Leeds United 1-0 Bolton: Stephen Warnock lifts the gloom for the managerless Whites
Mail 30/8/14Caretaker boss Neil Redfearn refused to rule himself out of the running to succeed David Hockaday as Leeds head coach as they ended a run of three defeats with victory over luckless Bolton.
Although Redfearn is happy in his post as Academy manager, he sidestepped the question over his future role, and said: 'I love coaching and working with players.
'The most important thing is that the appointment is right for the club. I will have a chat with the president and see what he is thinking. It is his decision, but the club needs a settled set of circumstances.'
Marco Silvestri, the former Chievo Verona goalkeeper, repeatedly frustrated Bolton and pulled off a crucial double save from former Leeds favourite Jermaine Beckford and Lee Chung-Yong in injury time, to leave Dougie Freedman's men with only one point from their first five matches.
Stephen Warnock's 17th-minute goal, driven in from the left corner of the area, was enough to settle an entertaining game in Leeds' favour, but they owed much to Silvestri and young midfielders Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt.
Redfearn added: 'Our keeper was out of this world. He made half a dozen saves out of the top drawer and showed bravery coming off his line.'
Cook, Mowatt and left-back Charlie Taylor, who replaced the injured Warnock, are graduates of Redfearn's Academy and he said: 'I was delighted with them. Cook was the best player on the pitch. He is old beyond his years and nothing fazes him.'
A frustrated Freedman admitted: 'I am scratching around to understand how our domination failed to get us anything from the game. We dominated possession in the last hour and created so many chances.
'It was a mistake for the goal. We didn't get out quickly enough to close Warnock down, and we have to stop making silly errors at the back. We came up against a keeper who played his part. Leeds showed a lot of desire to keep the ball out of their net and we didn't show enough desire to put it in theirs. When we concede a goal, we have to work harder to score.'
Leeds' controversial president and owner Massimo Cellino heads for a break in America on Monday, but that will not stop his search for a new head coach.
Former West Brom boss Steve Clarke is among the front-runners for the job as Cellino looks to appoint another British coach, who will inherit a strong squad according to Redfearn.
'The overseas players gelled well with the British lads,' said. 'We've had upheaval this week, but the lads applied themselves.'
