retired_sfa97

No likely as i tweaked my ankle last night and i've been in agony all day. I need a padded room and Abi Titmuss (She is a nurse...)

retired_sfa97

Chapter 26

The win against Southampton was our 8th on the bounce and we were half way to returning home to our rightful place in the premier league. The monday morning brought around the 3rd round FA cup draw. I sat at my desk, listening to the radio as the teams were drawn out...

"Number 21...Leeds United, home tie for them, will play....Number 42...Portsmouth."

Finally, we had the premiership tie i'd been dying for. Ok it wasn't Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool...but it would do for now i suppose and with it being at home, it meant i didn't have to drag myself all the way down there to watch it. The last games in the group stages of the champions league also took place with Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Everton all making it through. A 4-1 defeat to Benfica dumped holders Liverpool out meaning we'd have new European champions come may. My money was on Chelsea or Everton to come closest. Also, David Batty accepted offers for both Steve Stone and Paul Butler, it is widely believed that the huge wage at the club has forced his hand into selling. Neither of them has really made a difference this season and them leaving would probably be best for both parties as it would save £9k on our already tight wage structure. Also, Rangers are reportedly looking to strengthen their squad by offering £1.6m for David Healy, but i doubt Batty is willing to let him go with only 4 strikers at his disposal. Adding to this however, Batty announced he was interested in Crystal Palace's 20 year old left back Gary Borrowdale after Iain Dowie said in a recent interview that he'd be willing to let him go for the right price. Batty has already spent close to £3m on players in a bid to get us back to the premiership and with both Stone and Butler likely to leave, could open doors for him to bring in a new face in the january transfer window.

Erik Bakke was also linked with a move away from Leeds. He's been on a season long loan with Aston Villa and i'm sure he'll go, his £24k a week wages would criple us. Ipswich are the team that has shown most interest and as far as i'm concerned they are welcome to him. It's not that i think he's a bad player, he's a great player but Batty has brought in youth and wants to build for the future. Young players don't get paid as much and incentives of success for the club mean as we get better, they get better pay deals. Healy came out saying he would welcome a move to Rangers should they come knocking, Batty recently told Rangers where to go (in a nice way) but Healy seems to have other plans. Steve Stone also agreed to a move to QPR for £30k, that will go through at the start of the january transfer window. Bennet and Jarvis also resumed full training after injuries and should figure again within the next week or so but Blake will miss our next match or 2 with a facial injury.

Cardiff City Vs Leeds Utd, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Sulivan, Harding, Bocanegra, Kilgallon, Kelly, Lewis, Douglas, Walton, Richardson, Horsfield (C), Warner. (Subs) Bennett, Nytanga, Einarsson, Derry, Healy.

I flopped onto my sofa ready for kick off as Chris Kamara (legend!) went through the line up's. Kick off followed soon after and we looked a little out of sorts. Warner and Horsfield were struggling a little and half way through the first half Cardiff took the lead. An early cross from Koumas on the right was converted perfectly by Foran who headed home past Sulivan. Batty didn't seem pleased, shouting from his seat in the stands, as he should. Our best chance came as a bit of a fluke, Alexander came out of his goal to clear but it found Warner who pinged a 40 yard volley just wide of the mark. Half time beckoned and i got some more beer. By the time i returned to the sofa the match had kicked off once more, and much to the same tune. Koumas again delivered the perfect infield pass and Foran's cheeky chip left Sulivan stood like a statue as it went in. We were an absolute shambles. Seeing his chance, Batty threw on all 3 subs, Horsefield, Richardson and Douglas all made way, Healy, Einarsson and Derry all came into the fray and it seemed to perk us up. Healy collected Lewis's pass before laying it off for Walton who played the perfect second ball through for Healy who poked it home at the near post with 20mins to go. From there we looked to take control but it just didn't seem to be our day. Lewis beat his man and crossed to the back post but Warner, free from his man and wide open, missed from 5 yards. Massivly disappointing. We tried our best to get back into it, Waltons header from a well took corner was palmed out and again Warner managed to spoon it over from 6 yards. Soon after Healy went off injured and we were down to 10 men, Cardiff caused no more trouble but neither did we. The final whistle blew and that was our first defeat in 9 games, still top but Southampton and Palace were breathing down our necks now.

