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Richard Sutcliffe: Why play-off dreams can be shattered in front of the home fans
WHEN asked last week who his Leeds United side might face in the play-off semi-finals, Simon Grayson said he had no preference.
It was an identical response when the United manager was pressed further on how important it was to play the second leg at their Elland Road home.
Grayson's answer to the first question was understandable with his Leeds side being in such good form that they will go into next month's promotion deciders confident of beating anyone to book a second trip to Wembley in a year.
When it comes to the second point, however, it was difficult to dismiss the notion that the 39-year-old was being slightly economical with the truth just in case United are unable to secure either third or fourth place come tea-time on May 2.
Certainly, a glance at recent history suggests that being at home first in the two-legged semi-finals puts a team at a distinct disadvantage.
Last season, for example, only one of the six clubs who played at home first in the Championship, League One and League Two play-offs went into the second leg ahead.
Leeds were among the three sides actually beaten on home soil with Carlisle United winning 2-1 at Elland Road on a night when the home players badly under-performed.
United did, of course, manage to turn the tie round at Brunton Park to reach Wembley but the same cannot be said about the other two sides beaten in front of their own fans in the first leg with Crystal Palace going on to lose 4-1 on aggregate to Bristol City and Watford being thumped 6-1 by Hull City.
Elsewhere, Southend United were made to pay for only drawing 0-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers in the first leg with Sean O'Driscoll's men romping to a 5-1 victory in the return, while Wycombe's 1-1 draw at Adams Park against Stockport County was followed by a 1-0 win at Edgeley Park for the home side.
In 2006-07, it was a similar tale with only one team winning at home in the first leg (Bristol Rovers' 2-1 triumph over Lincoln helping them to an overall 6-3 win) and no less than four others crashing to defeat.
It was an even more miserable story the previous season with not one of the host sides – which, again, included Leeds – triumphing in the six first legs across all three divisions.
Why this should be so is a mystery with all the teams in question across all three seasons having boasted impressive home records during the regular campaign. Maybe nerves got the better of a few players due to what was at stake, or maybe it was just a reflection that the teams who finished higher were better equipped to cope with the pressure and expectation.
Either way, it seems Leeds's promotion hopes, and the dream of playing in the Championship again, would be significantly boosted by a third or fourth place finish to ensure the all-important second leg takes place in front of a packed Elland Road.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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