were good when I saw them down there recently. Leeds will walk it. Tranmere will go down. No real surprises apart from Colchester.

TSS – Finally, what’s your prediction for this weekends tie?

Bob – 3-1 to Leeds but we are at our most dangerous when everyone writes us off so who knows?

Thanks to Bob for taking the time out to answer the questions and to the OAFC board for allowing me to poach someone. Next week I’ve lined up Rob who writes long established Grimsby Town website TheFishy.co.uk ahead of our JPT clash.