F/T: Cardiff City 2-1 Leeds Utd.

retired_sfa97

Chapter 27

The next morning i was unhappy to find out that Healy was going to be out for at least a month while Eddie Lewis would also sit out the next couple of weeks, leaving us short handed on the wings, but i'm sure Batty will cope. Not much time to change things around, our next match would be on tuesday, at home to Crewe. We were still undefeated at home this season, Norwich being the only team to leave with anything. Hopefuly Crewe wouldn't be the second. As we went into that game though, Sheff Utd admitted an interest in Shaun Derry, though no offer had been made yet, the transfer window was looming large and offers were surely due to start pouring in.

Leeds Utd Vs Crewe Alexandra, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Bocanegra, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Harding, Whelan, Derry, Einarsson, Hulse, Warner. (Subs) Sulivan, Douglas, Richardson, Walton, Horsfield.

After sundays defeat, Batty rang in the changes, Hulse would make only his second start of the season ahead of Horsfield who has been disappointing in his last couple of games. It was a very cold evening in Leeds as the teams emerged from the tunnel to get things started, a hot cup of tea was a must for this one. We kicked off but it was Crewe who started the better, a free kick from Lunt forced Bennett into making a top draw save in the opening minutes. We came back with our own effort. Warner stepped up to take a free kick, the wall deflected it almost straight back to him and his rasping drive was just nicked wide by Willamsons finger tips. After some end to end football we started to find our feet and with 10mins of the half remaining we struck. Kelly's cross field ball found Harding, he controlled well before his deflected shot was met by Warner sliding in at the back post to make it 1-0 and just before half time we doubled the lead. Kelly and Einarssons cleaver one-two created space for Kelly to cross and Hulse powered home a big header to make it 2-0. That was the final action of the first half and i nipped away for another cup of tea. Upon my return the teams were out and ready to get kicked off again. The second half was tame, Francis latched onto a clearence on the right and his hoofed ball almost caught Bennett out, his finger tips coming to the rescue. Batty made changes with about half hour left. Richardson, Walton and Hulse all headed on for Einarsson, Whelan and Warner. The last 10mins brought the most hectic spell of the match. A cross from deep by Moore was enough to pull Bennett off his line but he was beaten to it by Eddie Johnson and Crewe had one back. Crewe started to pepper our goal with shot after shot until with a minute left they finally got lucky. Kelly gave away possession in the corner and Lunt's pass across goal was tapped home by Cochrane. We'd thrown away a 2 goal lead and things were looking down until with a minute left of injury time Hulse was brought down in the box by Tonkin and the ref pointed to the spot. Walton stepped up and placed it low to the keepers right to secure all 3 points for us. Tough night, but i'm sure if we play like that, they could become alot tougher. Hulse was named man of the match.

F/T: Leeds Utd 3-2 Crewe Alexandra.

That was the half way point and we were top by a point going into the second half of the season. Next up for us would be the visit of Derby, changes were sure to be made after this match as we folded way too easily.

retired_sfa97

Chapter 28

In the days leading upto the Derby match, things were unsually tame apart from Batty issuing hands off warnings to clubs over speculation that Walton and Gregan were attracting attention from Premiership clubs.

Leeds Utd Vs Derby County, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Bocanegra, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Douglas, Derry, Walton, Jarvis, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Sulivan, Nyatanga, Richardson, Whelan, Hulse.

