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Yorkshire Post 21/2/09
Howson grabs Leeds 2-0 victory at Cheltenham
By Chris Waters
TWO goals by midfielder Jonathan Howson earned Leeds United a 2-0 victory over bottom club Cheltenham.
Howson opened the scoring in the 54th minute when he headed home powerfully from 12 yards following a right-wing cross by Andrew Robinson.
And he doubled the advantage in the 65th minute when he fired home left-footed from 15 yards after latching on to a clever through-ball by Fabian Delph.
The victory was Leeds's fourth in succession at Elland Road and reignited their play-off hopes following successive defeats to Huddersfield and Hereford.
Howson's opener followed long periods of domination by Simon Grayson's men, who did everything but score during the opening 45 minutes.
Jonathan Douglas, who returned to the team after a one-match ban, headed against the woodwork in the 26th minute, while Robinson - who enjoyed a splendid game in midfield - struck the post just before the interval following a bout of pinball in the visitors' area.
Leeds carved out the first opportunity of the game on 10 minutes when Howson latched on to a clever through ball by Douglas only to draw a smart stop by goalkeeper Scott Brown.
Moments later, Robert Snodgrass had a header cleared off the line after the visitors allowed him too much space following a Robinson corner.
Leeds had much the better of the early possession but also lacked that little bit of luck in front of goal, epitomised by Douglas and Robinson finding the woodwork.
There were further chances before the break when Howson drew a smart stop by Brown from 15 yards and then Robinson shot fractionally wide from a 20-yard free-kick.
Cheltenham had only two notable attempts during the opening period, Michail Antonio firing a 20-yard shot just wide and then Lloyd Owusu having a close-range attempt blocked by goalkeeper Casper Ankergren.
Leeds looked comfortable once they had opened the scoring, although they did have a scare in the 62nd minute when Nicholas Bignall had a close-range header disallowed for offside.
Otherwise, the home team's movement going forward was too much for a Cheltenham team who have now gone 12 games without a win in all competitions.

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