...or the one in which Kandol executes the perfect Cryuff turn... Had a spare ticket for this one and persuaded a former ST holder to come along. He'd only come to one game under Wise and we'd lost that. So we'd spent the week giving all sorts of "come and watch Leeds play some football"..."under Macca we're actually deserving to win matches..." "we look like a football team" - he had us for a bunch of liars at half time... The first half in truth is best passed over as it was turgid, with neither team looking all that good, don't know how many efforts there were on goal but it can't have been many. Lots of midfield scrapping and little class. For our part we mainly launched it high and long towards Beckford and Freedman - and that was just never going to work. They scored after Fraser let a winger get in behind him and have a free cross, which went low all the way across the 6 yard box to some guy unmarked at the back post. In Fraser's defence he was suffering from the same lack of cover from the RMidfield as has been affecting Kenton in recent weeks. Its clear Kilkenny doesn't fancy it out there - so we have about 7 CMidfielders - at least Johnson sticks to his widish left hand side. So 0-1 down at half time and pretty despondent. All week I'd been confident about this game, even now I still thought, we have to play better than that in the second half...and boy, did we. If it hadn't been for Caspar's gift, Carlisle would have been buried beyond sight by a 45 minute tidal wave of white. To say we upped the tempo is an understatement. We were sharper, faster, first to every ball, challenged everything, made much better use of the ball and thoroughly deserved the victory. It took five or so minutes to get the equaliser, a scrappy goal, bundled home by Freedman, after one of the worst crosses ever seen, by Kenton - it carried about 2 yards into the box. After that we really looked like we believed while Carlisle looked like they wanted to jack it in there and then. 5 minutes later a great move that started with Kandol holding the ball up on the halfway, spraying it wide, 2 or 3 passes later and the ball came again to Kandol on the edge of the box, it looked like he should have gone for the by-line, but he checked inside and thumped a right footed shot that the keeper could only parry into the path of the charging Howson and he stabbed it home from 6 yards. Carlisle went down the other end, won a corner, which Caspar caught, dropped, and watched as their CForward poked the lose ball home. Dreadful goalkeeping error. 3 minutes later and he went some way towards making amends by keeping out a low hard drive, at full stretch after another guy had popped up unmarked at the back post. That was the last we saw of Carlisle. With 20 minutes to go Freedman got a second after another goalmouth scramble, when the ball popped up and it looked to me as if he took a quick touch on his chest to tee it up before hitting it high into the angle with his left foot, from 6 yards out. Classy finish. In the remaining time Prutton nearly scored, Kandol was really unfortunate not to get one after a huge wrestling match with first their keeper then their CHalf which left them all lying in heap on the goal line and the ball being heaved away by another defender. Ignoring the possibility of the return of the 15 points I have to say that on recent evidence I hope that Donny finish 2nd (if we don't), leaving the play offs as us, Forest, Carlisle and Southend, because I'd fancy us against any of them, whereas Donny did play us off the park despite our victory. Now all we need is to get a couple more wins in the last 4 games... ANKEGREN - shaky - distribution better than recently - a good save and a bad gaffe... RICHARDSON - another one struggling with no cover at right back - looked woefully lost for their 1st goal - picked up as the team got better in the second half KENTON - very steady defensively, rarely wrong side, and used his strength and know-how to keep his winger quiet - his forward runs were hilarious - twice towards the end he cuts inside and keeps going along the tops of the box, desperately trying to get a shot away...he wanted a goal HUNTINGTON - wasn't as composed as in recent weeks but was still solid defensively MICHALIK - getting steadier and steadier - won lots in the air KILKENNY - good on the ball, prompting and probing - but he does move infield and leave the team exposed down their right - he might not like it...and he might be correct that he is a centre midfield player...nevertheless its a team game and you play to the plan...he's now made Kenton and Richardson both look like bad players in recent weeks where in reality they're not. DOUGLAS - a dreadful first half - summed up for me when he tried to play a twenty yard ball out from the centre to the left with the outside of his right foot, so that ball would fade into the path of his team mate, instead he thumped it directly ahead of him straight as a die into the advertising hoardings 30 yards away. The second half he did the battling-closing down thing and then gave the ball to one of his team mates, short and simple...it worked. He was worth so much more to the team. Almost scored at the death. JOHNSON - grew in influence as the game went on...he looks like he's beginning to take his left side midfield role seriously. He is limited but he's playing within those limits. He gets in some decent aerial challenges. HOWSON - the pick of the midfield again yesterday - between his workrate and passing, Freedman's nous and Kenton's running we have the reasons for our victory. Was supporting the forward play well, for his goal. BECKFORD - peripheral in the first half and went off early second - clearly carrying an injury FREEDMAN - MOTM for me - 2 goals, instrumental in some other chances - knew too much for the Carlisle defence in the second half. Quality shines. All this after a dose of the shits, according to the paper... --------- subs KANDOL - had something like 35 minutes yesterday and put in a decent hard working performance - gave Carlisle different headaches than when Beckford was on - took the ball in well, held it up and used it sensibly - still fell over a lot, could have had a goal...but did a Cryuff turn...no, really HUGHES and PRUTTON - both came on to add muscle in the middle and did it well. The game was over after 70 minutes. ----------- crowd - noisy - 28,000 ---------- ref - unobstrusive, seemed to handle everything pretty well - gave cards when deserved --------- Macca - beginning to look like the real deal for LUFC (oh and those of you who grumble about how he left us for Coventry, read the "Leeds, Leeds, Leeds" mag interview where he states that LUFC had agreed to sell him, Batty and Speed as a job lot to Blackburn in 1993...he said the Coventry move was the second time the club had wanted to sell him and were happy with the deal they were going to get before putting it to him...) -------------
_______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist DELETE THE FOOTERS WHEN REPLYING YOU LAZY SODS!!!! DELETE THE FOOTERS WHEN REPLYING YOU LAZY SODS!!!!
