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Richard Sutcliffe: Hope still remains for Leeds to avoid play-off lottery
AS the Leeds United fans made their way towards the Elland Road exits on Tuesday night, the other League One results were dominating thoughts.
Simon Grayson's side had just dismissed Yeovil Town with embarrassing ease and the hope was that the three points would be enough to propel Leeds up the table.
A place in the top six was already assured due to the meeting with the Glovers being United's game in hand on an Oldham Athletic side who had started the day just two points ahead in the table.
But if the other results – and particularly the Peterborough United v Scunthorpe United game – had gone in Leeds' favour then they would be up to fifth and that bit closer to the automatic promotion places.
The half-time news from London Road had been encouraging with the home side being behind so hopes were high that United would, courtesy of their 4-0 demolition of Yeovil, have put more pressure on the sides above them.
Unfortunately for the 18,000 or so fans making their way out of Elland Road, the news from the concourse televisions was not all positive with the joy of Huddersfield Town's late equaliser at MK Dons being tempered by Peterborough having hit back to claim all three points with an 86th-minute winner.
It meant United were still 10 points adrift of second place, albeit with a game in hand on Darren Ferguson's side, and more than a few mutterings of 'looks like those damn play-offs again' could be heard as the fans filed out into a cold Leeds night.
The dread of being cast into the end-of-season lottery for a third time in four years was understandable with United fans having suffered crushing disappointment in both the 2006 and 2008 finals.
But is a place in the top six all that those supporters can hope for?
With 30 points still to play for, making up a ten-point deficit is a tall order – especially as Peterborough have claimed more points (32) since Christmas than any other team in League One.
In the same period, for instance, Leeds have claimed 27 from two less games than the 16 played by Posh with leaders Leicester City bagging 31 and Colchester United 28 from 15 games apiece.
However, as difficult a task as it seems, Grayson and his men can seek solace from just 12 months ago when Nottingham Forest recovered from an even worse position during the run-in to claim automatic promotion on the final day.
With 10 games to go, Forest trailed second-placed Doncaster by nine points and the race for who would join runaway leaders Swansea in the 2008-09 Championship seemed to be between Rovers and Carlisle United. That seemed to be even more the case by the start of April when just seven games remained with Carlisle being on 74 points, Doncaster 72 and Forest trailing on 63.
A haul of 19 points from a possible 21 changed all that, however, and it was the East Midlands club who went up with the Swans to offer hope to Leeds as they prepare to kick off their run towards the finishing line at home to struggling Swindon Town tomorrow.
United, for their part, have been clicking into gear in recent weeks with the win over Yeovil taking their points haul since last month's defeat at Hereford United to 11 from five games.
That woeful performance at Edgar Street proved to be a turning point with coach Glynn Snodin hitting the players with a few home truths in the dressing room.
The former Leeds midfielder had been back at Elland Road for a couple of weeks after joining Ian Miller on Grayson's staff and his time had been spent largely as a watching brief.
However, after the abject manner of United's display at Hereford, Snodin – a popular figure with the fans during his playing career at Elland Road – stepped forward to remind the players in a calm and measured manner just what it should mean to represent the club.
His words seem to have struck a chord and in a division that, at best, can be described as 'average' that night at Hereford could yet prove to be the moment when Leeds' season was transformed.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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