Yorkshire Evening Post 20/9/08
Leeds United end Carlisle's unbeaten home record
By Phil Hay
Carlisle 0 Leeds United 2
Billed as a collision between two of League One's most accomplished strikers, it was perhaps inevitable that yesterday's game at Brunton Park would be decided with the help a less conspicuous forward.
Jermaine Beckford and Danny Graham have shared 17 goals this season, enough to set them head-to-head during the decision-making process for August's player-of-the-month award, but it was the boot of Luciano Becchio which was primarily responsible for giving Carlisle's purposeful start to the term another fierce shake.
Becchio's name is unfamiliar in Cumbria and, before July, it had never been heard in Leeds, but it seemed fitting that a player whose unselfish performances have so greatly influence Leeds' recent surge should eclipse Beckford and Graham for 86 minutes.
The Argentine striker poached the game's opening goal in the 32nd minute and, unlike last season when Leeds capitulated after establishing a narrow lead at Brunton Park, the club protected Becchio's strike until Beckford claimed his customary goal with four minutes left.
It was never a spectacular clash and the quality of both teams was often lost on a day when the importance of the fixture seemed to resonate with both sets of players, but nothing mattered more to United boss Gary McAllister than the result – Carlisle's first home defeat of the term.
Confidence performances against Swindon and Crewe pushed Leeds into yesterday's match with successive wins in their pocket, but a 2-0 victory over a club who should not fail to qualify for the play-offs was another step towards the consistent dominance expected of United this season.
McAllister limited his criticism of the club's initial displays, but solid performances are beginning to come with more regularity and more reliability from his players.
Without showing the full extent of their hand at Brunton Park, Leeds emerged with a victory which was hugely valuable if not conclusive.
McAllister followed through with his veiled promise to involve Aidan White at Brunton Park, naming the 16-year-old at left-back and allowing him to make his full league debut.
White's inclusion as replacement for the suspended Alan Sheehan was another demonstration of how highly McAllister's values the youngest member of his squad – a player who became a scholar at Leeds less than six months ago.
Carlisle's assistant manager, Greg Abbott, claimed earlier in the week that the inclusion of White could suit the game of Cleveland Taylor, the Cumbrian club's physical winger, but the threat was idle and the honour at the end of that particular battle belonged to United's teenager.
McAllister was not required to make any other positional changes, leaving Rui Marques in the centre of defence and ignoring the temptation to reinstate Lubomir Michalik as added protection against Graham.
Carlisle's premier striker scored six goals during the first four weeks of the season, enough to win him League One's first player-of-the-month award, and he was supposed to be the hosts' answer to the prolific Beckford.
Surprisingly, neither forward could claim to have significantly influenced the match until Beckford's late goal, and Graham was substituted with a head injury at half-time.
Marques contributed enough to last weekend's victory over Swindon – a win achieved with 10 players for 82 minutes – to deserve his place, but his loose pass in the third minute caused immediate problems for Leeds.
Simon Hackney collected the ball and cut through the right side of United's defence, outrunning Neil Kilkenny and Marques and whipping over a cross which flicked off the top of David Lucas' bar.
It seemed that Leeds, the last club to win at Brunton Park on the night when their place in last season's play-off final was assured, were conspiring to inflict punishment on themselves and their low ball retention invited the Cumbrians to settle quickly.
Another run from Hackney tied Frazer Richardson in knots and eventually forced a poor clearance from Fabian Delph which Marc Bridge-Wilkinson sent flying over the bar, then Paul Thirlwell hooked a volley wide after controlling a deflected delivery on his chest.
United's counters also relied on uncertainty in Carlisle's defence, and a mistake from centre-back Richard Keogh in the 16th minute allowed for an exchange of passes between Beckford and Jonathan Douglas which the latter drove two yards past Ben Williams' goal.
Taylor's opening at Lucas' far post was a better chance, though his uncontrolled header from Evan Horwood's cross did not force United's goalkeeper into a save and Leeds took a grip of the match with a soft goal in the 32nd minute.
Williams conceded a corner by knocking Kilkenny's shot around the post with his legs and when Carlisle's keeper misjudged the resulting set-piece and committed himself eight yards from goal, Paul Telfer's cut-back left Becchio to flick the ball in.
Carlisle hit back and Hackney drew a diving save from Lucas before Danny Carlton, the home striker, reacted to an inviting opening on the edge of Leeds' box by slicing the ball far beyond the left-hand post.
Bridge-Wilkinson's 20-yard shot was a more convincing effort, sailing a foot over the bar four minutes before the break, but the more difficult team-talk fell to John Ward.
His position was identical to that in which he found himself in November when Carlisle recovered from a goal down to inflict Leeds' first defeat of last season.
