Lonergan in the frame to meet his No 1 hero James

A host of top names can be found, including Chelsea duo Petr Cech and John Terry plus Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Pride of place, however, goes to the one that Lonergan claimed at the end of an FA Cup tie between his then club Preston North End and Portsmouth a few years ago.

“David James has always been a goalkeeper whose career I have followed closely,” admits the 27-year-old Leeds United goalkeeper ahead of today’s visit of Bristol City and former England international James to Elland Road in the Championship.

“He has been a top, top goalkeeper for a lot of years and I enjoy watching him play. To me, he has had a lot of unnecessary stick over the years.

“As a ‘keeper, the amount of stuff he does is phenomenal. He will sometimes come 13 to 14 yards to catch a cross. If you come for 10 of them then the odds are you will drop one.

“It is probably easier for a ‘keeper to stay rooted to his line but David James is not like that. He is an active goalkeeper who does a lot of work and I really admire the career he has had.

“To be still playing at 41 is great and something I hope I will be able to do.”

James, who missed just one game for Bristol City last season following his transfer from Portsmouth in the summer of 2010, enjoyed the better of two meetings with Lonergan in 2010-11 due to Preston crashing to a 4-0 defeat at Deepdale after drawing 1-1 at Ashton Gate.

That heavy loss proved to be Lonergan’s penultimate appearance for North End, his last one coming coincidentally against future employers Leeds when goals from Billy Paynter and Neil Kilkenny sealed a 2-1 win for the Yorkshire club last March.

Understandably, the United goalkeeper does not look back too fondly on the last time he went head-to-head with James – unlike the 2008 FA Cup fifth round tie between Preston and Portsmouth when he was up against a player he had long admired.

Lonergan said: “I managed to swap shirts with David James a few years ago in the Cup. Well, I say we swapped shirts. I got his, I doubt very much he wanted mine.

“His shirt is hanging up on the wall at home. There are a few ‘keepers, to be fair, such as Petr Cech and Reina plus John Terry’s from when we played Chelsea but I really value the one that I got off David James.”

United go into today’s meeting with Bristol City looking to build on last weekend’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace. Another three points would propel Simon Grayson’s side into the top half of the Championship table, meaning they can then go into next Tuesday’s Carling Cup third round tie at home to Manchester United in buoyant mood.

Lonergan said: “The second half against Palace was probably the best it has been since I joined with the effort we put in reaping its rewards. A win like that can turn a season round.

“What we didn’t want was to come in on Monday morning after another defeat. That would have made Bristol City a six-pointer, even at this early stage of the season.

“One win changes the whole mood. If we can follow beating Palace by doing the same to Bristol City then those six points will have made a massive difference.”

United’s results may not have matched their performances this season, particularly in August when a return of four points was scant reward for the effort put in by Grayson’s men.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the opening half dozen games has been the form of Lonergan, never more so than last Saturday when three stunning saves either side of half-time helped pave the way for United to triumph courtesy of goals in the final quarter from Luciano Becchio and Ross McCormack.

Lonergan said: “It has been a good start. But that is all it has been, a start. I am not one to get too carried away.

“I have appreciated the response of the fans, they have been very good to me. A few were saying things when we were 2-1 behind against Crystal Palace but that was down to frustration. And probably because I was the closest of the lads to them.

“But, on the whole, the fans have been great and seem really behind the team. I was missing Preston initially but now I wish I had made this move a long time ago. I look forward to coming in every day. Everything about Leeds United is great.

“This is a proper club. I get a buzz driving to the stadium, walking into the stadium and then leaving the stadium. It just feels like everything is a big deal at Leeds United.”

Once today’s Championship game is out of the way, the attention will turn to Tuesday night and the first visit of Manchester United to Elland Road in eight years.

Lonergan, who used to play for Sir Alex Ferguson’s son Darren at Preston, said: “We were in the hotel ahead of the Ipswich game when the draw was made. I didn’t actually realise it was on and only found out afterwards who we had got.

“Everyone was delighted to get Manchester United because they are the best team in the Premier League right now.

“I have met the United manager before as, at Preston, we went to train at Carrington a couple of times last season when the weather was bad due to Manchester United having undersoil heating up there.

“The United manager did come over and say ‘hello’ to the lads. As for whether I will be playing or not, I don’t know. I didn’t in the last round (when Leeds beat Doncaster Rovers and Paul Rachubka started in goal) so the manager may do the same.

“But whoever plays, it is going to be a strong Manchester United side. It might not be the ones who played (against Chelsea) but they will all have a point to prove.”

[email protected]