The Scratching Shed

When Patrick Kisnorbo arrived at Leeds United last year, few were expecting the kind of impact he’s had on the side. Probably the best addition Simon Grayson has made to the Leeds United squad so far, in that Paddy came in and instantly fixed the defensive problems we’d been having.

Appearing for the first time back in August, I passed comment on his contribution alongside that of other new arrivals Michael Doyle and Jason Crowe.

As for the new signings, Jason Crowe missed an absolute sitter that should have given Leeds a two goal lead and killed the match off, Kisnorbo played well and weighed in with some good tackles and Doyle did ok in midfield without ever really excelling.

That first game would be the start of an undefeated League run which lasted for twelve games. In that time, Leeds kept six clean sheets and conceded just six goals. Our failings in 2008-09 had widely been attributed to our weaknesses in defence, but early on, there was a sense that Patrick Kisnorbo’s arrival would change all that.

Fearless leader of men

Throughout the season, Patrick Kisnorbo was receiving positive attention from all angles. Man of the match more times than I care to count, several showings in the League One Team Of The Week and capped off by his place in the League One Team Of The Year – Kis-mania was in full effect, and to show their new found love for the Aussie, Leeds fans could be spotted at games wearing bandages around their head similar to the one Kis had become famous for.

Despite a season ending injury towards the end of March as Leeds lost to Millwall, Kis has made the trip to every Leeds United game since and been a constant source of inspiration to players and fans alike. His injury was a massive blow to Leeds United, but we eventually recovered to seal automatic promotion with Kisnorbo watching on from the sidelines and eventually coming on to the lead the chants over the PA system at full-time.

An exceptional player, a fearless leader and an integral part of the squad which will do battle in the Championship next season. Paddy played no small part in getting Leeds back into the Championship and will be just as important next season as we continue on our journey back to where we belong. The overwhelming majority lead in the player of the season poll below says it all really. Whilst the 2009-10 season created many new Leeds United heroes, there was one that stood head and shoulders above the rest.

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You can imagine how hard I’m going to find it to be even slightly critical of anyone following that result, but having now watched the match again (best thing I’ve ever Sky+’d) without the tension and nerves at the times, I’ve come up with the following. Feel free to share your thoughts.

Casper Ankergren – 8*
This is a tough one because he was beaten. Aside from the moment where Jason Crowe came to his rescue he made some good saves. Was a few nervy moments from corners where he came to clear and missed, but clean sheet so no complaints.
*Decided I agree with the consensus that I was a little hard on Casper and he deserves more than the original 7, so edited to 8. He did slow the shot down from Rooney enabling Crowe to clear and the shots he did save make his efforts worthy of a higher score.

Jason Crowe – 8
From now on, this is how he should play every week. Was beaten once or twice. but hardly surprising giving who he had to compete with and always chased them down. Saved us from an equaliser with a goal-line clearence and worked tirelessly throughout. Best display he’s had in a Leeds shirt for me.

Richard Naylor – 9
As a lifelong Leeds fan, Nayl’s will have needed no motivational talk for this game from Grayson. He put everything on the line, throwing whatever he had in front of whatever Manchester United could muster. Clean sheet at Old Trafford, not many teams get to say that and the partnership of him and Kis is key to that success. Absolutely hounded Rooney throughout.

Patrick Kisnorbo – 9
Fearless, absolutely fearless. Solid as a rock and never sees anything as a lost cause. His work rate is incredible, his desire admirable and the difference he’s made to Leeds United in defence, unbelievable. Haven’t been able to fault him on much all season.

Andrew Hughes – 7
Had the unenviable task of Welbeck followed by Valencia. Dealt pretty well with Welbeck, but when the youngster did break he was simply impossible to catch such is his terrifying pace. Valencia ran him ragged, but Hughes gave everything and played his part in the result.

Jonny Howson – 10
I said in my match report that I felt Jonny had grown from the experience and I simply can’t praise him enough. Like Naylor, he’s homegrown and would have needed no motivation whatsoever. His pass for Beckford’s goal was simply sublime, his closing down was tireless and he never showed any fear or respect to the Premier League champions throughout. Hero in the making.

Neil Kilkenny – 8.5
Got disposessed a few times, but then who didn’t? (and I mean on both teams) Always looked to move forward and create chances, never took his foot off the gas and was there with the tackles when needed. Another solid performance from Killa, making the competition for places in midfield a real battle.

