McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down

The former Barnsley and Bradford City midfielder enjoyed a dream start to his tenure in temporary charge with their 3-0 win at Bristol City.

With the United board not having any specific candidate in mind at the moment, Redfearn, the club’s Under-18s coach and reserve team manager, seems set to be in the dugout again on Saturday when Brighton & Hove Albion come to Elland Road.

McCormack, Leeds’s man of the match in the victory at Ashton Gate, said: “It was a shock what happened (Simon Grayson’s sacking last Wednesday) but we hadn’t been playing well.

“Redders has come in and given the place a lift. He hasn’t changed much, apart from him giving people confidence to express themselves.

“The players would support whoever gets the job. But I played under Redders a lot last year (for the reserves) and he has the qualities.

“Why not? We have just won 3-0 at Bristol City. He isn’t maybe a big name but I am a big believer in that not mattering.

“When I was a young boy coming through at Rangers, people would say things like ‘He isn’t experienced enough to play’.

“But how do you get that experience without playing? It is the same with a manager. You have to be thrown in at the deep end.

“If he gets the job, I will be delighted for him.

“If we go and win six in a row then I am sure Neil will get the job.

“It would give the chairman a headache in terms of giving Redders the job.”

Victory was enough to nudge United up a place to ninth and to within two points of Middlesbrough in the final play-off berth.

With home games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Doncaster Rovers sandwiching the Valentine’s Day visit to bottom club Coventry City, the three points from Ashton Gate could act as a springboard for not only Leeds to kick-start their promotion challenge but Redfearn to make a strong case to be appointed.

McCormack, who netted 11 goals in six games for Redfearn’s reserve side last season, added: “I played a lot for him in the reserves and he is a good man.

“I think you could see against Bristol when Darren O’Dea and Tom Lees were willing to take the ball at centre-half that he has already given them that confidence.

“He has been drumming into them, ‘If you lose the ball then do not be afraid to take it again’.

“People might say, ‘Oh it was easy because of the red cards’. But even when 11 v 11, I thought Daz and Tom both looked confident.

“The game plan was good, too. In the first 15 minutes, he made sure we didn’t concede. We had to stay compact.

“Myself and Luciano had to drop in to mark the deep midfielder, meaning we were largely working on the counter-attack.

“That can suit us because of the players we have. Robert Snodgrass, Fabian Delph, Adam Clayton and Aidy White can hurt anyone.

“The lads all think he is a great guy. We know him from the club and they have liked the confidence he has given us.”

McCormack, who netted United’s second goal with a neat finish on 79 minutes to take his league tally for the season to 14, just two behind the Championship top scorer, Southampton’s Ricky Lambert.

But for a linesman’s flag, however, he could have drawn level with the Saints striker due to having no less than three ‘goals’ chalked off for offside.

Two of the decisions were highly debatable, leaving McCormack ruing his luck.

The division’s second-highest scorer said: “I probably could have had a few more goals.

“To have three ruled out for offside was strange as I am not really sure any of them were offside.

“On another day, I might have got a couple more but it wasn’t to be.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about being top scorer. But the main thing is the team won.”