Yorkshire Evening Post 20/12/09
Leeds United v Southampton: Snodgrass sinks Saints
By Phil Hay
Leeds United 1 Southampton 0
Robert Snodgrass stretched Leeds United's advantage at the top of League One with a late winning goal against Southampton.
The Scot curled home a skillful finish in the 77th minutes to settle a fiercely-contested battle with Alan Pardew's team and keep United in control of their division.
The club's dalliance with stalemates look set to continue as Southampton fought to hold on for a goalless draw, a result which might have wiped away United's lead at the top of League One.
But Snodgrass earned Leeds a win their performance deserved, moving Simon Grayson's team onto an outstanding tally of 50 points in time for Christmas Day.United dropped two points at Brentford last Saturday, seven days after fighting out a 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town, but the Yorkshire club appear to have emerged from a period which their captain, Richard Naylor, described as "a sticky patch".
Leeds' defeat of Southampton strengthened their grasp on the top of League One, despite a run of two matches without a win, but an advantage over Charlton Athletic which stood at seven points at the start of the month threatened to disappear yesterday.
Charlton look set to beat Millwall and take full advantage of another opportunity when Snodgrass struck, and Charlton's afternoon worsened suddenly when Millwall snatched an equaliser at The Valley.
Of no less concern was the threat from third-placed Norwich City, who overcame Huddersfield Town and look capable of competing for automatic promotion, but that prize is well within Simon Grayson's grasp, despite the four points his side have spilled this month.
Southampton's recent resurgence promised an enthralling game at Elland Road, but the match was at times as cold as the weather and did not catch light properly until the second half. What chances there well fell to Leeds, whose display as a whole was organised and assured, and Snodgrass finally broke down the resilient defence constructed by Pardew.
The snow in Leeds leading up to the fixture was heavy enough to leave United's groundstaff clearing the pitch in the hour before kick-off, but the icy temperatures did nothing to discourage the club's support. Elland Road's attendance fell only 52 short of 26,000.
Having made nine changes to his team for Tuesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie with Accrington Stanley, Grayson's alterations were sweeping again, numbering seven and creating something approaching his strongest line-up. For the first time in 10 matches, Naylor and Patrick Kisnorbo were brought together at the centre of Grayson's defence.
Their inclusion was welcome against an in-form striker in Ricky Lambert who was looking for his 20th goal of the season and a veteran forward in David Connolly whose experience should have been as valuable. It was a rare occasion when the visiting threat seemed to equate to that posed by Leeds.
United it was who attempted to draw first blood, though, and they should have done so after five minutes when a clever pass from Jonathan Howson cut open Southampton's defence and sent Jermaine Beckford running towards Southampton's box.
The striker's pace left him one-on-one with goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski but, under pressure from Wayne Thomas, he failed to connect with the ball and stumbled over, appealing in vain to referee Nigel Miller for a penalty. Thomas, in truth, did not appear to have fouled him.
Beckford tested Bialkowski with a long-range shot a minute later, serving further notice of his presence, but the game was crying out for a spark in those early throes.
Michael Doyle almost provided it when his goalbound shot from outside the box hit Leigh Bromby as it flew at Bialkowski, and Naylor was fortunate to escape a booking when he slid through Lambert on the halfway line on 19 minutes. It was all the action Southampton's leading scorer had seen by then.
Luciano Becchio's free header from a Snodgrass corner was a more promising chance, but his finish dropped to the right of Bialkowski's goal and failed to trouble the keeper. Yet after a spell of cautious sparring, the game began to show signs of life as the half wore on.
Becchio threatened again when he spun Southampton centre-back Radhi Jaidi and drove a shot over the crossbar, and he should have scored when Snodgrass' cross fell perfectly for him on the edge of the six-yard box. Becchio's flicked header cleared Bialkowski's diving frame but also carried onto the roof of Southampton net.
Lambert, meanwhile, exposed his frustration with a shot from 30 yards which was never likely to stretch Casper Ankergren and didn't. At no point before half-time was he or Connolly able to disrupt the watertight partnership of Naylor and Kisnorbo.
Beckford almost made the breakthrough on 42 minutes when he scuffed a header inside the visitors' box but reacted first to hook the ball a foot over the bar, but the half drew to an end with a sliced attempt from Hammond which dribbled sadly away from Ankergren's goal, a fitting conclusion to 45 low-key minutes. Beckford could have provided a better one but mis-hit a volley from close range as Southampton defended a corner.
It took less than 30 seconds of the second half for Leeds to finally expose Bialkowski and twice threaten to open the scoring.
Howson was denied by a brilliant one-handed save after pouncing on a weak header from Chris Perry, and the keeper did well to turn away Neil Kilkenny's low cross as several of Grayson's players waited to turn the ball into the net.
The competitive atmosphere increased noticeably after that, and Kisnorbo and Lambert were both booked for a scuffle on the hour for which both players could have been dismissed. Miller, whose handling of the game left much to be desired, was happy to show leniency.
Howson went close again with a curling shot which flew beyond Bialkowski's left-hand post but the afternoon was then soured by Beckford's reaction to being substituted after 75 minutes, shaking hands petulantly with Grayson before walking immediately down the tunnel.
Beckford was berated by the crowd, who sang Grayson's name instinctively. Two minutes later, Snodgrass collected a pass from Andrew Hughes and curled a shot into the corner of Bialkowski's net, vindicating his manager's decision in an instant. A spirited late onslaught from Southampton could not change that.