His first act was the replace Graham with Scott Dobie, but the threat to Carlisle on the break was displayed by Beckford's run from deep which ended with a curling shot beyond Williams' left-hand post.
Carlisle's composure began to desert them, and though Hackney's shot was blocked four yards from Lucas' goalline, the home crowd quickly grew restless.
Taylor was almost chased from the field by the applause which followed Ward's decision to introduce Michael Bridges from the bench on 62 minutes.
Dobie headed wide a cross from Hackney, who then drove the ball inches wide of goal with Jennison Myrie-Williams sniffing for an easy finish, but their challenge was blunted beyond repair when a splendid counter-attack from United ended with Beckford sliding home Robert Snodgrass' cross.
The art of winning at Brunton Park is one that Leeds appear to have mastered.
Leedsunited.com 20/9/08
BORDER RAIDERS
20 Sep 2008
United see off Cumbrian challengers Carlisle United...
CARLISLE 0, UNITED 2 (Becchio 32, Beckford 86)
Carlisle: Williams, Raven, Livesey, Keogh, Horwood, Taylor (Bridges 63), Bridge-Wilkinson, Thirlwell, Hackney, Graham (Dobie 46), Carlton (Myrie-Williams 73). Subs: Joyce, Howarth.
United: Lucas, Richardson, Marques, Telfer, White (Howson 55), Hughes, Kilkenny (Snodgrass 75), Douglas, Delph, Beckford, Becchio (Robinson 90). Subs: Ankergren, Prutton.
Referee: P Walton
Att: 12,138
United returned to the scene of last season's memorable Play-Off success with teenage defender Aidan White lined up to make his debut in place of the suspended Alan Sheehan.
And the 16-year-old's first involvement came inside the opening minute when he picked out Andy Hughes with a good cross from the left.
Carlisle also had an early raid down their own left flank when Simon Hackney showed good pace before lifting his cross over the bar.
It took some desperate defending to deny Hughes after nine minutes. White, Jonathan Douglas, and Jermaine Beckford all combined well and Hughes was arriving at the far post to meet Beckford's low cross when the ball was scrambled clear.
After a brief spell of Carlisle pressure, United showed good ball retention and a period of patient passing play was almost rewarded when Douglas sent a powerful strike skidding wide.
While United were starting to dictate in terms of possession, Carlisle gave a timely reminder of the threat they posed on 23 minutes when Cleveland Taylor headed an Evan Horwood cross over the bar.
Carlisle goalkeeper Ben Williams made the first save of the game shortly after the half-hour - spreading himself well to deny Neil Kilkenny - but United took the lead the resultant corner.
Kilkenny provided a deep delivery, Paul Telfer hooked the ball back into the box, and Luciano Becchio rifled the ball home from close range to make it 1-0.
It was a deserved lead on the balance of play, but Carlisle showed more urgency after Becchio's strike, and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson sent a shot fizzing over the bar after trying his luck from distance.
But United threatened again before half-time and both Beckford and Rui Marques came within a whisker of furthering the advantage.
Carlisle made a change at half-time, replacing leading goalscorer Danny Graham with Scott Dobie.
But it was United who carved out the first opening of the second half when Becchio headed over the top, following a Frazer Richardson cross. Beckford also fired wide after he was allowed a run on goal.
Ten minutes into the second period, United were forced into make a first change when White limped off, to be replaced by Jonny Howson.
The home side had started the second half brighter and Simon Hackney had a shot blocked on 56 minutes before Hughes made a good clearance when under pressure.
But the hosts were still lacking in ideas against a well-drilled Leeds side, and on 63 minutes Carlisle boss John Ward introduced former United striker Michael Bridges to proceedings.
But it was his other substitution Dobie who went close on 64 minutes when he headed wide of the mark after good work by Hackney.
When United threatened again it was another Richardson/Becchio combination that led to the striker heading wide of the mark on 70 minutes.
Carlisle continued to make Leeds work, though, and Danny Carlton headed over the top on 72 minutes.
United were still looking fairly comfortable, though, and when the home side won successive corners, Leeds got men behind the ball and defended well.
And, on the counter, Richardson almost doubled the advantage on 80 minutes when he rattled the bar with a dipping effort from distance.
But there was a scare for United on 82 minutes when a goal-bound Hackney shot took a deflection to divert it wide of the mark and away from an advancing Jennison Myrie-Williams.
With four minutes to go the game was sealed. Snodgrass broke down the right and Beckford time his run to perfection to smash home the cross from close range.
The goal sparked mass celebrations among the 2,500 travelling supporters and the first chants of "we're gonna win the league" were struck up as United eased through the final moments towards a third successive league victory.
