Leeds United 1 Bristol City 0: Cup run can fire Whites, insists Liam Bridcutt

Which is why, even allowing for tomorrow bringing a visit to Brentford in the Championship, next weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Bolton Wanderers has taken on such huge importance for Leeds.

Bow out of the competition and United might as well book the club’s earliest end-of-season party in living memory.

Knock the Trotters out, however, and chances are that Steve Evans’s side will either land a plum draw against a Premier League ‘giant’ in the fifth round or be handed a winnable tie to open up a possible route to the last eight and even, maybe, Wembley.

Liam Bridcutt, who during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion helped the south coast club to two famous upsets over Newcastle United, knows all about the positive impact an extended Cup run can have after being part of the Sunderland side that rallied to top-flight safety on the back of reaching the Capital One Cup final in 2014.

The on-loan midfielder believes progress in the FA Cup could work wonders for Leeds, and even possibly help propel Evans’s men up the table and towards the fringes of the race for the play-offs.

“A Cup run can change a season,” insisted the 26-year-old. “I witnessed that at Sunderland. When I first came in, we were close to relegation. But the team had some great performances in the (League) Cup, beating Manchester United to reach the final.

“I was Cup-tied but it was a brilliant day at Wembley. A great occasion. Afterwards, we took the confidence of the Cup into the league to stay up.”

Neil Lennon’s Wanderers earned the home date with Leeds, who will be backed by 6,800 fans next weekend, by seeing off non-League Eastleigh in a replay and Bridcutt insists taking on a club propping up the Championship will be a tough task.

But he added: “If we can perform and put our chances away, we can go further in the competition. Eastleigh would have been a lose-lose situation for us. If you go there and get beat, you will get slaughtered. But if you win, it was expected. That can be difficult.

“Bolton will be tough. But if we can win then it will give us the extra boost to do well in the rest of the season.

“Things can change quickly in the Championship. If we can be consistent and get results, I don’t see why we can’t get up the table.”

If United are to use the Cup –and this win over Bristol City – as a catalyst for a charge up the table then they will surely have to improve on what was an insipid attacking showing.

Not least in the first half, when head coach Evans admitted the dour fare had “reminded me of 45 minutes in the waiting room at the dentist”.

Such a verdict was harsh – on dentists, with Leeds being so painfully wretched that the fans’ chanted enquiry of ‘what the f****** hell was that?’ as the players trooped off at the interval seemed justified.

United offered nothing in attack, while the defence was no less convincing against a Bristol City side that had arrived at Elland Road with just two wins and nine goals to their name from 13 games on the road.

Neatly summing up the hosts’ troubles at the back was the 40th-minute incident that saw Giuseppe Bellusci’s reaction to being skinned for pace by Jonathan Kodija being a cynical attempt to trip the striker with the ball long gone.

The Italian, though, could not even manage that, as his attempted swipe at Kodija’s legs missed and it took a block from Marco Silvestri to avert the danger. Silvestri also kept out Ben Gladwin’s shot and an inswinging corner from Luke Freeman at his near post to ensure United went in on level terms at the break.

Evans’s response to his side’s toothless attacking efforts was to send on Chris Wood early in the second half and switch to a two-man attack. It was a much needed change and one that brought reward shortly before the hour courtesy of the game’s only goal.

An exchange of passes between Wood and Stuart Dallas created the initial danger for the Robins before the latter swung over a cross.

Wood then made a sufficient nuisance of himself to prevent the visitors from adequately clearing and the ball found Souleymane Doukara, who finished with aplomb into the corner of the net from 10 yards.

It proved to be the only on-target effort Leeds could muster all afternoon but, thanks to some woeful finishing from Aden Flint and Luke Ayling in the final 10 minutes, Doukara’s third strike in four games did prove to be enough to earn a welcome three points for the Yorkshire club.

Further good news should come today with the confirmation of Toumani Diagouraga’s capture from Brentford after the midfielder watched United’s 1-0 win from the West Stand.

Evans paid tribute to Leeds owner Massimo Cellino, adding: “On Thursday, I didn’t think we were going to get him. He had the choice of Glasgow Rangers and one good club in the Championship but the president said, ‘Is it important?’ I said ‘yes’ and, an hour later, he had done the deal.

“I can’t steal the president’s thunder, but when the financial figures (for 2014-15) come out shortly, people will see what he has done to this club is nothing short of remarkable.”