Leon Wobschall: Leeds United need snookers while Huddersfield Town should not waste their second opportunity

Football is full of surprises and while Leeds have plenty of in-house business to attend to at home to Norwich City on Saturday if they are to revive their Championship play-off quest, supporters will also be keeping a watchful eye on events at Craven Cottage where they will be desperate that Brentford can do them a humongous favour by surprising derby rivals Fulham to help resuscitate United’s top-six pitch.

It is plainly not the time of be stuck at the baulk end needing a few snookers, with Leeds requiring a couple of escapes at least if they are to extend their season beyond May 7.

But the cue is not quite on the rack yet. Only just.

The pain of Saturday’s crushing events when Leeds’s season fell flat in the brewing town of Burton will linger this week for Leeds fans. But it will ease ever so slightly ahead of the build-up to the weekend.

Events at Elland Road will be talked up, as will the blind hope that Leeds just may somehow find a reprieve.

Stranger things have happened and all that...It didn’t look good when Max Gradel got sent off and Darryl Duffy put Bristol Rovers in front on May 8, 2010, did it?

Pressure will be thrown Fulham’s way at the end of the week. It’s theirs to lose and all that. You try anything.

But the realists will also know that the overwhelming priority for Leeds, who have been running on the equivalent of petrol fumes for the past few games, is rediscovering their conviction to win, which they seem to have lost of late. Quite how, who knows..

For Huddersfield Town, the deflation - and yes, shock - following weekend events against Fulham at the John Smith’s Stadium will be tempered by the fact that Tuesday’s game at Molineux brings an immediate opportunity to administer an Elastoplast and seal that cherished play-off place at the second time of asking.

Interspersed with some outstanding results this season, Town have thrown in a few rotten ones. But when they have been knocked down this term, they have got up again. In the main.

Think of the wins of character against Aston Villa and Norwich City after key defeats to Newcastle United and Burton Albion.

Town have previous in this regard and a positive result at Wolves to seal their top-six place can make their final couple of games of a remarkable campaign a whole load easier - and assist in the preparation for the new play-off ‘season’.

Finishing the job at Molineux would avoid a potentially rough afternoon down the road at St Andrews on Saturday against a desperate Birmingham City side. Desperation does funny things - remember the Blues’ miraculous last-day escape at Doncaster Rovers’ expense in 2013-14.

Town’s recent record against the division’s toilers is not particularly earth-shattering, either.

Better to nail that top-six place on Tuesday against a mid-table Wolves side, surely.