Leeds United 2 Yeovil 0: McCormack at the double for Whites
YEP 2/11/13ROSS McCORMACK netted twice to ensure Leeds United maintained their 100 per cent record when facing Yeovil Town on home soil.
The Scottish international struck on 48 and 67 minutes as the Elland Road club bounced back from last week’s derby defeat against Huddersfield Town.
In truth, the game was far from a classic - especially in the first half, when decent passages of play were at a premium.
But, come the final whistle, few in the 25,351 crowd cared as United returned to winning ways on an afternoon when United legend Norman Hunter was honoured in the week of his 70th birthday.
McCormack’s double means Yeovil have lost on all four of their visits to Elland Road, conceding 11 goals in the process and yet to get on the scoresheet themselves.
The first half had started at a decent tempo but after Matt Smith had missed a gilt-edged chance on 20 minutes it gradually descended into a scrappy affair with too many misplaced passes and poor options being taken by both teams.
Had Smith scored rather than managed a fresh air shot when trying to force Rodolph Austin’s cross over the line then things may have been very different. Ditto Alex Mowatt curling hit shot inches wide after being picked out by Lee Peltier moments later.
Instead, it was Yeovil who perhaps enjoyed the better of things the longer the half wore on with only the quick intervention of Jason Pearce preventing what would surely have been a certain goal as Kevin Dawson prepared to pounce on a Sam Hoskins cross.
With Stephen Warnock being forced off through injury just before the break - which led to Marius Zaliukas coming off the bench and Pearce moving to the unfamiliar role of left wing-back - the interval proved timely.
That’s because just 128 seconds after the restart, United went ahead through McCormack.
A powerful run by Austin created the opening for the Scot, who after collecting the ball ten yards out unleashed a powerful shot that Yeovil goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey could not keep out.
Austin then had a couple of efforts of his own - one deflected over, the other fired horribly wide - before Yeovil underlined that Leeds still had plenty to do if the points were to be theirs.
First, Hoskins put Dawson away only for Tom Lees to brilliantly block as the Glovers midfielder prepared to shoot.
Then, after the home side had conceded a needless free-kick wide on their own left flank, Jamie McAllister swung over a cross that a back-pedalling Paddy Kenny had to tip over the crossbar.
Nerves were settled, however, midway through the second half when the same combination that had created the opener combined to double United’s advantage as Austin again slid McCormack through.
As Hennessey then raced from the his line, the Leeds striker simply rolled the ball past the Town goalkeeper and into the net.