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Leeds United finally got their first home league win of the season by demolishing Crewe Alexandra.

Before the game the talk was of how much damage former Leeds striker Anthony Elding was going to do to Leeds United in the shirt of his new employer’s Crewe Alexandra.

But as it turned out it was teenage sensation Fabian Delph who made the impact in the game - he celebrated his new four year contract by scoring Leeds’ opener with a 30-yard shot. Young Alan Sheehan scored a second with another long range effort before Jonathan Douglas rubbed in Leeds’ superiority with a third.

Jermaine Beckford headed in a fourth - his eighth in seven games and Andy Robinson curled in the fifth goal, a just reward having hit the Crewe bar with a lob minutes before.

However, the game went sour for Leeds in injury time when Leeds’ Lubo Michalik was sent off in for violent conduct and Crewe took advantage of their numerical superiority to score twice: Calvin Zola headed in from a free-kick and Eugene Bopp added a second consolation goal with a fluky deflection. It was the first time David Lucas, favoured over Casper Ankergren, had had to touch the ball all afternoon.

So a sad end to a terrific performance by Leeds United, a result that us them into a play-off position in League One.

Leeds United: Lucas, Richardson, Michalik, Telfer, Sheehan, Hughes (Howson 64), Kilkenny (Robinson 65), Douglas, Delph, Beckford, Becchio (Snodgrass 69). 
Subs Not Used: Ankergren, Prutton.

Sent Off: Michalik (90).

Booked: Michalik, Delph.

Goals: Delph 26, Sheehan 36, Douglas 49, Beckford 67, Robinson 82.

Crewe Alexandra: Collis, Woodards, O’Donnell, Baudet, Jones, Moore, Bailey, Rix (Bopp 63), Schumacher, Elding (Donaldson 63), Zola. 

Subs Not Used: Abbey, Pope, Miller.Booked: Baudet.

Goals: Zola 90, Bopp 90.

Att: 20,075

Ref: Trevor Kettle (Rutland).

Anthony Elding finally gave up playing the reluctant bride and gave in to the attentions of ardent suitor Crewe Alexandra.

He signed a three year contract with the Railwaymen earlier today.

The transfer fee is reported to be six figures but it is unlikely that Leeds recovered the £200,000 that they paid for Elding. A discount will have had to be made t offset the difference between wage levels at the two clubs.

Elding turned down Crewe to come to Leeds in January from Stockport County.

He was then pursued by Crewe in the early part of the close season. The clubs agreed a transfer fee and Elding met with Crewe officals but personal terms could not be agreed and Elding returned to Elland Road to fight for his place.

However, McAllister made it clear that he did not feature in his plans and the message was driven home when Elding was excluded from the current tour of Ireland.

With Leeds being linked with Marcus Haber, Robert Snodgrass, Jay Bothroyd and Luciano Becchio just this week Elding saw the writing on the wall and departed gracefully to Crewe where he is undoubtedly wanted by the manager.

What a difference a year makes.

It was the news that the annual Elland Road open day (dubbed the “Sunday Funday”) will take place on August 3rd this year and that the club are hoping beat the 3,000 attendance figure for last season, that set me thinking about the changes over the last year. Beating that attendance shouldn’t be difficult considering the different circumstances that prevail at Leeds United compared to just a year ago…

Twelve months ago an unpopular Dennis Wise, seen more as an ex-Chelsea player than Leeds Utd manager, was suffering fans’ protests at pre-season friendlies. He had to put a team together in just eight days following a relegation season and weeks of legal wrangling over administration and there was a real doubt that the team would even start the season.

Finally, the club faced what many felt would be certain relegation into the fourth tier of English football following the imposition of an unprecedented 15 point penalty, by the vindictive Football League, before the club to get its “golden share” back.

Pass the valium!

Fast forward twelve months and the club achieved 91 points on the pitch and missed the championship of League One by one point. Because of the 15 point penalty the Leeds fans got to see Leeds United play at the new Wembley rather than next season in the Championship.

