Sheff Weds 1 Leeds 2: Redfearn is backed as he heads for showdown talks with Cellino

The Whites midfielder certainly would get no argument from the 4,000 travelling fans at Hillsborough who chanted the head coach’s name throughout this victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

The 49-year-old former Barnsley driving force has brought much-needed stability to a club which has become the byword for off-field uncertainty in English football.

Youngsters like Taylor, Sam Byram, Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt – plus others coming through the Academy – certainly bring substance to Redfearn’s optimism of future success.

He will meet with owner Massimo Cellino after Saturday’s final game – Rotherham United’s trip to Elland Road – to discuss his future.

“The plan is I’ve got training next week and the game against Rotherham,” said Redfearn. “Then I’ve got to sit down with the owner and see what he wants to do.

“I’ve got to have a good think about what I want to do. But I want to be at Leeds United and I want to be successful.

“I don’t want to be at Leeds United and be a mid-table side or a side who are fighting relegation every year.

“I want to get this side out of this division because it’s good enough. I want this club to be mobile.

“My voice needs to be heard, my experience needs to be listened to and then we need to get our heads together and we need to agree on things.

“If we do that we’ve got a great chance of getting out of this division.

“I’m hoping that what’s been put in place is utilised, whether I’m here or not. That is the idea. All along, the message from the owner was that I was building. We’ve kept the side in this division and then some. We’ve made strides forward in a difficult season.

“I’ve got to have that conversation with the owner. Where the club is, with the talent we’ve got coming through the academy –which has been the fruits of all the academy staff, not just me.”

There is no doubt in the mind of Taylor – who netted the second-half equaliser at Hillsborough to spark a Leeds revival –that Redfearn should stay.

“Obviously you can see that the team are behind him and every one of the fans is behind him,” said Taylor. “That win’s for Neil and the fans as well.

“I don’t think there’s any player at the club who doesn’t want him to stay. Everyone’s right behind him. It’s a no-brainer for me, really.

“Hopefully, he’s here next season and we can give it a real good crack. There’s no hiding that things have been going on behind the scenes.

“I think the players have just got to focus on going out each Saturday and getting a result. Whether it affects you or not, you’ve just got to try to forget about it and try to do your best on the Saturday.”

Mowatt should have given Leeds a first-minute lead, but was thwarted by an excellent save from Owls goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.

The hosts took the lead on 36 minutes when Byram upended Lloyd Isgrove just inside the area, and Chris Maguire beat Stuart Taylor from the penalty spot.

Leeds – looking to end a run of five successive defeats – forced a succession of free-kicks after the break, and eventually scrambled home the ball, Taylor pouncing after a goalmouth melee.

Wednesday’s rejigged back four was looking vulnerable and Steve Morison escaped calls for offside to burst through. Westwood blocked the striker’s first shot, but was helpless to stop the rebound finding the net with 18 minutes remaining.

Owls’ head coach Stuart Gray finished the game with a 4-1-5 formation – putting on three strikers as substitutes – but they lacked midfield creativity, with Lewis McGugan out injured with a groin strain. The on-loan midfielder has played his final game for Wednesday as he is unavailable to face his parent club promoted Watford on Saturday.

“We gave far too many free-kicks away and if you keep doing that, you will be punished,” said Gray. “That’s what’s happened and we only have ourselves to blame.

“They got a fortunate ricochet for the equaliser, but they reacted the faster. It’s disappointing because we had our noses in front but couldn’t build on the Chris Maguire penalty.”

Defeat brought a predictable end to a sorry home record for Wednesday.

In 23 games at Hillsborough, the Owls have won just five all season, scoring a paltry 16 goals.

“I have said to the players that if we want to get anywhere, we have to make this place a fortress,” said Gray. “I have probably got a full team in the treatment room, we are down to the bare bones, and I have chased the game, putting more forwards on, but it just didn’t happen for us.

“I don’t want to blame the pitch, because the pitch isn’t to blame for the amount of free-kicks we have given away.

“Our away form has been excellent, we have 17 clean sheets, but our home form has not been acceptable, it’s not been good enough.”