Michael Doyle – 8
What I like about Doyle is that he holds back giving Kilkenny, Johnson and even Howson at times room to push forward. Not afraid of the tackle and certainly showed no fear against any of the Man United players. Battled throughout and had a solid game.

Bradley Johnson – 8
Made Gary Neville look like a pub team player – which, let’s face it, he should be. Probably quite frustrated with the end product at times, but he played a big part in why we were so strong going forward. Good game from Bradley and great to have him back.

Jermaine Beckford – 10
The enigma that is Jermaine Beckford. What can you say about him, he’s answered all his critics in the last few weeks. Weak in the air - scores with a header. Underperforming - scores five in three games. Disappears in big games – runs Manchester United ragged. Could quite easily have been MOTM as he just made a mockery of Wes Brown all day. If that was his last game for Leeds United, it’s not a bad way to end an impressive run at the club and he’ll leave a hero in my eyes.

Luciano Becchio – 8.5
Strong, hard-working, tough tackling and troublesome for Manchester United throughout. Seemed to play closer to midfield than he did striker, but his contribution was nonetheless vital and helped us win the battle in the centre of the park. Never going to be an out and out striker, but his contribution is invaluable to the team.

The subs
Simon Grayson left two of his subs ’til the very end (probably to time waste) so no point rating Michalik or White, but Snoddy came in and made an immediate impact hitting the bar with a beautifully struck free-kick. From there on in, he got stuck in and helped us to secure victory.

Doesn’t the result make Manchester United’s taunting all the more enjoyable? When I first read the headline of ‘Manchester United draw FA Cup minnows’ on their official site, I couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly they still held a soft spot for us and felt us worthy of such taunts. Had it not been Leeds United they drew, I imagine the official site would have been much more respectful of their opposition but this is one of those rivalries where there’s no love lost, so what would be the point building bridges?

On the approach to Old Trafford I came across a man with a masterplan to make money by selling those cup game scarves you see baring the colours of both teams with a 50/50 divide. Clearly he’d underestimated how much we both hated one another as I can’t see many Leeds United fans buying a scarf with Manchester United’s name and colours on it (and vice versa). He didn’t look to be having much success as I passed that’s for sure.

By this point there was Police everywhere as you may well expect. Apparently there’d already been some trouble between the fans in the station and a couple of fights outside the ground, but on the whole and considering the occasion, it wasn’t as bad as may have been expected. I didn’t encounter any problems with the opposition fans anyway and all the Leeds fans I saw were being their usual charming selves. I guess if anything was to kick off, it’d have likely happened after the game but there’s a funny thing about winning that makes our naughtier few better behaved.

The security element of the tie was doing their best to treat us all like animals. As the Police warned some fans to calm their passions “or else” I moved by swiftly before another unjustified altercation with the law that I could do without. Travelling away often presents itself with instances where the Police decide you have less rights than a terrorist and very little right to complain thereafter – regardless of whether you’d done anything wrong or not!

The temptation of asking the steward who searched me on the way into the ground if he’d at least buy me dinner first was hard to resist, such was the mans thoroughness and clear love of his job. I did resist however as there were more law enforcement officers around and they didn’t look like they’d need much of an excuse to arrest any fan they felt was being problematic, so it was through the turnstyles and in to Sold Trafford for the first time in almost six years.

You have to give credit to Man United’s manager for his approach to this game. As big a distaste for the bloke as we all may have, he rarely makes a mistake in his preperation for media frenzy matches like these and he wasn’t about to start now. All week he’d been stressing publically how big a match this would be for Leeds and the supporters of both teams. He’d told of how we shouldn’t be underestimated and warned his team for a battle and that’s exactly what they got.

From the off Leeds looked to take the game to ManU and it was clear we were in for a two-way battle. Most minnow teams like ourselves go to Old Trafford and look to leave with a respectable scoreline, but Simon Grayson was having none of that. If we’re going to play, we’re playing to win.

Chances fell both ways with Darren Gibson firing wide for ManU and Jermaine Beckford heading over the bar for Leeds. Danny Welbeck quickly settled into the game for Manchester United and was making a real nuisance of himself down the right. Andy Hughes was left wondering what had happened as Welbeck burst down the flank with pace and sent a good cross straight across goal, with no Man United player able to make a connection. Meanwhile, the older Donkey Brother was getting his usual reception from the Leeds faithful and was booed everytime he touched the ball.