But off the pitch Leeds Utd fans set over twenty new League One attendance records and had the highest single attendance, average attendance and aggregate attendance in the whole Football League, including the Championship clubs - despite the police moving over 50% of kick-off times at away grounds to try and reduce the numbers of Leeds fans attending. In fact half-a-dozen Premier League chairmen would have swopped their clubs’ dismal attendances for that of the United faithful.

On the pitch a new local hero emerged, Jonny Howson and Paul Huntington rose from the reserves to shake off the Carlisle United boo-boys and keep his place through the play-offs and on to Wembley. The previous season had seen Jermaine Beckford star in a promoted Scunthorpe United side as Leeds were being relegated; this year he won the League One Player of the Season Award in the white shirt of Leeds United.

In February Dennis Wise was replaced with the surprise choice of Gary McAllister who introduced a new passing game at Elland Road and made one low-key signing - Dougie Freedman - a striker in a squad that boasted Beckford and Kandol - but it was a masterstroke and the Leeds fans got one more, unlikely, hero in one of the most incredible season’s in its history.

The reviving stature of Leeds United was demonstrated at the end of May when Andy Robinson left new League One Champions Swansea City and Championship football next season to join Leeds United back in League One. Anthony Elding rejected a summer move to Crewe Alexandra, prefering to stay and fight for his place.

Although there will be departures of Dennis Wise’s signings - Matt Heath has already joined relegated Colchester United - Gary McAllister knows that he does not have to sell our best players, as has occurred in recent seasons, and he has a reasonable transfer budget that has come from the pockets of the Leeds faithful turning up in droves at Elland Road rather than borrowed from the banks.

To paraphrase a famous saying, twelve months is certainly a long time in the history of Leeds United and I think the club can look forward to a record attendance at the 2008 “Sunday Funday” at Elland Road, and deservedly so this time.

Gary McAllister
Image via Wikipedia

Following their working lunch a week last Tuesday, Ken Bates indicated that he and Gary McAllister had discussed all the Gary’s transfer targets and that there would be no further comment until signings were made.

This has been the sensible stance taken by Ken since he took over Leeds and we have generally managed to avoid the media circus surrounding equally famous clubs.

However, with the pleasing exception of Jonny Howson signing a new contract there has been nothing concrete to report for eight days and Gary McAllister has come out to speak to the official Leeds United website to reassure Leeds fans that he and the club are indeed working hard to land the players they want but their approach is that of a poker player rather than a nutter on a shopping spree with someone else’s credit card.

“We’ve had thousands of names thrown at us from hundreds of agents and it’s a case of going through every proposition and looking at the players I think can make us better,” said Gary.

“Some of the players you have seen us linked with I have spoken to, and we’re looking at that calibre of player. It takes special players to come here who can play in front of a big crowd.

“We are looking at the other end of the scale as well for young players who can excite the crowd. We want to play an attacking style, and we’ll continue to look.

“Ideally you would like the players here knowing they are doing their pre-season here, but at the same time we’re not rushing in.

“It is quiet at the moment and it’s a case of being patient, but I am happy that we are moving along quite nicely with certain things.”

McAllister referred obliquely to the rumour that he is using his Anfield connections to bring two of their exciting, rising reserve players to Elland Road,

“We are looking at youngsters at Premiership clubs and making loads of enquiries.”

“The facilities here are that of a Premiership club and hopefully the players will realise they will play the proper way here.”

Finally Gary turned his attention to the on-off departure of Anthony Elding to Crewe Alexandra which only ended when Elding decided to stay and fight for his place at Leeds United; though he didn’t give Elding much room for hope,

“I’ve spoken with Anthony and like the majority I can’t guarantee him regular first team football. He wants to play, of course, and it may be that he finds that somewhere else, but while he’s here he is a Leeds player.”

So Gary’s message is be patient, we are looking to build for the medium term future as well as next season and we’ll let you know when we strike paydirt!

All of which is eminently reasonable if a little disappointing in terms of hard facts - but better than absolute silence!