Yorkshire Evening Post 19/5/08
United must heed semi final lessons says Freedman
By Phil Hay
With three play-off finals lodged in his memory bank already, Dougie Freedman does not need instructing on the unforgiving nature of the game awaiting Leeds United at Wembley on Sunday.
A beaten finalist in 1996 but subsequently victorious on two occasions with Crystal Palace, Freedman might be tempted to say that second chances come to those who are prepared to wait long enough.
But in London this weekend, the 33-year-old knows the danger of expecting the reprieve offered to Leeds by the return leg of last week's semi-final against Carlisle United.
Of all the lessons taken from a scintillating two-legged tie - settled on Thursday in dramatic circumstances - the most valuable may be the warning of what will happen if the form and confidence of Gary McAllister's players deserts them against Doncaster Rovers at Wembley.
United's performance at Brunton Park on Thursday amounted to their most impressive of the season, produced under the extreme pressure of the 2-1 deficit they were carrying from the first leg and the knowledge that their entire campaign rested on one 90-minute fixture.
Jonathan Howson's goal in the first minute of injury-time completed the 2-0 victory which saw Carlisle beaten 3-2 on aggregate, and the display witnessed in Cumbria was seen by both Freedman and McAllister as a direct response of the extent to which Leeds under-performed in the first leg in Yorkshire.
Freedman, whose 96th-minute goal at Elland Road turned the tie in United's favour, said: "You never have a divine right to turn up and win games. Carlisle showed us that on Monday.
"I felt we were well beaten but the fortunate thing was that we had another opportunity on Thursday. From the reaction we got there, I think it was pretty obvious that the players had taken on board the seriousness of the situation.
"That was one of the things I said to the younger lads after Monday - that the most important factor was learning from the defeat and from their own performances. We still had the chance to put it right and they rose to the occasion.
"A few of the players are at the very start of their careers, and this will all be a bit eye-opening for them. You can give them advice about what to expect but they can never understand what play-off matches are like until they're out there in the thick of it.
"The best lesson from the semi-finals will probably be that we won't get a second chance at Wembley. I'd expect the younger guys to look at the first leg of the semi-final and realise how crucial it is to be on our game from the word go.
"You've got 46 league games to get to the play-offs, but the team who win promotion are always the team who raise themselves for the last couple of games - and especially the play-off final. As tough as the semi-final was, I do think it's given our squad the best possible preparation for Wembley."
McAllister's decision to retain all 11 of the players who started Monday's 2-1 defeat during Thursday night's victory at Brunton Park was a defining moment in the two-legged tie, and United's manager has another difficult call to make before Sunday's final.
Alan Sheehan missed both matches against Carlisle through a three-match suspension, but the ban concluded after Thursday's game and he is available to feature at Wembley should McAllister consider recalling him.
The Irish defender, who has been offered a new deal at the Walkers Stadium but is likely to be on Leeds' list of possible signings this summer, is the only recognised left-back in United's squad, but Bradley Johnson has operated as a makeshift defender for the last three matches and McAllister may find it impossible to justifying removing any of the players who eliminated Carlisle from the play-offs.
Freedman, meanwhile, is assured of his place in the first team after another dominant performance on Thursday, and he stands as the most experienced player by some distance in McAllister's squad.
The on-loan Crystal Palace forward was part of the team that lost to Leicester City at Wembley in the Division One play-off final in 1996, and was also with Palace when the club reached the Premiership at the expense of Sheffield United the following year. On top of his visits to England's national stadium, he sat as an unused substitute as the London club beat West Ham United to a place in the top flight at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2004.
"The first game against Carlisle showed us the danger of under-performing," Freedman said, "but I feel that we had that little bit more desire and hunger at the end of the day.
"We scored in the 96th minute at Elland Road and the 91st minute at Carlisle, and it's the same old story - if you fight to the death, you get your reward. I don't think this set of players know when they're beaten.
"Carlisle are a very good team but I'd say we wanted it slightly more. That's a small difference but a very important one. It needs to be the same at Wembley."
Freedman turns 34 on Sunday, marking his birthday in the most spectacular of venues, but there will be few celebrations afterwards if the one-off fixture against Doncaster does not deliver the prize that the striker set out to win when he left behind his family to relocate to Yorkshire in March.
"I didn't come up to Leeds and leave my kids in London at a young age to mess about," Freedman said. "I came up here for a really serious reason - to help the team get promotion.
"It's one thing to play at Wembley but I don't think you'll remember it with much pleasure if you don't come away with winners' medals. That's what it comes down to."

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