Changes were made to the squad that beat Crewe, Batty explaining that players were beginning to tire a little and the squad would be rotated were possible from now on. My brothers and i shuffled into our seat to find our dad discussing our promotion chances with a fellow fan. The music sounds and we rose to applaud the players and they entered the field ready for kick off. The ref's whistle got the game going and we looked determinded to take the lead early. Douglas had 2 efforts, one crashing off the base of the post before we finally took the lead. Douglas sent the ball into the space ahead of Horsfield who brought the ball under control and shot at the near post. Camp looked like he'd saved it but after some confering between the ref and his linesman the goal was given and we had the lead. Things got worse for derby a few minutes later, Jarvis pinged a ball ahead of Warner who chased it down, Johnson was the last man and he unsportingly kicked out at Warner and brought him down, a straight red was the reward for it. We added another a minute later. Douglas played the ball into Horsfield who forced his way into the area. Camp came out but Horsfield flicked it into the middle where Warner slammed home into the open net to make it 2-0. We kept up the pressure on Derby but got a reminder of how good they can be. Tudgay beat the offside trap and was well away, his shot was saved by the legs of Bennett before Kelly cleared to safety. Just before half time we managed to add 2 more. The first came when Walton's cheeky flick was collect by Warner, he muscled round the defender and lashed the ball past Camp to make it 3 and the other came after Jarvis sent the ball into Warner, he turned and pushed into the 18yard box, enticing Camp from his line before laying it off to Horsfield. Edworthy managed to hook the ball away from him but Derry struck it into the empty net with a diving header from 20 yards. Half time came and went quickly and soon the teams were lining up for the second half. It started tamely, all the action mainly in the centre of midfield, a couple of chances but nothing really worth mentioning. The changes were soon made with 20mins left. Warner, Jarvis and Derry made way for Hulse, Richardson and Whelan and the results were instant. Douglas came infield and played the ball to Walton who nudged it first time to Hulse, he had time to set himself before drilling it into the top corner. And things got even worse for Derby. Hulse got away from his marker once more but was sythed down in the box by Edworthy. He recieved a second yellow and Walton dispatched the Resulting penalty. A minute later we found another one, Horsfield nicked the ball past Camp before being dragged down and again Walton made no mistake, sending it to Camps right this time. Hulse added another a few minutes later. Douglas delivered a quick near post cross and Hulse flicked it on past Camp who looked less than pleased to be picking the ball out of his net for a 8th time. But the night wasn't done for the poor lad. Whelan and Walton toyed with Idiakez before Walton Unleashed a 25 yard piledriver into the top corner to complete an 11 minute hat trick. Fantastic for the lad but it would get better for him as he rounded the night off with one more. Kelly played the ball through to Whelan who looked free as a bird as he skipped past Bolder before letting the ball go to Walton, he picked the ball up and slotted cooly past Camp...a real strikers finish it was too. The game ended and the Derby players held their heads in their hands, i imagine Kammy was screaming "Unbeliveeevable" from the gantry (Live match on Sky). Excellent result and the Excellent Walton was rightfuly named man of the match.

F/T: Leeds Utd 10-0 Derby County.

The papers congratulated Batty and the entire team. We had become a feared force within football once more, we'd scored 10 goals on 3 occasions so far this season and the Premiership must surely be beckoning for us now with Southampton losing it meant we restored our 4 point lead at the top, lets just hope we can increase it and get promotion wrapped up as soon as possible. Also, as good as Walton was, he got booked for a 5th time this season and will serve a 1 match ban. I have to comment some more on this match. It was absolutly faultless really. Walton looked like he would feel at home running the England midfield, Warner looked like a future World Player of the Year and Douglas produced a left wing perfomance that could rival that of a young Ryan Giggs. Truely top class...i could go on in some detail about every player but those are the one's that stuck out for me, Especially Douglas and Walton.

retired_sfa97

Chapter 29

Come Monday moring the first offer in a while came in. Spurs made an offer around the £3m mark for Kilgallon but it was instantly turned down. Batty is adament that his team will not be torn apart during the transfer window and no one would be allowed to leave, no matter how big the offer was. We had a long break now, which meant i had to go x-mas shopping with the missus. It happens every year, for 6 hours i'm a donkey, carting around stupid amounts of items and when were done, my credit card is ready to burst into flames and my wallet is openly weeping. The moths will soon move in i'm sure. In the press, they were speculating on the attention Richardson was getting. A number of Scottish clubs have shown a keen interest in the lad but again, Batty told them all that he wouldn't sell one of his most promising youngsters and risk breaking up his team. He went on to say that the days of Leeds Utd being a selling club were gone and it was time to refuse money in order build a team that could win things. He was right, i was seriously unhappy at the loss of Lennon and Milner and it was about time that someone put their foot down and said no. So we'd struggle money wise for a little while...Bates had made things stable enough for us to keep our players and make a serious push for promotion without putting the club in danger and it seemed to be working. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In other news, Sao Paulo won the World Club Championship against some unknown team so, won't go into that any further. Javis and Nyatanga suffered injuries in training and will more than likely miss out the next couple of games but Soley, Blake and Lewis resumed full training after his injury and will probably be fit for our Boxing day match against QPR. Kilgallon showed his unhappiness at Batty's decision to reject Tottenhams bid for him but i suppose it's just tough luck really. Chelsea once again flexed their cheque book by agreeing a £34m double deal for Evertons Tim Cahill and Joseph Yobo (surely they could have got them cheaper). Arsenal were drawn against Ipswich in the League Cup semi final, the other semi will see Bolton face Everton. Newcastle and Charlton made enquirys about Gary Kelly but both were dismissed as quickly as they came in from what i heard.