Becchio had a good chance for Leeds with a headed attempt from Kilkenny’s cross but headed well over the top of goal. It was the best chance so far and Becchio knew he should have done better. Meanwhile, the crowd was in full voice as the Man United fans repeated “We all hate Leeds scum” again which they mixed with a song about Cantona and some nonsense about Rooney. Hard to hear them whilst munching Prawn sandwiches in all honesty. Leeds on the other hand had no time to snack and were busy working there way through a much wider range of songs. This was probably around the ‘we’re not famous anymore’ stage of proceedings.

On the pitch the exchanges were just as lively. Leeds were fighting for every ball and attacking at every available opportunity. Simon Grayson’s tactics of pushing men forward when in possession made for a brilliant end to end battle, but there were several nervy moments when the Reds countered and their pacey players like Welbeck broke free.

Beckford celebrates the goal of his career

It was roughly twenty minutes in to an action packed first half when Leeds countered quickly and took the lead. Jonny Howson picked out Jermaine Beckford who had been busy giving the over-rated Wes Brown the run around with an excellent long-range pass that landed nicely for Beckford. His first touch took him wide of the goalkeeper and his second was a tame shot that beat the goalkeeper and slowly but surely crossed the line! Cue crazy celebrations in Old Trafford and silence in the home stands. “1-0 in your cup final!” Wes Brown meanwhile may as well have been sat in the stands.

Man United quickly tried to get back on level terms and had it not been for a Jason Crowe goal-line clearence, Wayne Rooney would have done so almost immediately. That was about the best Man United could offer in terms of a reply in the first half and as tempers began to flair, the horrible Wes Brown got himself booked for a foul on Lucciano Becchio. One of several poor challenges he made in a game where it was a miracle he didn’t get sent off.

After a cheerful half-time for Leeds United fans, we returned for the second half and rather unsurprisingly, Man United were throwing bodies forward. Their whinging players futile appeals for a penalty were dismissed by the ref after Howson dispossessed Welbeck and just minutes later, the tempers flaired again as Micky Doyle was brought down for a free-kick. Jonny Howson – who played an absolute blinder - decided he could take on Gibson and Brown and as tempers flaired, the ref had to intervene and calm matters down before normal service was resumed.

The ref - who despite his reluctance to send Wes Brown off for a series of challenges where he never got anywhere near the ball - had to issue some more yellow cards as the tackles started to fly in all over the place. Both Naylor and Gibson found their way into the book, but in truth, both teams could have received a lot more yellow cards but a very good ref allowed the game to flow throughout and tried to keep his cards in his pocket.

Nayl’s was solid and hungry throughout, as was Kisnorbo. Even the usually criticised Hughes and Crowe were sticking the tackles in and making life hard for Manchester United. The midfield were closing down and challenging players whenever Man U were in possession and Becchio seemed to play the majority of the match back there with them. When we had possession, we were never afraid to pass it about and run with the ball, particulary Johnson and Howson who deserve a special mention. The whole team as one were performing brilliantly and you have to give full credit to Grayson who was tactically spot on.

Man United, who had started strongly enough with a good defence and near-on £60m in strikers decided to make some more changes to try and win the battle of the midfield. Giggs and Valencia came on, but surprisingly Welbeck was removed which was a bit of a relief as the lad’s pace had caused us problems throughout. Strange move, but I’m sure there was motive to the madness.

Owen joined proceedings not long after but despite so many attacking options, Man U were still struggling in defence and Jermaine Beckford once again broke free to narrowly fire wide when one on one with the keeper. Hearts in mouths by now, as Rooney prowled and Owen looked to get in on the action.

Leeds would get another chance however, by which point Snoddy had joined proceedings in replace of the outstanding Jonny Howson. A free-kick in a good position had his name written all over and he struck beautifully, only to be denied by the bar. Despite leading, one more would have settled some nerves as we approached the end of the game and the inevitable five minutes of added time came. As the crowd mocked the officals with chants of ‘Fergy time,’ Man United looked for one final chance, but Casper, Nayl’s, Kis and whoever else could get their body in the way kept the Champions at bay.

The final whistle blew and Leeds celebrated a result we’ve not managed in 29 years. Victory at Old Trafford for the FA Cup minnows and third tier team. Every Man United fan you taunt over the coming days will inevitably claim it was a weak team or that the referee didn’t give them 29 minutes of ET and three penalties, but there’s no taking away from what Simon Grayson’s lads achieved today. They did us proud and thoroughly deserved their victory. A special day for Leeds United that I expect we’ll look back on in years to come as the first sign of our resurrection.

