Leeds United skipper reveals post-match Patrick Bamford pep talk after penalty miss in Newcastle draw - YEP 14/5/23

Leeds United defender and vice-captain Luke Ayling spoke with Patrick Bamford after the full-time whistle in the Whites’ 2-2 draw with Newcastle at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

By Joe Donnohue

Standing in for the injured Liam Cooper – who may return this coming weekend versus West Ham United – Ayling urged Leeds’ No. 9 to put the disappointment of his spot-kick behind him and instead to focus on scoring the goals that will keep the Whites in the division.

Leeds have two games remaining this season and will need to take several points in order to stand a chance of playing Premier League football again in 2023/24. First up is the visit to the London Stadium, before Sam Allardyce’s side host Tottenham Hotspur on what will be a nerve-racking final day on Sunday, May 28.

Bamford has come in for criticism lately, having missed a number of chances fans deemed gilt-edged in recent weeks. His effort against Leicester City in the dying embers of the game left Elland Road with heads in hands, while on Saturday, the 29-year-old had the opportunity to put Leeds 2-0 up from the penalty spot.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope denied the Leeds man with a smart stop, diving to his right, before Callum Wilson dispatched a spot-kick of his own at the other end three minutes later.

Speaking to broadcaster BT Sport on the pitch at full-time, Ayling said: “Of course, it’s special for me to make my 250th appearance [for the club]. I think a point today is massive for us.

"We go ahead, get a penalty, should go 2-0 up but we fall behind 2-1 and in weeks before we probably lose that four or five-one. We stick in there and grind it out which could be a huge point.

On the sequence of events which saw Leeds miss a penalty, then concede one within the space of a couple of minutes, stand-in captain Ayling said: "Sums up our season in two minutes, we had a chance to go 2-0 up and then that happens. I said to Pat at the end there, ‘you’ve got to forget that’.

"The fans roared us on right ‘til the end. They’ve been with us all season, I know it’s been hard for them sometimes, they voice their opinions which they’re allowed rightly to do but they stuck with us today and all stayed behind to clap us off. They’re going to be massive for us next two games.”