It was x-mas day and i celebrated with my family in the usual way by stuffed myself silly and getting highly drunk, thank god i didn't have to get up in the morning as Leeds were playing away. Sometimes, i don't know how those football players do it. I know i couldn't get through x-mas without a few beers and forget about new years eve, my hat goes off to them every year on that night. X-mas day also brought forward a £7m bid from Liverpool for Matt Warner, though it was turned down straight away. Still recovering from the day before i tuned the radio in to listen to our match against QPR.

QPR Vs Leeds Utd, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Bocanegra, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Lewis, Douglas, Derry, Blake, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Sulivan, Harding, Richardson, Whelan, Hulse.

There was snow falling in London as the teams made their way out for kick off, i was happy to be in the snug surroundings of my lounge. We kicked off and found ourselves in reletive control of the game. We looked a bit sharper than QPR and it showed, Warner forcing a top drawer save from Royce. Derry went off with injury after just 20mins thanks to Gallens tackle, Whelan came on to replace him and he seemed to add a bit more spark to the game. Soon after we got the lead. Warners glancing header found Horsfield who held up the ball and played into space, Warner latched onto it and fired through the legs for Royce to make it 1-0. We had a few more chances but wasted them all. Half time was upon us and i went to get myself a cuppa and a few biscuits in time for the second half. As i sat down i heard that Southampton and Palace were having a real end to end match, half time score 4-3 Southampton. Hopefuly (and i won't say this often) Palace can win and we can extend our lead at the top going into the new year. We started the second half very quickly and doubled out lead, again through Warner. Douglas's long ball forward was nodded down by Horsfield to Lewis who shot first time from 25 yards and Warner nicked the ball past a very static and helpless Royce. With around 20mins left we got another, Lewis' cleaver foot work earned him the yard he needed to cross and Warner rose like a salmon to head home his hat trick. It didn't end there, Bocanegra sent a long ball down the left. Warner chased it down and back healed to Lewis who looked like he'd wasted a chance to cross but the ball dipped and fell right into the far corner to make it 4-0. Batty made a change, Lewis came off in place of Harding. We found the net again with 10mins to go, Shittu's weak back pass saw Royce and Horsfield collide, the ball skimmed off, Warner retreved it and leathered home for his 4th. Harding added to QPR's woe's, he beat his man and cut inside from the left before curling the ball low into the corner and we rounded off an excellent afternoon in style. Warner turned quickly with the ball on the half way line, beat one....beat two, then beat a third man. He looked to have been forced wide but suprised everyone by rattling the ball low and into the net with the help of the post. The whistle blew and we celebrated another big win. Warner was man of the match, he netted his 40th goal of the season and looked to be ready to break all scoring records set before him.

F/T: QPR 0-7 Leeds Utd.

retired_sfa97

Chapter 30

Despite the good result it wasn't without it's downside. Derry and Whelan would both be missing for at least 2 weeks after picking up injuries against QPR. Kelly and Kilgallon were both subject to bids from Premiership sides Newcastle and Liverpool but both were rejected as we went into our next game at home to Wolves.

Leeds Utd Vs Wolves, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Harding, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Lewis, Douglas, Walton, Blake, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Sulivan, Bocanegra, Richardson, Einarsson, Hulse.

Batty made changes to the team which won so comprehensivly 2 days before due injury. Again it was snowing lightly over Leeds as i got comfy in my seat with a hot cup of tea and a cig just as the teams came out. It was a bitterly cold evening as the ref kicked off procedings. It was an even start, both teams having their fair share of possession and chances but we drew first blood. Douglas chipped a ball into the area and Warner stole in from nowhere to slide in hit home at the near post. The lead didn't last however as we went to sleep at the back, Capaldi got behind Kelly to cross and Ince found space in the 6-yard box to nod it home. All over the place if were honest. We had a chance to retake the lead after Ashdown's scuffed clearence found Lewis and his 35 yard lob went just wide. The ref called an end to the half and i sparked up another cig, i had a feeling i was gonna need it. Not long after the teams trotted out once more. We had the possession early on but couldn't make it count, Horsfield and Walton both wasted chances to reclaim the lead and with 20mins left Batty made his changes. Bocanegra came on for Lewis, with Harding switching to left mid and Warner made way for Hulse. Wolves were defending well and we were now struggling to break them down, into the last 10mins the game became stretched and it was end to end stuff as both sides looked for the win and eventually a goal came, thankfuly it was for us. Kelly crossed from deep finding Walton's glancing header, Ashdown got down well and saved but Douglas was most awake and finished from 8 yards. The Wolves players complained that both Harding and Horsfield were offside and impeding the keeper but the ref was having none of it. Wolves, determind as ever almost hit back instantly, Winter's long range shot was tipped over the bar by Bennett's finger tips. Time ticked down slowly and both sides had more chances in the dying seconds, Hulse hit the post after some inventive link play with Blake on the right but the whistle finally blew and we had the win. Good game, but a nervy one from us. Walton was named man of the match.

F/T: Leeds Utd 2-1 Wolves.

I settled down at home the same night, happy that we were still top. As i switched to Sky Sports news they were reporting that Damien Duff was due to sign for Real Madrid in a £13m deal, he wasn't the only one leave as William Gallas was also set to leave, he was off to Man Utd for an estimated £14m. Batty also made moves in the transfer market. Contracts were offered to Roma midfielder Damiano Tommasi and Dortmund's 17 year old whizkid Nuri Sahin, should they accept both would join in the summer on free transfers. He also completed a 3 month loan deal for Liverpool goalkeeper Paul Lancaster. Derry and Gregan were subject to transfer bids also but both offers were turned down. Things were starting to get hectic as the transfer window loomed large, wheather Batty would seek to bring in some more perminent deals remains to be seen.

Bad news to come was that Neil Sulivan slipped a disc in training and will but out for upto 2 months. The loan deal for Lancaster now looks better than ever, hopefuly Bennett can stay injury free in the time Sulivan is out of action. Also, both Bakke and Ricketts returned from their loan spells but both will almost certainly be sold during the transfer window as their wages are deemed too high to keep them. With it being the end of the month and the new year there are a few things to get through. Bayern Munich defender Lucio won World Player of the Year, Scholes was named European midfielder of the year, Ballck, Lucio and Van Nistelrooy all picked up awards for being the best players in their positions. Sean Gregan was named player of the month and Whelan won Young player. Matt Warner picked up goal of the month for his superb individual goal against QPR. Here's how the tables stand,

(Pld) (W) (D) (L) (F) (A) (Pts)

1. Leeds United (26) (20) (1) (5) (96) (28) 61pts
2. Southampton (26) (18) (3) (5) (49) (30) 57pts
3. Crystal Palace (26) (17) (3) (6) (63) (34) 54pts
4. Norwich City (26) (14) (7) (5) (40) (18) 49pts
5. Wolves (26) (13) (6) (7) (38) (25) 45pts
6. Cardiff City (26) (12) (7) (7) (50) (37) 43pts

Scorers charts looked like this,

1. Matt Warner (Leeds Utd) 37 goals
2. Geoff Horsfield (Leeds Utd) 24 goals
3. Jon Macken (Crystal Palace) 22 goals
4. Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace) 17 goals
5. Dean Ashton (Norwich City) 15 goals

retired_sfa97

Oh and guys, if ya read the story, please feel free to comment on what ya think is good or bad about the story. Cheers

retired_sfa97

Chapter 31

Next up for us was the visit of Plymouth and sources suggest that Eirik Bakke will start in the centre of midfield and will continue to play until he is sold. With the club working over-time to find him a club he will be looking to put in some top drawer perfomances. Everton made a £20m double bid for Kilgallon and Warner, while the bid for Warner was turned down, Kilgallon's offer remained up in the air. Kilgallon has recently refused to sign a new deal and the £5m offer maybe best for the club rather than losing him on a free in the summer. I'd be sad to see him go but if he won't sign a new deal it's clear he doesn't have the clubs interest at heart and it might be time for him to move on to new things. Speaking of Everton though, they were drawn against AC Milan in the last 16 of the champions league. Chelsea play Shakhtar, Man Utd face Sparta Prague and Arsenal take on Dinamo Kiev.

Leeds Utd Vs Plymouth Argyle, Championship. (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Harding, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Lewis, Bakke, Walton, Blake, Hulse, Warner. (Subs) Lancaster, Bocanegra, Richardson, Douglas, Horsfield.