TSS man of the match
Jonny Howson for me. I could hazard a guess that ITV went for Becks and it wouldn’t be undeserved. He made Wes Brown look second rate throughout and was always a threat, but Jonny rose to the occasion like the Leeds lad he is. He knew what the rivalry meant and gave it absolutely everything. All the team played their part and all of them deserve the praise they’ll receive but Jonny grew today for me. He was like Leeds’ answer to Stevie G.

The draw for the fourth round gave us another trip down memory lane as we head for Tottenham Hotspur. Ken Bates will no doubt be delighted too at another obvious money spinner, which will once again undoubtedly be on TV.

A great start to 2010 I’m sure you’ll agree. Happy new decade for Leeds? Let’s hope we’re celebrating just as much in May! One things for sure now though. If Beckford does leave in the coming days, he’ll leave Leeds United a hero, in the meantime though, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his goal again!

Our 2009-10 Crossbar Challenge attempt (featured on Soccer AM) has found it’s way onto Youtube. Another poor attempt from Leeds United is lightened by Tresor Kandol’s magnificent Michael Jackson tribute, which he follows with a hopelessly poor shot. “TK20 – subs bench!”

The only person to successfully hit the crossbar is Bradley Johnson, who is mobbed by the rest of the team afterwards. Good to see all the lads in good spirits.

Mike Grella also seems to be developing a Yorkshire accent…

When Hogan Ephraim’s shot deflected in after just eight minutes, it looked like it was going to be all too easy for Leeds United, but if the opening goal was lucky, the atrocious defending that went unpunished thereafter was miraculous.

Grayson rung the changes to his side. Richard Naylor returned to the team and partnered Lubomir Michalik at the back, with Crowe and Hughes playing at full-back. On-loan Liverpool goalkeeper, David Martin made his debut and there was also starts for Hogan Ephraim, Tresor Kandol and Mike Grella.

After Ephraim’s fortuitous opening goal, Leeds never applied any real pressure. The best chances we had for the remainder of the first half fell to Kandol, who had a shot blocked by the Accrington keeper’s legs and a hopeful shot from Robert Snodgrass that went wide.

Accrington meanwhile probably had as many chances as Leeds including a free-header from a corner that their striker really should have buried. The lack of man-marking from the set-piece was a sign of things to come as the shaky Leeds defence made the game harder than it should have been.

The second half brought with it another early goal when Ephraim crossed for Kilkenny who headed home. 2-0 to Leeds and things really should have been wrapped up.

Accrington never put their heads down though and kept fighting. Had it not been for a lucky save from David Martin which flicked on to the post and came back out in to the path of a White shirt, Accrington could have been back in it. More fortune for Leeds as the woodwork came to their rescue again and the Leeds defence continued to scare the life out of the 12,000 inside Elland Road.

Grayson changed the front two with Kandol and Grella making way for Vokes and Gradel. Neither of the departing strikers will have been happy with their shift as they did little to threaten Stanley’s keeper throughout. Gradel forced an impressive save from the Accrington keeper late on, but the substitutes didn’t have much more luck than the two they replaced and Accrington continued to look the more likely to score.

Such was the state of Leeds United at the back, Simon Grayson made the decision to bring on Patrick Kisnorbo in place of Robert Snodgrass, effectively changing the formation to 5-3-2. Probably not something he’d expected to have to do before the fixture, but Naylor and Lubo just weren’t keeping the visitors at bay.

Leeds managed to escape the fixture with a clean sheet, but if todays team was supposed to show the quality of this squads depth then we have problems. I know Doyle is often seen as the weak link in midfield, but the job he does in suring up the defence is invaluable. His absence today was noticable throughout. The partnership of Lubo and Naylor didn’t work and the full-backs didn’t inspire much confidence either.

Elsewhere, Grella and Kandol never really had a chance to shoot. The difference between the two sides was only Leeds taking their chances. There were very few clear cut chances for the Whites as we rarely looked in a hurry to attack, but the ones we did have were converted. Accrington meanwhile will have been disappointed with some of their finishing, most notably the free-headet in the first half. However, they’ll also be cursing their luck with the woodwork coming to our rescue twice.

