Leeds United: A lot done, more to do

By Mike Courtney

Yes it was a great three points, yes the crowd were fantastic and did get us over the line and yes I did predict last week that we would win, OK I said 2-0 but I'm not Nostradamus.

As a Leeds fan you couldn't ask for a better start to the season, 3 points in the bag and an injury time winner from the Million Pound Man, backed by a full house at Elland Road. But before we get too carried away and start dreaming of the Premier League and promotion let us take a step back and assess the win for what it was. A good start but plenty room for improvement.

I thought it was going to be the same old story when we conceded early and were put on the back foot by a lively Brighton side; but a quick response by Rossco helped calm the nerves and we gave as good as we got for the rest of the half. The introduction of Poleon in the second half added the bit of pace we were missing and he was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions. He will have a big role to play for us this season if given the chance as his pace will cause defenders problems. We had Paddy Kenny to thank for a couple of late saves late on, the one from Buckley's header in injury time being particularly impressive, which kept us in the game and allowed us snatch the winner in injury time when two of our new signings, Smith and Murphy, combined to send the stadium into orbit.

Again like last season we did it the hard way and came from behind. This was all too familiar territory and we need to start faster, particularly at home if we want to continue getting wins. Giving teams a head start is a recipe for disaster and but for the energy of the crowd I believe we would not have got the winner. Winning at home in this League, especially with our poor away record, is imperative if we are to mount a challenge. We had a good habit of getting late goals in our promotion season from League One and it's great to have that never say die spirit that keeps us going until the last second and though it is a great trait to have it certainly is not good for the heart.

We are still lacking in certain areas and as most fans know, we need another centre back and more pace in the side going forward. The place was buzzing every time Poleon got on the ball and if we had a pacy winger we could get teams on the back foot and create more opportunities for Rossco, Hunt and the others.

But for now let us bask in the glory of three hard earned points, pray for a little investment in the squad and for the return of Sam Byram and then maybe, just maybe, we can dare to dream.

MOT Leeds Leeds Leeds