I shuffled into my seat a little later than usual, my dad and brothers were already there waiting. The teams were already on the field as i sat down in time for the coin toss. They won and opted to kick off. And kick off they did. With less than a minute on the clock Evans got on the end of Connolly's long pass and headed home. Great start by Plymouth but our defending was suspect. We looked very much out of sorts, Plymouth were running us in circles and they found a second half way through the first half. Norris got past Harding before crossing and Nick Chadwick got above Kilgallon and headed home to double the lead. It took us over half an hour to get our first meaningful attack and we made it count. Lewis sent a ball into the corner for Hulse, he crossed at the byline and Warner got there before his marker and the keeper to glance it in at the near post. 2-1 but we didn't really deserve it. Half time came and we headed inside for a warm drink and a cig. The main topic of discusion was Bakke and how utterly crap he'd been, if thats how he's going to play he'd be better off leaving. We got back out a bit late, the teams had already kicked off by the time we'd sat down. We were very much in control of things but we couldn't break down Plymouth who were defending in mass numbers. With 25mins left on the clock Batty brought off Bakke and Hulse, Bakke was a massive let down. Douglas and Horsfield came on and made an instant difference in our play. Douglas adding the much needed steel and spark in the midfield. And then, with 15mins left we finally found the equaliser. Kilgallon's long clearence brought Larrieu from his goal and into no mans land to collect. Warner challenged, the ball sprang loose and Horsfield cleared up, cooly scoring from 25 yards into the empty net. A minute later we thought we'd take the lead. Blake whipped in a free kick from the right, Douglas got a head up at goal which was saved, Horsfield was there to tap in the rebound but it was disallowed, the linesman flagging for a foul on Lasey. We started to dominate the match but Plymouth were defending with all they had. They didn't put a foot wrong until the 94th minute when Blake got on the end of Kelly's pass down the right. He set himself and crossed the ball low into the box, Warner strode in unmarked and smashed it home for the win. He was loving it and he had good reason to, it was his 50th goal for Leeds Utd. The final whistle blew and we had the win, but only just. Warner picked up man of the match for his perfomance.

F/T: Leeds Utd 3-2 Plymouth Argyle

With Southampton being held to a 1-1 draw at Coventry, we opened up a 6 point lead at the top of the table. After the match Batty announced that Leeds were close to agreeing a deal with Everton for Matthew Kilgallon. He explained that should he leave, Leeds would recieve £7.5m and a further £1m should he make an international appearence. He would also stay at Leeds until the end of the season, wheather Everton would accept the terms yet to be seen. Suhin and Tommasi decided against moves to Leeds, but Tommasi only got improved terms and his deal still has only 6 months to run, maybe he would join if we gained promotion. But back to promotion, next up for us was a trip to Burnley.

Burnley Vs Leeds Utd, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Harding, Kilgallon, Gregan (C), Kelly, Lewis, Douglas, Walton, Blake, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Lancaster, Bocanegra, Richardson, Einarsson, Hulse.

Another cold night out for the lads as the ref kicked things off with a high pitched whistle. From what i heard over the radio, it was a drab affair...nothing much to speak of for the first 40min. Blake curled wide and Duffs free kick forced a save from Bennett. The with 5mins in the half left things kicked into over drive. First off, Horsfield muscled his way into the 18 yard box after collecting Harding hoofed clearence and lashed home a powerful effort low to the keepers left and we doubled up with 2mins left. Blake tricked his way past Karbassiyoon on the right and whipped in a low cross which was scrambled home by Warner at the near post. Cruise control? Not exactly, almost directly after kick off Lewis was called over to the ref for a foul, he'd already been booked and he was soon heading for the tunnel. Harsh decision in my view (Then again i am a Leeds fan). Warner came off for Einarsson who went into the centre of midfield, Douglas moving out to the left with Horsfield as the loan striker. Half time came right after and we looked to be in a bit of bother. And my worries were soon founded, 2 mins into the half and Burnley pulled one back. Noel Williams found space to cross, Harding (In his own 18 yard box) tried to control but failed and O'Connor lept on the rebound and smashed it through Bennetts legs. After that though, it was us causing more danger than them. Horsfield brought the best out of Welsh international Danny Coyne and not long after, Horfield restored our 2 goal lead. Gregan threaded a ball through for him to collect and he carried the ball almost 50 yards before slotting it past Coyne with confidence. Things changed with 20mins left, Blake and Horsfield made way for Richardson and Hulse. We looked far more confident despite Burnley coming into the game a little more. O'Connor again causing trouble, this time he was stopped by Bennett. With around 10mins on the clock we found another goal...ok, another 2 goals. Both came from Douglas, the first came when he came from deep to collect Walton's lofted pass to the left before smashing into the roof of the net and his second goal came after some good running and a bit of luck. He rounded his man before scuffing his cross, it completely took Coyne by suprise and we had a 5th. Full time followed shortly after and despite being a man down, we ran the show in the 2nd half. Excellent result for us with Horsfield getting man of the match.

