Bristol City 0 Leeds United 3: Redfearn ensures heat is taken off Leeds ahead of comfortable victory in the snow

A DAY that began with Leeds United’s players anxiously waiting for news of a pitch inspection as snow fell on the West Country ended in a mass snowball fight back at the club’s training ground.

If ever there was an illustration the impact just one result can have on a football club, this was it.

As excited shouts filled the night air at a frozen Thorp Arch and a smiling Luciano Becchio led a counter-attack against the team-mates who had gleefully pelted the striker with a barrage of snowballs moments earlier, caretaker manager Neil Redfearn was able to reflect on a job well done.

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Certainly, his first game in temporary charge of United had gone better than even the one-time talismanic midfielder who led Barnsley into the Premier League could surely have hoped ahead of kick-off.

A resounding win against a Bristol City side beaten just once at home in three months had been pleasing enough.

But, as the impromptu snowball session shortly before 11pm on Saturday underlined, a smile had been put back on the face of the club.

Whether that feelgood factor will last remains to be seen, of course.

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The protests against chairman Ken Bates that were stepped up in the wake of captain Jonny Howson being sold show no sign of abating any time soon.

In fact, the plan is to step them up – literally – with a march from the city centre to Elland Road planned ahead of Saturday’s home game against Brighton & Hove Albion.

But, as Redfearn watched the icy missiles fly at Thorp Arch, there was no mistaking the upturn in mood at the club – meaning it had been mission accomplished in his quest to coax a positive reaction out of a squad whose below-par displays in recent weeks had brought the end of Grayson’s reign.

In a playing career that included stints with 14 professional clubs, Redfearn saw more than 20 managers come and go so knows exactly how unsettling a change at the top can be.

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It was why, a couple of days before the trip to Ashton Gate, he had called together a few of the senior players for a chat.

He explained: “It was a whirlwind few days (after Simon Grayson’s sacking) but I kept a lot of the senior pros close.

“I had a meeting with two or three of them, including Paddy Kisnorbo, because they are in the dressing room.

“The players are everything to whoever is in charge and I need to know what they are thinking. They need to know what I am thinking, too.

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“It is an unsettling time and an uncertain time. You need to have a bit of dialogue there and they need to know they are still loved and still part of everything.

“For some people, the door has opened again. It is equal opportunities and I don’t want to push anyone’s face out.

“Then, whatever happens, at least the club is in a good condition.”

As for “whatever happens” next, the noises coming out of Elland Road last night suggested Redfearn will be in charge against Brighton and, due to games against Coventry and Doncaster following in quick succession, possibly beyond.

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Another good result against Gus Poyet’s Seagulls, therefore, could do his hopes of an extended run in charge of the first team a massive boost.

To do so, however, there is likely to have to be an improvement on United’s largely uninspiring efforts during the opening half hour or so against Bristol City.

Okay, Redfearn’s pre-match instruction for Leeds not to concede early on came to fruition.

But that was more down to the good form of captain Andy Lonergan in goal than any great defensive effort on the part of the visitors.

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Lonergan’s first save of note came after just five minutes when he did superbly to beat away a fiercely-struck shot by Albert Adomah.

A similarly impressive one-handed effort then denied the same player later in the first half, while Lonergan also had to be alert to parry a swerving shot from Neil Kilkenny before jumping to his feet to claim the bouncing ball ahead of striker Chris Wood.

A lapse in concentration by Adam Clayton also allowed Wood to claim possession inside the United area but, this time, Lonergan’s defence scrambled quickly enough to avert the danger without their captain being called into action.

During the opening half-hour, Leeds had offered little in attack due to an inability to string together more than a couple of passes.

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All that changed, however, five minutes before the break when a wonderful pass from Becchio released Danny Pugh. He, in turn, found Ross McCormack, who rolled the ball to an unmarked Robert Snodgrass and he did the rest with a typically clinical finish.

A goal down, City were then a man down just four minutes later when McCormack cleverly flicked the ball past Mark Wilson, whose attempted challenge served only to bring the striker down.

Referee James Linington, who had given the game the go-ahead after a noon inspection that had Robins chairman Colin Sextstone sufficiently worried to watch proceedings from on the pitch, had no alternative but to dismiss Wilson for a professional foul.

Twelve minutes after the restart, the home side’s afternoon deteriorated further when Yannick Bolasie, already on a yellow card following a crude challenge on Adam Smith, once again upended United’s debutant to bring an early end to his involvement.

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Leeds, relishing the space afforded by their numerical superiority, then spent the final third of the game playing keep-ball and the reward came 11 minutes from time.

McCormack, who by then had seen three ‘goals’ ruled out for offside, applied the finishing touch after being picked out by Adam Clayton.

The game was now up for the Robins, who conceded a third goal in stoppage time when Becchio fired into the roof of the net to send the 1,962 travelling fans on what would be a tortuous trip back North in happy mood.