Leeds United v Preston North End: Freshness of Patrick Bamford and Isaac Schmidt important for Whites

The Championship is a real endurance test, and Leeds are hoping after Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off at home to Preston North End there are only four more circuits to go. It could, though, be seven.

It is only natural at this time of year that minds are getting weary, bodies starting to creak.

Pascal Struijk will not play again this season thanks to a foot fractured at Luton Town; Sam Chamber's campaign has been ended by glandular fever. Daniel James' hamstring is not up to facing the Lilywhites – the Thorp Arch medical team will be working hard to try and get it right for Easter.

Luckily for Leeds, they have been able to freshen it up with something different without abandoning the processes and tactics that put them top of the table going into the second weekend of April.

Football loves its horrendously boring cliche about players being "like a new signing" but the return from injury of Patrick Bamford has added a vibrancy to Leeds' attacking play, as well as different tactical options. The emergence of Isaac Schmidt as a viable substitute as if manager Daniel Farke suddenly remembered he signed him has had a similar impact.

Bamford has been there and got the T-shirt, one of the few remaining veterans from Leeds' last title-winning season, five years ago. In two bit-part appearances, his first since New Year's Day, the injury-plagued 31-year-old has been able to stretch the game in a way Joel Piroe, whose natural game is to drop off the front, cannot.

He is also happy in the spotlight that follows a club desperate to get back to the Premier League. It is invariable spoken of as a pressure, but those who wear football's No 9 mindset tend to enjoy attention.

"I liked his last two performances a lot, coming from the bench with really strong performances," says Farke.

"It's not a question of his quality or his experience, the biggest question is always that he has to be fit and he is right now but we will still be careful managing his load because we must not forget that just a week ago he played his first minutes (since his New Year hamstring injury).

"He has already played 60 minutes in total this week so I wouldn't say he is ready right now to play 90 minutes but a proper amount of minutes is definitely possible.

"We can't risk he be out with another injury because we'll need him for the upcoming four games.

"Patrick is always a confident player, always highly-motivated and not scared to be in the spotlight, he is more or less searching for this.

"This type of players you want in your squad when you are heading to such a crunchtime period.

"It helps that he know what it takes to bring it over the line and he has done it before. That's quite important.

"In general we have a pretty young squad so every experienced player always helps.

"For Patrick, playing right now after being ruled out for such a long period this season and the last season, he plays with this enthusiasm just to be back.

"He has missed playing football in the last weeks and months, you could feel it.

"He's desperate to use every minute to help."

It might sound trivial, but that enthusiasm is not to be under-estimated.

"It's important when you head into the crunchtime period to have players playing with a bit of freedom," argues Farke.

"Patrick just wants to put his arm around his chance and enjoy playing football. It's the same with Isaac Schmidt. Whenever he comes in, he comes with freedom and bravery. He has nothing to lose.

"To have players who play perhaps without weights on their shoulders is quite important."

Swiss international Schmidt is a different case, not trusted by his manager in the full-back positions he was bought to play for most of the season, but suddenly an option further forward now Farke has gone cold on Largie Ramazani, and fellow winger James' hamstring has given way.

"In the early stages of his career he has more or less always played as a winger and we knew he was capable of doing this," stresses Farke of the player signed in August, "especially when has had to defend against forward-thinking full-back opponents like (Middlesbrough's Samuel) Iling-Junior.

"For that game especially it was a good solution to have him on the bench if the opponents full-back is doing so much in the offence.

"He has lots of competition in the full-back position.

"He came at a proper age at 25 but has never played before in English football or in a top European league. It's different physicality and intensity in training and the game.

"At the beginning of course you need to adapt to this but the longer he is with us, the more he impresses in training. The more you impress in training, the more you are involved in the games."

And the more fresh energy you can bring at this stage of the season, the bigger a difference it can make.