BLACKWELL CONGRATULATES BLADES
By Ross Heppenstall, PA Sport
Sporting Life
Kevin Blackwell paid tribute to Sheffield United after Leeds' 1-1 draw with Reading confirmed the Bramall Lane club's return to the Barclays Premiership.
Leeds were required to win against the Coca-Cola Championship title winners to keep alive their faint hopes of pipping the Blades to a second-placed finish.
But a solitary point ensured Neil Warnock's men cannot now be caught in the race for automatic promotion. The draw, which saw Reading substitute Stephen Hunt cancel out Rob Hulse's 46th-minute opener, left Leeds fans bitterly disappointed but sparked wild celebrations down the M1 in Sheffield.
The Blades, who have been perched in second spot for the vast majority of the season, return to the top-flight after a 12-year exile.
And Blackwell, whose side play United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday, said: "I just want to congratulate Sheffield United on a fantastic achievement.
"Neil and the boys deserve all the credit. To get promoted over the course of the season is no mean achievement but we've pushed them all the way.
"Many of you thought that it was a two-horse race at Christmas but we pulled them in and really worked hard to try to rein them in.
"With the lead they had it should have probably been all over a couple of months ago but we made sure it was a wide-open race.
"But now that they're up, I just want to congratulate them and I'll have a drink with Neil when we go down there on Tuesday."
Leeds will travel to their Yorkshire rivals having failed to win in seven matches, but Blackwell took encouragement from his side's performance against the champions.
The Elland Road manager had not seen his side score for 408 minutes until Hulse's predatory strike shortly after the restart, but Hunt's late bundled equaliser extended Leeds' winless run.
Blackwell, who revealed a mystery virus is sweeping through his squad, added: "We're in a situation where we need to get some form going into the play-offs, especially getting a goal after so long without one.
"And the players showed today they can compete with the best of them and we now have to try to join Reading and Sheffield United in the Premiership."
Blackwell also received strong vocal backing from the Elland Road crowd after this week admitting he considered quitting in the wake of receiving hate mail from fans following the side's loss of form.
The abuse from a minority of supporters has, according to reports, included threats of physical violence and the 47-year-old fears for the safety of his family.
But fans soon began to chant Blackwell's name when the match kicked off.
The Leeds boss said: "It's unfortunate what happened last week. Many of the fans demand Premier League football but we can't let frustration get in our way.
"A little bit of frustration blew over last week but I thought the fans were fantastic today."We sit here with three play-off games to get us into the Premiership and we'll start preparing now."
By Ross Heppenstall, PA Sport
Sporting Life
Kevin Blackwell paid tribute to Sheffield United after Leeds' 1-1 draw with Reading confirmed the Bramall Lane club's return to the Barclays Premiership.
Leeds were required to win against the Coca-Cola Championship title winners to keep alive their faint hopes of pipping the Blades to a second-placed finish.
But a solitary point ensured Neil Warnock's men cannot now be caught in the race for automatic promotion. The draw, which saw Reading substitute Stephen Hunt cancel out Rob Hulse's 46th-minute opener, left Leeds fans bitterly disappointed but sparked wild celebrations down the M1 in Sheffield.
The Blades, who have been perched in second spot for the vast majority of the season, return to the top-flight after a 12-year exile.
And Blackwell, whose side play United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday, said: "I just want to congratulate Sheffield United on a fantastic achievement.
"Neil and the boys deserve all the credit. To get promoted over the course of the season is no mean achievement but we've pushed them all the way.
"Many of you thought that it was a two-horse race at Christmas but we pulled them in and really worked hard to try to rein them in.
"With the lead they had it should have probably been all over a couple of months ago but we made sure it was a wide-open race.
"But now that they're up, I just want to congratulate them and I'll have a drink with Neil when we go down there on Tuesday."
Leeds will travel to their Yorkshire rivals having failed to win in seven matches, but Blackwell took encouragement from his side's performance against the champions.
The Elland Road manager had not seen his side score for 408 minutes until Hulse's predatory strike shortly after the restart, but Hunt's late bundled equaliser extended Leeds' winless run.
Blackwell, who revealed a mystery virus is sweeping through his squad, added: "We're in a situation where we need to get some form going into the play-offs, especially getting a goal after so long without one.
"And the players showed today they can compete with the best of them and we now have to try to join Reading and Sheffield United in the Premiership."
Blackwell also received strong vocal backing from the Elland Road crowd after this week admitting he considered quitting in the wake of receiving hate mail from fans following the side's loss of form.
The abuse from a minority of supporters has, according to reports, included threats of physical violence and the 47-year-old fears for the safety of his family.
But fans soon began to chant Blackwell's name when the match kicked off.
The Leeds boss said: "It's unfortunate what happened last week. Many of the fans demand Premier League football but we can't let frustration get in our way.
"A little bit of frustration blew over last week but I thought the fans were fantastic today."We sit here with three play-off games to get us into the Premiership and we'll start preparing now."