Yorkshire Evening Post 21/10/08
Whites victory quells doubters
Leeds United 2 Leyton Orient 1
Jermaine Beckford missed a penalty and a clean sheet was conspicuous by its absence but the scoreline at Elland Road last night was also the bottom line.
The complete story of Leeds United's victory over Leyton Orient was identical to the story of their season – not without flaws but satisfactory nonetheless – and it dulled the worried rumblings caused by their defeat at Millwall over the weekend.
On a soaking night in West Yorkshire against a club with genuine problems, Gary McAllister and his players could not have asked for more.
United's staff were well aware that searching questions were being asked of their squad after Saturday's game in London.
Most concerned a defence which was breached again last night, an important issue that McAllister would prefer to resolve as soon as possible, but others seemed to imply that losses to Millwall and Peterborough United in the past month cast doubt on Leeds' aspirations for automatic promotion.
McAllister and his players are entitled to feel insulted by that innuendo, but they also know that it exists.
Such is the attention on their club that every poor result is liable to incite a degree of disharmony and ammunition for the snipers, and while McAllister can stem that tide by requesting patience, consistency is his team's greatest weapon against cutting scepticism.
It is a measure of the expectation at Elland Road that McAllister could sense anxiety in the stadium last night, regardless of the fact that United's victory over Orient was their sixth in succession on home soil.
That statistic was overlooked after their game at Millwall, where Leeds were bullied into submission by a focused and physical team, and the tangible increase of pressure before yesterday's fixture was evidence of the elevated standards at Elland Road this season.
McAllister cannot claim that his side are perfect but, with seven wins from 12 league games, they are not so far off either.
On a different night, Leeds would have beaten Orient by a much greater margin, and Beckford's missed penalty was the tip of a personal iceberg, one which steadfastly refused to clear a way to goal for the unlucky striker.
But the cheap nature of the opening goal conceded by Leeds on 36 minutes left McAllister scratching his head, but United displayed backbone in a situation which might have become nasty.
The majority of supporters on the terraces last night understood that Leeds have made good progress this season.
Few, however, could have been expected to remain impassive in the face of a defeat to a club in Orient's lowly position. Orient's form was as far removed from Millwall's as it was possible to be – theirs carrying the scent of an impending flirt with relegation while their London colleagues mix inside the top six – and last night's attendance of 18,990, though respectable by League One's standards, was perhaps a product of a fixture which had a low-key look on paper.
The actual match proved compelling in parts, and its first act was Beckford's penalty which bore a striking resemblance to that missed by Tresor Kandol against the same club at Elland Road last season, albeit at the opposite end of the field.
Colin Webster penalised JJ Melligan for blocking a 10th-minute cross from left-back Ben Parker with his arm.
It was a decision that seemed at first to overlook the close proximity of the two players but which was ultimately supported by video replays.
Beckford lined up Glenn Morris, Orient's goalkeeper, but lost his footing as he reached the penalty spot, slicing the ball into the South Stand behind Morris goal.
Hidden in his dug-out, McAllister's reaction was indiscernible.
A goal from Beckford so early in the game would have played on Orient's fragile confidence.
But although United's penalty was the best chance for either side to draw blood in the opening half-hour, Leeds could not have claimed that bulk of the first half belonged to them.
The 2-1 advantage they held at the interval was down to a certain amount of jail-breaking.
The visitors found that, with players committed to their attacks, gaps in McAllister's defence were waiting to be exploited, and there were several occasions when a decisive final touch would have given Martin Ling's team the lead.
Melligan failed to connect with a cross from Aiden Palmer four yards from goal, a delivery which Parker failed to anticipate, and Paul Terry met an inviting rebound from an Orient corner with a wayward strike over the crossbar.
Without a defender near him, Terry's finish was a waste.
David Lucas dealt with far greater danger in the 29th minute when he spread himself in front of Dean Morgan and blocked a point-blank opportunity that had Elland Road holding its breath, but the fortunate escape was exactly that.
Seven minutes later, United's defence gave in to Orient's pressure.
Paul Telfer, who regained his place at centre-back after overcoming a groin strain, refused the chance to clear a bouncing ball into the crowd and saw Morgan snatch possession before dribbling away from Parker and curling a low shot around Lucas with beautiful accuracy.
Without a timely block from Frazer Richardson 60 seconds later, chesting away a Terry volley that would have given Lucas serious problems, Orient's lead might have doubled, but Leeds heeded the seriousness of their position.
The ricochet off Richardson ran out to Douglas, whose searching pass found Beckford in space on the right wing.
Becchio was first to the striker's cross and applied a touch with his chest which tempted Stephen Purches to stab the ball over his own keeper and into the net off the crossbar.
Orient's organisation suffered in those moments and it was the turn of their defence to go missing when Becchio scored United's second goal in first-half injury-time.
Jonathan Howson worked the ball to Richardson whose delivery was dispatched with a firm header from Becchio. Unmarked and unimpeded, his strike was a simple end to a half which had been far more complicated.
The second half had the potential to be comparatively comfortable, not least when Parker and Howson combined to lay on an early chance that Beckford volleyed spectacularly against the bar.
Beckford's night of almost comical frustration continued in the 49th minute when he side-footed a knockdown from Jonathan Douglas wide from a position where he seemed certain to score. Orient's goal would not bow to him, and Morris' brilliant save palmed another Beckford shot behind with 17 minutes to play.
A 90th-minute shot from the forward at the end of a lethal counter attack also struck the post but McAllister's leading scorer would not have traded a United victory for another notch on his own belt.
Orient substitute Ryan Jarvis rattled Leeds twice in the final 10 minutes, given a sight of Lucas by a ball-watching defence, but the demand of United was to address as a team the doubts raised by their defeat at Millwall.
