Post by Taxigirl on Dec 12, 2005 10:03:59 GMT
www.leedsunited.com/report
Venue
Elland Road
Kick-Off Time
10 December 2005 3:00pm
Attendance
20,597
Pre-Match
Kevin Blackwell made just the one change from the side that beat Leicester City the previous week, and as expected it was Simon Walton who made way.
Walton can count himself unfortunate to miss out after coming into the side last week for his first appearance of the season and putting in a man of the match performance. Blackwell though elected to go with experience and Sean Gregan came into the side after his one match ban.
The squad is beginning to have a familiarity about it with Blackwell concentrating on a core group of 17 players.
The Match
Peter Ridsdale made his long anticipated return to Elland Road and of course the fans let him know in no uncertain terms what they thought about his reign of financial mismanagement at the club.
The odd chorus of jibes against him broke out but with United making headlines on the pitch again, their attention was soon focused on the game.
United had their first opportunity to have a shot on goal after three minutes when Robbie Blake won free-kick after being blocked off by Willie Boland.
Blake took the free-kick but the accuracy he has been showing from set-pieces recently went missing as he put the shot into the wall.
Cardiff had an early chance of their own when a Jason Koumas cross into the penalty area was met on the volley by Joe Ledley but Sullivan got behind the shot well and made a comfortable save.
The first 20 minutes or so though were in truth mostly played in United's half as the visitors made it clear they were not ready to happily oblige with Leeds ambitions of getting their fifth win in a row.
Indeed Cardiff came closest to taking the lead from a corner that was anything but well defended by Leeds.
Koumas swung the ball low into the six-yard box and Loovens met it but somehow managed to steer the ball downwards and it bounced onto the cross bar and went behind.
Sean Gregan picked up his seventh yellow card of the season after half an hour when he brought Koumas's surging run to an end five yards short of the penalty area. The Welsh international lined up the free-kickhimself and scored a magnificent goal.
He curled his shot around the United six man wall with by putting a Brazilian-like bend on the free-kick and Sullivan was beaten by the pace of the ball.
In truth, the visitors had deserved the lead and it was now down to Leeds to respond.
They struggled through the rest of the half though, they had no more chances on goal and Rob Hulse continued to get himself caught offside. It was turning into a frustrating afternoon for the Whites.
Robbie Blake was booked in the last minute of normal time when he reacted to a rough challenge on him by Jeff Whitley. The striker could not believe referee Graham Salisbury found him to be the guilty party.
Leeds came out in the second half determined they were not going to let their winning run slip away from them so easily, and immediately they set about attacking the Cardiff goal.
Blake was the first to show, he flicked a cross from Harding up in the air to beat his man but found himself tumbling to the deck inside the penalty area after getting sandwiched between Whitley and Cox. They've been given for less but no penalty was the predictable decision from the referee.
There were ironic cheers for the ref when he finally did give Blake a decision over a free-kick, but Leeds wasted it.
Cardiff appeared to be taunting Leeds at time by playing keep ball amongst themselves, and United's frustration contunued to grow.
Leeds were forced into a change after 56 minutes with Dan Harding having injured himself in a tackle. Danny Pugh came on for the left-back.
A break from Rob Hulse woke the Elland Road crowd up but Leeds were still unable to come close to a goal.
They had another chance from a free-kick on 65 minutes after Lewis was brought down by Kevin Cooper in a challenge that earned the former Wolves man a yellow card.
Blake took the free-kick but again there was something lacking as the ball beat the wall but was comfortable for the keeper.
Then Hulse went for a spectacular overhead kick but couldn't get a connection on Healy's cross. Leeds were at least offering hope that they would at some point get back in the game.
Liam Miller became the third United man in the book for dissent after a free-kick went against Leeds, and it prompted another change from the Whites with Jonathan Douglas replacing Sean Gregan.
Blackwell's final throw of the dice saw Robbie Blake depart and Ian Moore come on. The striker's first touch saw him win a corner.
Moore was lively, he hit a low drive from 18-yards out to force the underworked Cardiff keeper into a good save, but still Neil Alexander was a virtual bystander in the game. Alexander's only real input into the game came in the final two minutes when he picked up a booking for time wasting.
David Healy has been United's matchwinner of late, able to pluck a goal out of nowhere, but even he was having a bad day, firing one of his rare chances well over the top.
Rob Hulse could have snatched a late equaliser right at the start of four minutes of injury time but his header onto a Lewis free-kick went over from about five yards out.
Lewis too had a late chance when he met a cross from Healy, but his header was straight into the hands of the keeper and the groans from the crowd that accompanied the chance told their own story.
When the full time whistle went a chorus of boos rang out and a certain somebody inside the directors box may have afforded himself a smile.
The online vote
21% Liam Miller
16% Simon Walton
13% Sean Gregan
9% Matthew Kilgallon
8% David Healy
7% Rob Hulse
4% Ian Bennett
4% Neil Sullivan
3% Daniel Harding
3% Eddie Lewis
3% Gary Kelly
3% Ian Moore
2% Robbie Blake
1% Paul Butler
1% Danny Pugh
0% Jonathan Douglas
Venue
Elland Road
Kick-Off Time
10 December 2005 3:00pm
Attendance
20,597
Pre-Match
Kevin Blackwell made just the one change from the side that beat Leicester City the previous week, and as expected it was Simon Walton who made way.
