Looked forward to yesterdays game as much as any I have ever been to and when it is planned and booked from 2 months out, then by
the time it comes around the game takes on more meaning than just the 3 points. And when your son is with you, you want it to be memorable for them and and a occasion to remember with them. Arrived in Birmingham airport early on Sat and and were one of the first parking up at about 12.30. Gave us plenty of time to look around shop. Junior jerseys on sale for a tenner. Picked up 3 of them and then proceeded to spend more than that on numbers and names. Current Leeds star names like Delph and Marques and 1 for the future Kennedy (heres hoping). Grabbed a bite to eat up the road at McDs but not before asking son if he wanted mushy peas. 'What are they' he asked. Walked over to Chipper across from ground and asked a lady who was tucking in if she wouldnt mind showing my son what they looked like. Cue much merriment but he declined. Got some pictures at Billy statue and then took our spots in the East Stand level with penalty area. Watched players warming up and my son took off at one stage down the steps when he saw Hughes signing autographs. Got programme and jersey signed so he was well chuffed. Sodje was warming up as well but didnt expect to see him lining up although should have guessed 'cos he was grinning from ear to ear and he gave Leeds salute before heading back in. Apart from Sodje, team was as expected with no sign of Richardson. Kop and South Stand full and in good voice, East Stand looked pretty full, and West Stand about half full. Still no scoreboard. There was a strong breeze blowing towards South Stand and that was the end we defended in the first half. Shame. Much prefer if we attack Kop in the 2nd half. MK Dons had a keeper who was built like the proverbial and 2 tall centre halfs who wasted no time in having a go at Beckford. Beckford came off the worst in the early exchanges helped in no small way by linesman who seemed afraid to make any decisions. Beckford obviously narked and at this early stage I feared the worst as Dons dominated early part of the game. Pucheon in particular on the left wing looked lively and a lot of his running was quite direct and purposeful. From one of the those runs came the first real chance of the game. Puncheon was allowed to run to the edge of the box where Naylor got his foul in before he got into the box. Couldnt see what happened 'cos wall was in my line but it seemed like Ankergren scrambled free kick unconvincely out for a corner. This was the first of a series of corners but the defence dealt capably with these. Sodje was very much to the fore in the first half as the stong wind meant he spent a lot of time heading clear. He had a good game and attacked each ball which is a must playing into the wind. Naylor is not the tallest centre half in the world but he too was using his body well, was strong in the challenge and winning more than his fair share in the air. He also read the game well and was helping Douglas out and between them they were just about dealing with Puncheon. Delph worked hard and had some nice touches. Kilkenny and Howson were also trying hard to get into the game but the wind made it difficult for midfield to get on the ball. Noticed that Kilkenny looked very shy in the tackle and didnt fancy the 60-40 never mind the 50-50. Beckford was running across the line and looking for ball over the top but it was unlikely to happen in the first half. Snodgrass was our most effective player, tracking back and running at their defence. He was playing on the right and made a number of runs along that side. He is extremely left footed and it was all too obvious that he was going to cut inside every time. He doesnt have the pace to go around and the full back was happy to show him the outside knowing that. Despite this he was still our best player in the first half. Leeds came more into the game midway through the half. Beckford had one good run but hit the ball early off his left when maybe he should have taken defender on. Becchio was working hard, holding the ball up even if he never looked like he would ever be on first name terms with it. He also won his fair share of headers and free kicks. The goal came when Snodgrass played a ball towards the NE corner where it fell to Becchio outside the 6 yard box. It bounced up and it looked like he might try a scissor kick but instead he stooped to head it across goal where Beckford reacted quicker than the defender and hit a snapshot into the corner. Keeper never moved. Cant remember any other clearcut chances at either end in first half. Sodje gave Leeds salute again at start of 2nd half and was still enjoying it but I think lack of games was catching up with him. He looked knackered and he went down a couple of times before eventually being taken off to a standing ovation. He was replaced by Michalik. Puncheon was still a threat and he was trying his luck on the right side against Parker. Parker stuck gamely to the task but one run in particular left Parker cross-eyed and cross legged. Puncheon got to byeline and pulled ball back but the Dons striker tried a 'Sharpe' back flick effort and the ball went harmlessly wide. Another similar run was halted by Michalik getting across to put ball out for a corner. At the other end it always looked like it just needed a decent ball played through for Beckford because their defence was playing quite high and his pace was troubling them all afternoon. Second goal came about 15 minutes into second half and it was a beauty. It started with Dons on the attack on our left. Snodgrass got back to put in a brilliantly timed sliding tackle. Ball was played first time to Beckford who headed back towards Snodgrass who was back on his feet. He took the ball on and played a superb pass behind the defence which Beckford ran on to and hit clean as you like low into the bottom right. Even though there was a long way to go, we were comfortable at the back and Ankergren was not seriously troubled. Towards the end, Hughes came on and looked a bit clumsy although he did play one great ball through to Beckford on the right edge of the penalty area. Thought this is it for the hat-trick ... It bounced up nicely for him and he hit it well but it just went past the left post. He had one other chance near the end with an overhead kick but it went over the bar. Becchio brought a scrambling save from the goalie with a backpost header. Dickinson also came on very late on. Delph showed some of his dribbling skills near the end but just ran of room for the shot. The game finished with Leeds on the attack and another mazy dribble from Delph. This was a great win and we looked a far better team than them once we got into the game. Defence was solid, midfield and front guys worked hard and Beckfords sharp finishing gave us the extra edge. Big crowd (27K), decent atmosphere, good performance and win with 2 well taken goals. The 2 young members of our group who are mostly sky-fed their football also very much enjoyed it. Back in car and reached Birmingham and eventually found a place to watch second half of ireland bulgaria game but thats another story. Early flight an even greater pain due to losing an hour but nothing could take from a memorable trip ! Roll on the next one. _________________________________________________________________ 25GB of FREE Online Storage – Find out more http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/134665320/direct/01/ _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. 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