Leeds United v Birmingham: Redfearn’s optimism founded on home play

Hardly a position to boast about, but a darned sight better than where the Elland Road club actually sits in the table.

Two points and just one place separate United from the relegation zone, but head coach Neil Redfearn is looking to back-to-back home games – Bournemouth come to Leeds on Tuesday – to herald a long overdue move up the Championship.

“You always want to do well at home and play well at home,” he said. “We all want to send the punters home happy.

“That said, these are two tough games. Birmingham are on a great run, a difficult side to beat, so it’s going to be tough. But we’re capable of winning at home, we have shown that already this season.”

United’s most impressive result of the season may have come on the road, September’s shock 3-1 triumph at Bournemouth.

But it is at Elland Road where the club have always looked more comfortable with only recent defeats to Wigan Athletic and Fulham dragging them into the bottom half of the ‘home games table’.

Before that, Leeds had taken 18 points from a possible 30 and Redfearn insists his players are eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming double-header.

He said: “Birmingham will be on the front foot and they will play with confidence and be aggressive.

“They have got a striker playing with confidence in (Clayton) Donaldson and he will be a handful. But we have got to do to them what they will do to us – be on the front foot, be positive and play.”

United are stilll waiting to hear the result of Massimo Cellino’s appeal against his ban by the Football League.

The Italian’s case was heard on Thursday by a three-person professional conduct committee.