Regardless of how many changes we made tonight, we have to improve before the weekend. Southampton are a strong side and with Rickie Lambert upfront, they’ll be sure to punish such sloppy defending. The main thing is that we’re through to the final where we’ll meet Carlisle United. Although I’d have preferred to play the Leeds suburb of Bradford, we’re still in the race for Wembley and that’s the main thing.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to give it to the Elland Road woodwork tonight as without it, we’d have probably been knocked out on penalties. Hogan Ephraim deserves a shout too though. Although he did little to help out defensively (like the rest of the team) he got himself a goal and an assist, so an obvious choice.

Kettering Town take two

On paper, this match is a no-brainer. Leeds have won seven of their last nine matches, drawing the other two whilst Kettering have managed just one win in the last five. Leeds are top of League One whilst Kettering play their games in the conference. The quality and amount of players at Simon Grayson’s disposal should make this game an easy win for the Whites, but as Kettering showed in the first match, they won’t go down without a fight.

Of course, there’s also the added bonus of a trip to Sold Trafford for the victors. For a club like Kettering, such a lucrative fixture could bring a massive boost to their finances. The Manu fans have been making their wishes heard lately with continuous choruses of ‘We all hate Leeds scum’ whilst the prospect of an early return to Old Trafford has dominated talk amongst Leeds fans.

At Elland Road, you’d expect us to beat Kettering. The last time anyone beat us on home soil in the League was last January and we’ve come up against far stronger opposition in that time. That said, we’ll need to guard against complacency. When teams have nothing to lose, they can often throw up a few suprises.

Addicks sense opportunity

After closing the gap to four points this weekend, Charlton’s players are already talking of catching Leeds. Whether they thought it impossible to catch us before the draw to Huddersfield or not, I’m not sure but Lloyd Sam, Charlton’s Leeds-born winger has issued a rallying call to his fellow team-mates.

By all accounts, Charlton’s 1-0 win over Southend United at the weekend was a little lucky. Not the greatest performance of the season from them, but much like Leeds have done, taking points when you’re not at your best is key to promotion.

Personally, I think Huddersfield was a minor blip in an otherwise impressive season for the Whites. Derby games are never easy, and our record over our West Yorkshire counterparts says it all really. I’m sure Leeds will regroup ahead of Brentford this weekend, where I fully expect them to take all three points and maintain the gap on Charlton. However, the title race isn’t going to be easy. Norwich and Charlton will push us all the way and no one will be celebrating ’til May.

Phil Hay’s match ratings v Huddersfield

Is 5/10 the lowest Phil Hay ever gives in his match ratings? Because for me, 5/10 for Tony Capaldi is being massively generous after the mare of a game he had on Saturday.

Tony Capaldi: Having seemed so composed at Oldham, Saturday’s match was a real struggle for the on-loan full-back Capaldi who never looked comfortable and found Pilkington a handful…5/10

The analysis is about right. Pilkington ran Capaldi ragged and he never looked up to the challenge. He looked out of his depth throughout against stronger opposition and really should have been taken off at half-time. I’d have given him 2/10, and even then I feel I’m being generous. Truly, truly woeful display for the Cardiff loanee. Maybe Ridsdale sent him in to mess our season up?

Jason Crowe: Offered less going forward than he can do and was up against a very lively character in Roberts. Failed to cut out the cross which led to the second equaliser…5/10

Offered less going forward than he can do is an understatement. He offered nothing. More to the point, he offered even less defensively. The full-backs remain a problem for the Whites and these two simply aren’t the answer. I’d have generously given him a 3/10.

Elsewhere, Snoddy gets 8/10 which is definitely right. Only man on the pitch that looked a threat for large parts, whilst Vokes is another one of those players in the 5/10 club.

Leaving the stadium tonight whilst passing comment to friends about the atrocious weather we always seem to face at Oldham, one of their fans told us that we’d actually come on a good night. It was two degrees when we got in the car for the journey back down the M62 and the rain had barely let up all night. I’d have said I’d hate to see it on a bad night, but I’d been there for worse.

The same Oldham fan seemed extremely pessimistic about his team’s chances, telling us he wouldn’t be surprised to see the team relegated at the end of the season. It wasn’t hard to see why as Simon Grayson’s reserve team strolled to victory and our march towards the League One title continued.

Only Jonny Howson could be considered first team from the starting XI. Jason Crowe and Leigh Bromby would be the next closest although the defence has been reshuffled so many times this season, I aren’t entirely sure what I’d consider our best back four. Loan-signing Hogan Ephraim made his debut, David Prutton made a rare start and Max Gradel partnered Sam Vokes in an unusual Leeds United front-line.

