BLACKWELL WARNS FALTERING BLADES
Sporting Life
By Tom Collomosse, PA Sport
Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell warned Sheffield United his team would fight them all the way for automatic promotion after their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
This victory put Leeds - who have a game in hand on their Yorkshire rivals - six points adrift of second place in the Coca-Cola Championship.
Blackwell's men deserved their win, which they earned thanks to goals in either half from Robbie Blake and Rob Hulse, while Jobi McAnuff's injury-time strike for Palace only compounded their manager Iain Dowie's frustration.
"People thought the race for automatic promotion was finished a long time ago and that Reading and Sheffield United had booked their places in the Premiership - but we never agreed," Blackwell said.
"Sheffield United are still in the ascendancy, but we feel we have a chance of catching them. We have to keep chasing, and we are doing as much as we can.
"We have had such dramatic changes since I took over as manager in the summer of 2004, and it takes time to build continuity and understanding."
Leeds' triumph owed much to the performances of on-loan Manchester United player Liam Miller and former Palace man Shaun Derry in midfield.
Playing in front of a reliable back four, Derry broke up a number of Palace attacks, while Miller's craft and creativity troubled Dowie's side all afternoon.
Blackwell continued: "It was very important for us to get Liam back here in the January transfer window, because three or four Premiership clubs wanted him.
"That Liam decided to return proves the club is going in the right direction. He has that little bit of class and guile that you need.
"Shaun was immense today. He has a great physical element to his game, but he is no mean ball player."
Palace chief Dowie offered no excuses for his team's first home defeat in the Championship in 2006.
The home side did not test Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan until the final 25 minutes, and their manager accepted they had not been good enough.
He said: "Leeds deserved to win today. They were not massively better than us, but we didn't get going until the latter stages.
"We seemed to lack hunger, and that was disappointing. We were second-best far too often in both boxes; it was a really flat performance."
Dowie's men - who play Leeds again at Elland Road on March 21 - are 15 points adrift of an automatic spot with 10 matches remaining, and he added: "This was a big opportunity missed for us. We still hope to be able to reach second place, but we are making life very difficult for ourselves.
"There is now a mountain for us to climb."
Sporting Life
By Tom Collomosse, PA Sport
Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell warned Sheffield United his team would fight them all the way for automatic promotion after their 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
This victory put Leeds - who have a game in hand on their Yorkshire rivals - six points adrift of second place in the Coca-Cola Championship.
Blackwell's men deserved their win, which they earned thanks to goals in either half from Robbie Blake and Rob Hulse, while Jobi McAnuff's injury-time strike for Palace only compounded their manager Iain Dowie's frustration.
"People thought the race for automatic promotion was finished a long time ago and that Reading and Sheffield United had booked their places in the Premiership - but we never agreed," Blackwell said.
"Sheffield United are still in the ascendancy, but we feel we have a chance of catching them. We have to keep chasing, and we are doing as much as we can.
"We have had such dramatic changes since I took over as manager in the summer of 2004, and it takes time to build continuity and understanding."
Leeds' triumph owed much to the performances of on-loan Manchester United player Liam Miller and former Palace man Shaun Derry in midfield.
Playing in front of a reliable back four, Derry broke up a number of Palace attacks, while Miller's craft and creativity troubled Dowie's side all afternoon.
Blackwell continued: "It was very important for us to get Liam back here in the January transfer window, because three or four Premiership clubs wanted him.
"That Liam decided to return proves the club is going in the right direction. He has that little bit of class and guile that you need.
"Shaun was immense today. He has a great physical element to his game, but he is no mean ball player."
Palace chief Dowie offered no excuses for his team's first home defeat in the Championship in 2006.
The home side did not test Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan until the final 25 minutes, and their manager accepted they had not been good enough.
He said: "Leeds deserved to win today. They were not massively better than us, but we didn't get going until the latter stages.
"We seemed to lack hunger, and that was disappointing. We were second-best far too often in both boxes; it was a really flat performance."
Dowie's men - who play Leeds again at Elland Road on March 21 - are 15 points adrift of an automatic spot with 10 matches remaining, and he added: "This was a big opportunity missed for us. We still hope to be able to reach second place, but we are making life very difficult for ourselves.
"There is now a mountain for us to climb."