The answer last night came loudly enough.
Whites victory quells doubters
Leeds United 2 Leyton Orient 1
Jermaine Beckford missed a penalty and a clean sheet was conspicuous by its absence but the scoreline at Elland Road last night was also the bottom line.
The complete story of Leeds United's victory over Leyton Orient was identical to the story of their season – not without flaws but satisfactory nonetheless – and it dulled the worried rumblings caused by their defeat at Millwall over the weekend.
On a soaking night in West Yorkshire against a club with genuine problems, Gary McAllister and his players could not have asked for more.
United's staff were well aware that searching questions were being asked of their squad after Saturday's game in London.
Most concerned a defence which was breached again last night, an important issue that McAllister would prefer to resolve as soon as possible, but others seemed to imply that losses to Millwall and Peterborough United in the past month cast doubt on Leeds' aspirations for automatic promotion.
McAllister and his players are entitled to feel insulted by that innuendo, but they also know that it exists.
Such is the attention on their club that every poor result is liable to incite a degree of disharmony and ammunition for the snipers, and while McAllister can stem that tide by requesting patience, consistency is his team's greatest weapon against cutting scepticism.
It is a measure of the expectation at Elland Road that McAllister could sense anxiety in the stadium last night, regardless of the fact that United's victory over Orient was their sixth in succession on home soil.
That statistic was overlooked after their game at Millwall, where Leeds were bullied into submission by a focused and physical team, and the tangible increase of pressure before yesterday's fixture was evidence of the elevated standards at Elland Road this season.
McAllister cannot claim that his side are perfect but, with seven wins from 12 league games, they are not so far off either.
On a different night, Leeds would have beaten Orient by a much greater margin, and Beckford's missed penalty was the tip of a personal iceberg, one which steadfastly refused to clear a way to goal for the unlucky striker.
But the cheap nature of the opening goal conceded by Leeds on 36 minutes left McAllister scratching his head, but United displayed backbone in a situation which might have become nasty.
The majority of supporters on the terraces last night understood that Leeds have made good progress this season.
Few, however, could have been expected to remain impassive in the face of a defeat to a club in Orient's lowly position. Orient's form was as far removed from Millwall's as it was possible to be – theirs carrying the scent of an impending flirt with relegation while their London colleagues mix inside the top six – and last night's attendance of 18,990, though respectable by League One's standards, was perhaps a product of a fixture which had a low-key look on paper.
The actual match proved compelling in parts, and its first act was Beckford's penalty which bore a striking resemblance to that missed by Tresor Kandol against the same club at Elland Road last season, albeit at the opposite end of the field.
Colin Webster penalised JJ Melligan for blocking a 10th-minute cross from left-back Ben Parker with his arm.
It was a decision that seemed at first to overlook the close proximity of the two players but which was ultimately supported by video replays.
Beckford lined up Glenn Morris, Orient's goalkeeper, but lost his footing as he reached the penalty spot, slicing the ball into the South Stand behind Morris goal.
Hidden in his dug-out, McAllister's reaction was indiscernible.
A goal from Beckford so early in the game would have played on Orient's fragile confidence.
But although United's penalty was the best chance for either side to draw blood in the opening half-hour, Leeds could not have claimed that bulk of the first half belonged to them.
The 2-1 advantage they held at the interval was down to a certain amount of jail-breaking.
The visitors found that, with players committed to their attacks, gaps in McAllister's defence were waiting to be exploited, and there were several occasions when a decisive final touch would have given Martin Ling's team the lead.
Melligan failed to connect with a cross from Aiden Palmer four yards from goal, a delivery which Parker failed to anticipate, and Paul Terry met an inviting rebound from an Orient corner with a wayward strike over the crossbar.
Without a defender near him, Terry's finish was a waste.
David Lucas dealt with far greater danger in the 29th minute when he spread himself in front of Dean Morgan and blocked a point-blank opportunity that had Elland Road holding its breath, but the fortunate escape was exactly that.
Seven minutes later, United's defence gave in to Orient's pressure.
Paul Telfer, who regained his place at centre-back after overcoming a groin strain, refused the chance to clear a bouncing ball into the crowd and saw Morgan snatch possession before dribbling away from Parker and curling a low shot around Lucas with beautiful accuracy.
Without a timely block from Frazer Richardson 60 seconds later, chesting away a Terry volley that would have given Lucas serious problems, Orient's lead might have doubled, but Leeds heeded the seriousness of their position.
The ricochet off Richardson ran out to Douglas, whose searching pass found Beckford in space on the right wing.
Becchio was first to the striker's cross and applied a touch with his chest which tempted Stephen Purches to stab the ball over his own keeper and into the net off the crossbar.
Orient's organisation suffered in those moments and it was the turn of their defence to go missing when Becchio scored United's second goal in first-half injury-time.
Jonathan Howson worked the ball to Richardson whose delivery was dispatched with a firm header from Becchio. Unmarked and unimpeded, his strike was a simple end to a half which had been far more complicated.
The second half had the potential to be comparatively comfortable, not least when Parker and Howson combined to lay on an early chance that Beckford volleyed spectacularly against the bar.
Beckford's night of almost comical frustration continued in the 49th minute when he side-footed a knockdown from Jonathan Douglas wide from a position where he seemed certain to score. Orient's goal would not bow to him, and Morris' brilliant save palmed another Beckford shot behind with 17 minutes to play.
A 90th-minute shot from the forward at the end of a lethal counter attack also struck the post but McAllister's leading scorer would not have traded a United victory for another notch on his own belt.
Orient substitute Ryan Jarvis rattled Leeds twice in the final 10 minutes, given a sight of Lucas by a ball-watching defence, but the demand of United was to address as a team the doubts raised by their defeat at Millwall.
The answer last night came loudly enough.