Walton can count himself unfortunate to miss out after coming into the side last week for his first appearance of the season and putting in a man of the match performance. Blackwell though elected to go with experience and Sean Gregan came into the side after his one match ban.
The squad is beginning to have a familiarity about it with Blackwell concentrating on a core group of 17 players.
The Match
Peter Ridsdale made his long anticipated return to Elland Road and of course the fans let him know in no uncertain terms what they thought about his reign of financial mismanagement at the club.
The odd chorus of jibes against him broke out but with United making headlines on the pitch again, their attention was soon focused on the game.
United had their first opportunity to have a shot on goal after three minutes when Robbie Blake won free-kick after being blocked off by Willie Boland.
Blake took the free-kick but the accuracy he has been showing from set-pieces recently went missing as he put the shot into the wall.
Cardiff had an early chance of their own when a Jason Koumas cross into the penalty area was met on the volley by Joe Ledley but Sullivan got behind the shot well and made a comfortable save.
The first 20 minutes or so though were in truth mostly played in United's half as the visitors made it clear they were not ready to happily oblige with Leeds ambitions of getting their fifth win in a row.
Indeed Cardiff came closest to taking the lead from a corner that was anything but well defended by Leeds.
Koumas swung the ball low into the six-yard box and Loovens met it but somehow managed to steer the ball downwards and it bounced onto the cross bar and went behind.
Sean Gregan picked up his seventh yellow card of the season after half an hour when he brought Koumas's surging run to an end five yards short of the penalty area. The Welsh international lined up the free-kickhimself and scored a magnificent goal.
He curled his shot around the United six man wall with by putting a Brazilian-like bend on the free-kick and Sullivan was beaten by the pace of the ball.
In truth, the visitors had deserved the lead and it was now down to Leeds to respond.
They struggled through the rest of the half though, they had no more chances on goal and Rob Hulse continued to get himself caught offside. It was turning into a frustrating afternoon for the Whites.
Robbie Blake was booked in the last minute of normal time when he reacted to a rough challenge on him by Jeff Whitley. The striker could not believe referee Graham Salisbury found him to be the guilty party.
Leeds came out in the second half determined they were not going to let their winning run slip away from them so easily, and immediately they set about attacking the Cardiff goal.
Blake was the first to show, he flicked a cross from Harding up in the air to beat his man but found himself tumbling to the deck inside the penalty area after getting sandwiched between Whitley and Cox. They've been given for less but no penalty was the predictable decision from the referee.
There were ironic cheers for the ref when he finally did give Blake a decision over a free-kick, but Leeds wasted it.
Cardiff appeared to be taunting Leeds at time by playing keep ball amongst themselves, and United's frustration contunued to grow.
Leeds were forced into a change after 56 minutes with Dan Harding having injured himself in a tackle. Danny Pugh came on for the left-back.
A break from Rob Hulse woke the Elland Road crowd up but Leeds were still unable to come close to a goal.
They had another chance from a free-kick on 65 minutes after Lewis was brought down by Kevin Cooper in a challenge that earned the former Wolves man a yellow card.
Blake took the free-kick but again there was something lacking as the ball beat the wall but was comfortable for the keeper.
Then Hulse went for a spectacular overhead kick but couldn't get a connection on Healy's cross. Leeds were at least offering hope that they would at some point get back in the game.
Liam Miller became the third United man in the book for dissent after a free-kick went against Leeds, and it prompted another change from the Whites with Jonathan Douglas replacing Sean Gregan.
Blackwell's final throw of the dice saw Robbie Blake depart and Ian Moore come on. The striker's first touch saw him win a corner.
Moore was lively, he hit a low drive from 18-yards out to force the underworked Cardiff keeper into a good save, but still Neil Alexander was a virtual bystander in the game. Alexander's only real input into the game came in the final two minutes when he picked up a booking for time wasting.
David Healy has been United's matchwinner of late, able to pluck a goal out of nowhere, but even he was having a bad day, firing one of his rare chances well over the top.
Rob Hulse could have snatched a late equaliser right at the start of four minutes of injury time but his header onto a Lewis free-kick went over from about five yards out.
Lewis too had a late chance when he met a cross from Healy, but his header was straight into the hands of the keeper and the groans from the crowd that accompanied the chance told their own story.
When the full time whistle went a chorus of boos rang out and a certain somebody inside the directors box may have afforded himself a smile.
The online vote
21% Liam Miller
16% Simon Walton
13% Sean Gregan
9% Matthew Kilgallon
8% David Healy
7% Rob Hulse
4% Ian Bennett
4% Neil Sullivan
3% Daniel Harding
3% Eddie Lewis
3% Gary Kelly
3% Ian Moore
2% Robbie Blake
1% Paul Butler
1% Danny Pugh
0% Jonathan Douglas