For a stadium in such desperate need of redevelopment, the irony of our stand being sponsored by Leesfield Development didn’t escape me. Oldham actually only have three stands as one was torn down a while back for reconstruction that clearly isn’t happening. I think they’re hoping to build a new stadium, but how they’re going to pay for this when they can’t manage a decent attendance is anyone’s guess.

Oldham’s support is so low that Leeds United’s 4,000+ travelling fans outnumbered the home fans. The atmosphere in the home stands was almost non-existent, aside from an annoying drum that was repeatedly beaten throughout much of the first half. The only audible noise in the ground came from the ever-vocal Leeds United fans who did all they could to keep themselves warm throughout.

A few chances fell either way early on, with Leeds’ best attack being thwarted by the linesman when Neil Kilkenny released David Prutton. Oldham looked a bit better than the team that we beat in the FA Cup a few weeks back, but you could see why they’re struggling throughout.

Sam Vokes wasted an opportunity to send the Whites into the lead ten minutes before half-time as Leeds started to dominate. After beating the offside trap and finding himself one on one with the keeper, he failed to take his chance and fired straight at summer target, Darryl Flahavan. Vokes continues to disappoint me with each passing game. He isn’t a natural goal scorer and exerts very little effort throughout. He just doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds and I’ll be glad to see Becchio back in the starting line-up.

The opening goal didn’t take much longer though. Max Gradel fired a nice cross across goal and Neil Kilkenny touched it home to send Leeds 1-0 up. Gradel tried his luck from range shortly after with a curling shot, but his effort failed to trouble Flahavan. Leeds finished the half strongly though and deserved their lead.

The second half continued much the same as the first ended as Leeds looked to kill Oldham off. Flahavan proved to be quicker than Vokes and denied the striker a chance before Prutton headed over. As we approached the hour, Vokes showed once more why he’ll never make it as a striker, firing over the crossbar with an excellent opportunity that he should have been able to keep down. Hate to be too critical of anyone in a Leeds shirt, but I really don’t like the lad. He doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds, he didn’t chase much all night (whilst Gradel chased everything and drove the Oldham defence mental) and quite simply, he isn’t good enough.

Oldham’s best chance of the night came shortly after. Some poor defending from Leeds left Paul Heffernan with the goal at his mercy, but he failed to take his chance and fired into the side netting, much to the relief of the Leeds defence and 4,000 travelling Whites.

Two changes for Leeds saw Snodgrass and Becchio come on in place of Vokes and Ephraim. It’s hard to say how well Ephraim played as the opposition were poor and he never did anything really groundbreaking. That said, he didn’t do anything wrong either so it’ll be interesting to see what he does in the next game.

Snodgrass almost got lucky immediately but was beaten to the ball by Flahavan. Another half chance for Oldham followed, but Simon Grayson’s other substitution made the real difference. Max Gradel once again the provider for Becchio to put the game beyond doubt. A skilful finish from the returning striker was celebrated in style with the management and players on the bench.

The Leeds fans went wild and a large portion of the away fans headed for the exits. Interesting thing about Oldham is that the players in the stand running along the pitch have to exit up a set of stairs straight in front of the away fans, which predictably led to chants of ‘Time to go…’ as the Leeds fans celebrated another win waving the Oldham fans goodbye.

Grayson substituted Gradel shortly after and the player received a standing ovation from the travelling Whites. Chants of ‘sign him up’ were once again aimed towards Simon Grayson who would no doubt love to do nothing less.

For Leeds United to be able to beat Oldham with their second team is incredible. Twelve months ago, that was unthinkable, but Grayson continues to impress. The march towards the League One title continues at Elland Road on Saturday when Leeds host Huddersfield in the Yorkshire derby.

TSS man of the match
For his tireless work ethic, skill, flair and of course, the two assists, it couldn’t be anyone other than Max Gradel. It’s like watching an over-enthusiastic kid in the park, who never gives in, chases everything and just seems to love playing. ‘Sign him up!’

Becchio strikes back

Lucciano Becchio made his return to action for the Leeds United reserves last night as they beat Lincoln City 2-1. Becchio opened the scoring on 27 minutes with a lobbed goal, but Lincoln equalised from the penalty spot soon after. The final goal came from Davide Somma four minutes before the break who has now scored in his last two reserve outings.

