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Chester City are celebrating drawing Leeds United at home in the Carling Cup 1st round.

Chester can expect a bumper crowd at the The Cestrian Trading stadium, where last season (2007-08) the average attendance was 2586.

Last season Chester City faced Nottingham Forest at home at the same stage of the cup and held them to a creditable 0-0 draw after extra time, losing 4-2 on penalties.

Consequently, Gary McAllister will not be taking Chester’s challenge lightly. Nonetheless, Chester City do play in League Two and last season finished third bottom, escaping the drop back into the Conference by just five points, so Leeds should expect to reach the money spinning round two and possible Premier League opposition.

Of course at this level of football many lower level clubs make wholesale squad changes in the summer months and so there is no guarantee that the team Leeds face will bear any resemblance to the team that narrowly escaped relegation just a few weeks ago.

Click for the full 2008-09 1st round Carling Cup draw

Gary McAllister has turned his attention back to his native Scotland and Dundee United pair Mark Kerr and Noel Hunt.

Midfield holding player and Scotland B international Mark Kerr, is in particular demand; aged just 26 and out of contract this season. As with Derek Riordan Leeds face competition from Burnley and Preston, Coventry, Leicester City and Doncaster Rovers are also interested in Kerr.

Once again Burnley appear to have the upper hand as current Burnley boss Owen Coyle was in charge of Kerr both as reserve-team manager at Tannadice and at Falkirk. Kerr may stay in Scotland as both Aberdeen and Hearts would like to sign the player, Dundee United would prefer he didn’t go to rivals in the SPL but as Kerr is on a Bosman there is nothing they can do to stop him.

McAllister also faces tough competition for 18 goal striker Noel Hunt with Reading, Burnley, Blackpool and Nottingham Forest in the chase for his signature.

Burnley appear to be linked with every Scot as their manager is Scottish but with the impending departure of striker Kyle Lafferty for big bucks they would easily have the wherewithall to meet the £400,000 asking price for Hunt.

Leeds United too would have the money having offered more for Derek Riordan last week. Although the Anthony Elding situation complicates matters.

Blackpool may struggle as they only bid £175,000 last Janueary and Dundee are in no mood for bargain hunters now they are facing losing two of their best players.

Reading certainly have the money to attract Hunt with their £12m parachute payment from the Premier League and they have the added bonus that Noel’s brother Stephen Hunt plays for them - unless they don’t get on, in which case the connection is a negative!

The arbitration tribunal has handed down its ruling today on the Leeds United appeal against the Football League 15 point deduction from the League One points tally for season 2007-08.

The arbitration tribunal has ruled against Ken Bates and Leeds United by reinstating NO points. Leeds United therefore remain on 73 points and in the final, sixth, play-off position. If they beat Gillingham on Saturday and Southend United lose they may be able to go up one place.

The automatic promotion place now depends on the final game of the season with Doncaster Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Carlisle United all able to take the coveted spot. Therefore, at the moment Leeds United have no idea who they will face in the play-off semi-final.

A disappointing result but not totally unexpected - so on to the play-offs and Wembley!

David ‘Jesus’ Prutton has been speaking to the official Leeds United website this week about tonight’s match at Yeovil. Yes, seriously, the police moved the match to Friday night so that Leeds fans won’t travel - (see here the secret recording of the police planning meeting at which it was decided) - the 500 miles. No bias there then, Mawhinney?

Anyway, David Prutton focused on events on the pitch when he told the official website,

“The season has gone so quickly and to be in a position where we can get promoted is great.” 

“Mathematically, if you think about it, avoiding being in trouble is a result, but I don’t think with the quality of squad we have that was ever a question.

“It’d be fantastic if we could make sure of a top-six finish at Yeovil. It’s going to be a tough place, and the way we set out tactically and mentally is important.”

Mentally Prutton is going to be totally focused on revenge over Yeovil for his play-off, semi-final defeat at the hands of Yeovil last May. Prutton came on as substitute for Forest, who had entered the match with a 2-0 first leg lead, but his only contribution was to get two yellow cards and see his teamates struggle with ten men to an extra-time defeat at home!

David has already enjoyed a measure of revenge, playing in the Leeds team that beat Yeovil 1-0 in front of 27808 fans at Elland Road in October this season. But he know that guaranteeing Leeds United a play-off place by beating Yeovil Town, at Huish Park, is the best kind of revenge for his humiliation last year. He will be reminding himself and the triumphalist Yeovil fans that despite his red-card they remained in League One and that he, and Leeds United, have an excellent chance of getting out of League One this season.