F/T: Burnley 1-5 Leeds Utd.

retired_sfa97

Chapter 32

Lewis, after his sending off recieved a 1 match ban as did Kilgallon for recieving his 5th yellow card of the season which means we would be looking a little thin for this weekend eagerly awaited F.A. Cup 3rd game against Portsmouth at Elland Road. Batty made further bids to improve our goalkeeping situation by making a loan offer for Portsmouths 21-year old goalie Andrea Guatelli. The hectic pace of the January transfer window kept getting faster, Portsmouth registered bids for Robbie Blake and Dan Harding which were both turned down straight off the bat. I'm actually quite suprised at how well we've kept the hounds at bay so to speak. I'm used to a team coming knocking and us just opening the door and taking what they want. Not anymore it seems, nice to have a manager who sticks by his word. Everton turned down Leeds Utd's counter offer for Kilgallon saying it didn't reflect good value for money...not for them anyway so he'd be with us for another week or so yet i imagine although a few days later, i found out he could be here longer. With Killa into the last 6 months of his deal, he is open to contract offers and Newcastle made one. Cheeky f**kin geordies, we'll fix their wagon!

Another wagon was wheeling out of Elland Road today however, Paul Butlers wagon in fact as he completed a £10k switch to Blackpool to aid our wage bill. The Portsmouth game was now looming large in the minds of every single Leeds Utd fan, this is the closest we've been to the Premiership since Batty's revival of the once mighty Leeds. Changes were made ahead of the game due to suspensions but we were looking good.

Leeds Utd Vs Portsmouth, F.A. Cup 3rd round: (Starting Line-Up, Left to Right) Bennett, Harding, Soley, Gregan (C), Kelly, Douglas, Whelan, Walton, Blake, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Lancaster, Bocanegra, Richardson, Einarsson, Hulse.

Here it was, i'd been looking forward to this for the past month. I showed up at the ground at 1pm. I wanted to be there early doors for this one, to me it was a huge match. We'd been playing like we were a Premier League team and now we'd get the chance to see if we could cut it. The teams made their way out as i read through my programme, everyone rose to applaud the sides. Not too long after the ref blew his whistle and Portsmouth kicked off. The opening minutes started quickly and we almost found the lead. Horsfield held up the ball before releasing a ball over the defence, Warner got to it and hit it low against Westerveld. In truth, Portsmouth weren't causing many problems to our back line. Then it happened, we got the lead! Horsfield's header down from Whelans corner forced Westerveld to save at full stretch, pushing it onto the post. The ball rebounded back across the goal line and Warner slid in to make it 1-0. Fantastic. After the restart Portsmouth looked a bit more determind and Karadas forced Bennett into a top drawer stop. With half time approaching Portsmouth were on top of us and pelting us with everything they had until Douglas collected a pass from Harding before playing in the perfect pass for Horsfield. He set himself and smashed it low at Westervelds near post leaving the former Dutch international helpless, 2-0!!!! We were going ballistic in the stands. Half time came a few minutes later. Every fan in the house (apart from those Portsmouth fans of course) had a smile on their face. The ground was packed, looked like 40,000 here to see the mighty whites in action. We were ready for the second half, the ground were singing a mighty 40,000 strong chorus of "Marching On Together" as we got the game back under way.