Great to have Becchio back in action. Wouldn’t be suprised to see him play a part in the FA Cup tie against Kettering Town on Sunday as he looks to regain match fitness. Davide Somma seems to be coming on nicely too. What this means for on-loan striker Sam Vokes is anyones guess, but I doubt Simon Grayson will be looking to extend his loan period in January. For me, he hasn’t been worth it.

Loan swoop for Cardiff City left-back?

The loan deadline expires this evening meaning Simon Grayson won’t be able to make any further additions to his squad until the January transfer window opens. However, the Yorkshire Evening Post (amongst others) are reporting a possible move for Cardiff City left-back, Tony Capaldi.

Not sure this is totally necessary as Jason Crowe played in the reserves last night so is close to a return. Aidy White also gave an excellent performance after coming on as a sub early in the second half on Tuesday. However, I can’t fault Grayson for covering his bases. It seems Hughes has picked up an injury so it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.

Another milestone for TSS

Back in August, it looked like TSS had come to an end after just a few months. The previous host cancelled the account for no clear reason, although I believe this was because they couldn’t cope with the traffic. The site continually experienced problems under them whenever demand was high.

Anyway, back then I lost all the posts I’d made, all the comments users had contributed and all the other site content. It was a frustrating day and I seriously considered giving it up for good. However, my stubborn ways wouldn’t let the unreliable host defeat me, so I found a new one (Hostgator, who have been brilliant!) and set about re-launching the site.

Since that day, there’s been 112 posts on TSS which have received a combined total of over 125,000 visits, many of these returning visits from users that now frequent the site daily, and the latest milestone is entirely down to the sites users. Yesterday TSS passed the 1,000 comment mark, so thanks to everyone that’s participated and helped make the site a success. MOT.

Footballing weather at it’s best awaited Leeds United and the in-form Norwich as the smaller than average Leeds United faithful took their seats for what would be another cold, damp night at Elland Road.

Since I’d been away for a couple of days prior, and was almost literally living in a cave, Sam Vokes’ name being read out on the Elland Road PA system was how I discovered we’d won the race for his signature. I knew we were in the race for the striker, but had no idea the deal had been completed or that he’d be starting the game tonight.

His performance didn’t do much to impress me over the course of the game. He clearly had a good first touch and was an excellent prospect, but his eagerness to get his name on the scoresheet meant he opted to shoot from 30-40 yards rather than play the ball to those with a much better chance infront of him.

Another suprise was the return of Shane Higgs who I’d been led to believe was out for another couple of weeks yet. As it turned out, he clearly wasn’t ready to return to the first team and was taken off early on and replaced by the ever-unconvincing Casper Ankergren. Robert Snodgrass and Jason Crowe were also welcomed back to the squad after the two week break gave them time to recover from their injuries.

Leeds started the game brightly and were rewarded early on when Bradley Johnson opened the scoring by netting his sixth of the season after converting a corner with his head.

Norwich weren’t going to be beaten easily though and it soon became clear as to why they’d moved up the league so quickly and won their last four games. Their passing was simply a joy to watch, they moved the ball well and created chances whilst Leeds struggled to deal with the constant threat.

Norwich’s efforts soon paid off as Grant Holt got the better of Bradley Johnson and scored to send the teams in level at the break.

The second half started well for Leeds with Beckford having the first chance for the Whites. However, Norwich soon re-established themselves and became the dominant force once more. A good save from Ankergren and a fair bit of luck were the only things that kept Leeds United level as they struggled for ideas and started to look like the away team.

No one so far this season has managed to make Leeds look so easily out-classed at Elland Road, but in Norwich we’d found a serious stumbling block. Grayson made his final two changes within minutes of one another, bringing on Tresor Kandol and another loan signing, Max Gradel.

It was the latter who made the biggest impact on the game, although Tres also had his chances. Max Gradel’s introduction changed the flow of the game completely and the youngster’s pace and vision gave Leeds United hope.

Only a brilliant save from Norwich’s keeper kept the scores level as Gradel did well to send Beckford through one on one. After trying his luck from distance, Gradel once again laid another chance on a silver platter for Jermaine Beckford to convert, but the striker missed a golden opportunity to give Leeds all three points.

After two golden opportunites to win it for Leeds, it looked like it wasn’t going to be our day and in all fairness, a draw would have been a fair result. However, Jermaine Beckford managed to redeem himself after a comical error from the Norwich keeper saw him gifted another golden opportunity, of which he made no mistake. It may have taken three attempts, but eventually the frontman came good and Leeds move back to the top of League One.