Leeds United v Southampton: Snodgrass sinks Saints
By Phil Hay
Leeds United 1 Southampton 0
Robert Snodgrass stretched Leeds United's advantage at the top of League One with a late winning goal against Southampton.
The Scot curled home a skillful finish in the 77th minutes to settle a fiercely-contested battle with Alan Pardew's team and keep United in control of their division.
The club's dalliance with stalemates look set to continue as Southampton fought to hold on for a goalless draw, a result which might have wiped away United's lead at the top of League One.
But Snodgrass earned Leeds a win their performance deserved, moving Simon Grayson's team onto an outstanding tally of 50 points in time for Christmas Day.United dropped two points at Brentford last Saturday, seven days after fighting out a 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town, but the Yorkshire club appear to have emerged from a period which their captain, Richard Naylor, described as "a sticky patch".
Leeds' defeat of Southampton strengthened their grasp on the top of League One, despite a run of two matches without a win, but an advantage over Charlton Athletic which stood at seven points at the start of the month threatened to disappear yesterday.
Charlton look set to beat Millwall and take full advantage of another opportunity when Snodgrass struck, and Charlton's afternoon worsened suddenly when Millwall snatched an equaliser at The Valley.
Of no less concern was the threat from third-placed Norwich City, who overcame Huddersfield Town and look capable of competing for automatic promotion, but that prize is well within Simon Grayson's grasp, despite the four points his side have spilled this month.
Southampton's recent resurgence promised an enthralling game at Elland Road, but the match was at times as cold as the weather and did not catch light properly until the second half. What chances there well fell to Leeds, whose display as a whole was organised and assured, and Snodgrass finally broke down the resilient defence constructed by Pardew.
The snow in Leeds leading up to the fixture was heavy enough to leave United's groundstaff clearing the pitch in the hour before kick-off, but the icy temperatures did nothing to discourage the club's support. Elland Road's attendance fell only 52 short of 26,000.
Having made nine changes to his team for Tuesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie with Accrington Stanley, Grayson's alterations were sweeping again, numbering seven and creating something approaching his strongest line-up. For the first time in 10 matches, Naylor and Patrick Kisnorbo were brought together at the centre of Grayson's defence.
Their inclusion was welcome against an in-form striker in Ricky Lambert who was looking for his 20th goal of the season and a veteran forward in David Connolly whose experience should have been as valuable. It was a rare occasion when the visiting threat seemed to equate to that posed by Leeds.
United it was who attempted to draw first blood, though, and they should have done so after five minutes when a clever pass from Jonathan Howson cut open Southampton's defence and sent Jermaine Beckford running towards Southampton's box.
The striker's pace left him one-on-one with goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski but, under pressure from Wayne Thomas, he failed to connect with the ball and stumbled over, appealing in vain to referee Nigel Miller for a penalty. Thomas, in truth, did not appear to have fouled him.
Beckford tested Bialkowski with a long-range shot a minute later, serving further notice of his presence, but the game was crying out for a spark in those early throes.
Michael Doyle almost provided it when his goalbound shot from outside the box hit Leigh Bromby as it flew at Bialkowski, and Naylor was fortunate to escape a booking when he slid through Lambert on the halfway line on 19 minutes. It was all the action Southampton's leading scorer had seen by then.
Luciano Becchio's free header from a Snodgrass corner was a more promising chance, but his finish dropped to the right of Bialkowski's goal and failed to trouble the keeper. Yet after a spell of cautious sparring, the game began to show signs of life as the half wore on.
Becchio threatened again when he spun Southampton centre-back Radhi Jaidi and drove a shot over the crossbar, and he should have scored when Snodgrass' cross fell perfectly for him on the edge of the six-yard box. Becchio's flicked header cleared Bialkowski's diving frame but also carried onto the roof of Southampton net.
Lambert, meanwhile, exposed his frustration with a shot from 30 yards which was never likely to stretch Casper Ankergren and didn't. At no point before half-time was he or Connolly able to disrupt the watertight partnership of Naylor and Kisnorbo.
Beckford almost made the breakthrough on 42 minutes when he scuffed a header inside the visitors' box but reacted first to hook the ball a foot over the bar, but the half drew to an end with a sliced attempt from Hammond which dribbled sadly away from Ankergren's goal, a fitting conclusion to 45 low-key minutes. Beckford could have provided a better one but mis-hit a volley from close range as Southampton defended a corner.
It took less than 30 seconds of the second half for Leeds to finally expose Bialkowski and twice threaten to open the scoring.
Howson was denied by a brilliant one-handed save after pouncing on a weak header from Chris Perry, and the keeper did well to turn away Neil Kilkenny's low cross as several of Grayson's players waited to turn the ball into the net.
The competitive atmosphere increased noticeably after that, and Kisnorbo and Lambert were both booked for a scuffle on the hour for which both players could have been dismissed. Miller, whose handling of the game left much to be desired, was happy to show leniency.
Howson went close again with a curling shot which flew beyond Bialkowski's left-hand post but the afternoon was then soured by Beckford's reaction to being substituted after 75 minutes, shaking hands petulantly with Grayson before walking immediately down the tunnel.
Beckford was berated by the crowd, who sang Grayson's name instinctively. Two minutes later, Snodgrass collected a pass from Andrew Hughes and curled a shot into the corner of Bialkowski's net, vindicating his manager's decision in an instant. A spirited late onslaught from Southampton could not change that.