It only took 6mins for the smile to become broader for us. Horsfield rose above Cisse to head home Kelly's cross and we were in raptures. 3-0 up and playing amazing. Portsmouth pressed a little more but they didn't make Bennett work really and they paid for it. Blake shot down the right wing with the ball, he layed off to Warner on the edge of the area. His snap shot his the post but Horsfield was on hand to curl it into the top corner from 12 yards with 20mins left. Absolutly amazing! We looked for more goal for the rest of the half, Richardson, Bocanegra and Einarsson replaced Blake, Douglas and Whelan with 15mins on the clock. I'd love to tell you how we rounded the day off with a 5th goal but we didn't. The game ended tamely for them as we cruised into the next round. Horsfield was named man of the match but i really do have to comment on Soley who was absolutly incredible. He bossed the defence in Kilgallons absence and if he can perform like that weekly, Batty will have a hard time leaving him out of the squad.

F/T: Leeds Utd 4-0 Portsmouth

retired_sfa97

Chapter 33

Despite our win Southampton produced the result of the day beating Arsenal 3-1 at the St. Mary's. Also, i presume after seeing Soley's performance and the fact the Newcastle have offered him a deal, Matthew Kilgallon has been transfer listed and offer to clubs for around £5m. Should he leave for the Geordies we'd recieve just £400k for him so i'm hoping that other clubs come in for him and he opts to move now as it would free up cash for Batty to make signings in time for the next part of the season. After the rush of our F.A. Cup win i believed things would calm down a bit, but things are never dull for a Leeds Utd fan these days especially when this happens...

"Number 29... Tottenham Hotspur Vs......number 19....Leeds United."

I was in shock as i listened, first thing i did was call my dad and brothers then the Elland Road ticket office to get 4 tickets for the match. I was like a kid on christmas day when i put the phone down, a trip to Spurs and another chance for Leeds to prove that they aren't a spent force. The missus found out how happy i was later that night. Over the days leading upto our next match, bids came in thick and fast for our stars but all were turned down as i'd come to expect. Gregan, Kelly and Harding were all subject to bids from Premiership sides yet developments in the Kilgallon saga took an unwelcome twist as Spurs and Fulham offered contracts to our rising defensive starlet. With money still tight it looks like all hope of keeping him has disappeared and he won't be the only one going, Bakke agreed to move to Leicester on a free at the end of the season meaning we were looking thin on the ground already for summer which will mean Bates will have to lay on some major cash should we get promoted.

We made a fresh loan bid, this time in the shape of Spurs midfielder Sean Davis however Celtic also tabled a bid so we'll have to wait and see on that front. Bolton made an offer for Matthew Kilgallon, a swap deal for Joey O'Brien (never heard of him either) but from what i hear Batty sent back details of a more acceptable deal, again, we'd have to wait and see. Our next match would be mean a trip to Watford as our Championship journey continues. At the moment we have a 6 point lead at the top with 18 games left in the season. At the end of the season however we could be seeing Einarsson and Leven leave as Wigan enquired about the Einarsson while Leven was subject to offers from West Ham, Celtic and Sunderland and reports are suggesting that deals could be struck and they will leave come the end of the season. Both have been major disappointments from my view but letting them go now would really put us on the bones of our arse in terms of squad size.

Watford Vs Leeds Utd, Championship: (Starting Line-Up) Bennett, Harding, Soley, Gregan (C), Kelly, Lewis, Whelan, Walton, Blake, Horsfield, Warner. (Subs) Lancaster, Bocanegra, Richardson, Douglas, Hulse.

I was in town shopping at the time although i managed to pick up the highlights on sunday morning. We kicked off but they started with a goal in the first 5mins. Mackay got up a good header from a corner which was saved, but the rebound fell back to him and he made no mistake, smashing home past 3 of our players. And things got worse 2 minutes later. Devlin dinked a free kick into the box and Mackay again got above Soley and headed home past Bennett. We were dire, truly dire. We did have a spark of hope though when Kelly crossed the ball in from deep and Whelan got in behind the defence and headed home unmarked to get us back in the game. That window of oppertunity closed quickly as again our defence let us down. Devlins through ball evaded the stretching Gregan and Sheils slotted it home. I knew it was a replay but i couldn't help shouting at the TV (unbreakable habbit i suppose but we all do it). On the half hour mark we managed to get out of our own half to mount an attack. Blake crossed in but Foster collected with ease, but, his throw was intercepted by Horsfield and he leathered it home to get us back in the game at the end of the half

I was hoping for a rally from the boy but neither side caused problems really. The closest we came was Warner scuffing an effort well wide of the post and we ended the game with a whimper really. Crap performance, Soley, who i could do nothing but praise after the Portsmouth match was utterly out done. Crap, absolute crap!

F/T: Watford 3-2 Leeds Utd