Overall, a game we probably didn’t deserve to win, but three points we’ll very happily take. You have to ride your luck at times when challenging for the title and we definitely did that here. Overall, the performance wasn’t terrible, but Norwich were definitely the better team.

Jermaine Beckford’s failure to convert several good chances was a bit of the worry, especially since he found himself one on one with the keeper twice (thanks to Max Gradel).

Another shocking referee that made some extremely poor decisions and refused to let the game flow spoilt the match a bit throughout and frustrated both sets of supporters. I was also extremely annoyed at the Norwich City team for their lack of sportsmanship when Shane Higgs was struggling with an injury and in desperate need of replacing. The ball went out for a throw, which was when the Leeds bench expected to make the change, only for Norwich to rush it so they couldn’t with no interference from the ref – perhaps the only time he kept his whistle out of his mouth for the entire game!

TSS man of the match
When David Beckham was awarded man of the match for his cameo appearence in the England game last week, Capello likened it to gicing Barack Obama the Noble Peace Prize for his eight months in office. Although I totally understand what he means by this, I think the only Leeds United player worthy of man of the match was Max Gradel. Much like Beckham did for England, Gradel changed the game for Leeds and created chances where there were none before. His contribution earnt us the three points in my eyes.

League One’s leaders go head-to-head tomorrow in what is probably the divisions biggest game of the season.

Season so far

Leeds United remain undefeated so far, whilst Charlton have lost just one game and sit three points behind Leeds in second. Both teams had a disappointing Tuesday night as Leeds were held to a 1-1 draw by Carlisle United, whilst Charlton were hammered 3-0 away to Colchester.

The growing injury list at Elland Road looks set to rule out Shane Higgs, Leigh Bromby, Ben Parker, Jason Crowe, Rui Marques and Robert Snodgrass. Leeds do have depth though and the last undefeated team in England will be confident infront of an expected crowd of 30,000.

So, what brings you here?  

Charlton Athletic – also known as The Addicks or simply Charlton – are a London team based in the district of Greenwich, formed in 1905 they’ve played their home games at The Valley since 1919.

Charlton have had a bit of a rollercoaster history and finding themselves in the third tier is nothing alien to them. However, not so long ago they were battling against Leeds in the Premier League under the guindance of long-serving manager, Alan Curbishley.

Alan Curbishley left the Addicks in 2006 and with his depature came a serious slump in form that saw Charlton relegated. Despite being touted as favourites to make a swift return to the Premiership, Charlton’s luck didn’t improve. A string of managers came and went, losses of £13,000,000 were reported and the club was relegated again.

Charlton are now managed by former Hull City manager, Phil Parkinson who joined them in 2007 as assistant to Alan Pardew. He took over the role from Pardew late in 2008, but couldn’t save the club from relegation.

Head-to-head

Leeds United and Charlton last met in the Premier League in 2004. An early goal from Holland put Charlton into the lead, but Leeds fought back with goals from Matthew Killgallon, Jermaine Pennant and an Alan Smith penalty giving us a 3-1 lead. Another penalty, this time for Charlton was converted by Euell to make it 3-2 and he scored again minutes later to earn the visitors a point and subsequently relegate Leeds to the Championship.

In the reverse fixture earlier that season, Leeds won 1-0 courtesy of a goal from James Milner, but perhaps the most memorable result was at The Valley in 2003, when we hammered the hosts 6-1. That day, Ian Harte scored a penalty, Harry Kewell scored two and Mark Viduka hit an hattrick.

Overall, our success rate against Charlton is pretty good. Out of the 45 competitive meetings between the teams, Leeds have won 24, lost 14 and drawn 7.  

They also played for Leeds

A few recognisable faces once again in the Charlton line-up including Frazer Richardson who will need no introduction to the Elland Road faithful. Sam Sodje is also applying his trade at The Valley now and the more observant of you may remember Matthew Spring who had a brief spell with us back in 2004-05.

Prediction

It’s a tough one this weekend with so many players out injured. The performance on Tuesday has done little to inspire any confidence in me either, but Charlton’s form seems to have dipped a little too so both teams will be looking to prove themselves.

Quite often, when you’re expecting a thriller, you find that teams cancel one another out and there are few clear cut chances for either side – MK Dons being a prime example of this. The defence looked a bit shaky at times on Tuesday and Casper Ankergren has never convinced me in goal. That said, I think we have enough quality and depth in this side to win matches like this at home and I’d be disappointed with anything less.