Leeds United captain Liam Cooper pleased to see Championship leaders sharing the goals

All season long Bamford's goal output has been under scrutiny, as has the team's. The Whites are comfortably out in front for chances created in this season's Championship (693 to second-placed West Bromwich Albion's 617 according to the statisticians), yet their 13 per cent conversion rate is the joint lowest, with Fulham.

Bamford is the club's top-scorer with 16 Championship goals this season, but seven other players have scored between four and seven.

Having hit the crossbar in the second half, it looked like Bamford was not going to register on Thursday until his added-time finish added to goals from Mateusz Klich (a penalty), Helder Costa, Pablo Hernandez and Cooper himself.

“It always will be a criticism,” said Cooper of his side's conversion rate. “We do create a lot of chances and people are going to come under a bit of scrutiny if they don't put chances in but it takes so much pressure off the likes of Pat and Tyler (Roberts) when the other lads are chipping in, and we did that (against Stoke).

“It proves if you do take your chances how much it can help you in games.”

Cooper's goal, at the end of a well-worked move which saw Hernandez pull the ball back and Bamford dummy it, was the centre-back's second of the season.

Bamford's strike also took the Championship leaders' goal difference beyond West Brom's, which could be important with only a point between the title contenders going into the final four games of the season. Third-placed Brentford's goal difference is seven better, but time is running out for them to bridge the six-point gap to the Whites.

“We know how important it is,” said Cooper. “The biggest message from me (during the game) was to not get sloppy. A few players can maybe get a bit sloppy in those situations but we needed to score goals.

“We know how important that might be and that's another aspect of the game. You never know, it could come down to that but hopefully it doesn't. It was in the back of our minds for sure.”

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor