Team News From The Leeds Camp

Last updated : 09 February 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Jonny Howson
Whites midfielder Jonny Howson spoke to the Yorkshire Evening Post and the official Leeds United website ahead of his side's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final second leg tie against Carlisle at Brunton Park tonight. Howson looking back to the last time his side was 2-1 down going into the return fixture in Cumbria :


" The play-off winner stayed with me for quite a while. It felt special at the time and I guess it still is. Everyone knows what it meant to me but I don't think about it much any more. A lot of water's gone under the bridge and it's almost two years ago. You can't dwell on single matches and it's frustrating to think that we're still in the same division that we were back then.

" It was a great moment for me, but if we're talking about the season as a whole then the only thing that mattered was us losing the play-off final. In the end the night at Carlisle meant nothing, brilliant though it was. I realised that when we lost at Wembley. We fell at the final hurdle, but it was a happy memory. I've changed as a player and I've grown up a bit more as well. This is a totally different game.

" It'd be very nice if we could get through on Tuesday. The trip to Wembley is an incentive, and it'd be good to set things right after last time we were there, but we have to get there again first. We have a tough game at Carlisle, who are doing well at the minute. We know what we have to do. We'll be looking to start well and hopefully get to a cup final. "





Meanwhile Whites central defender Leigh Bromby commented to the Yorkshire Post :

" It will be another tough game up there but I think we will go there full of confidence that we can turn it around. It would be great to get through to Wembley. I was on the bench for Sheffield United in the play-off final last season against Burnley but didn't get on.

" It was really frustrating and I would love to get the chance to grace the field. Not many players get the chance to appear at Wembley and this is a big opportunity we don't want to waste. The priority is the league because we have to go up this season. But we still want to get to the final.

" We gave a good account of ourselves in the FA Cup against Tottenham, and especially at White Hart Lane in the first game. We put on a good show. Obviously, they are a good team and their quality shone through during the second half last week. But we can take a lot of positives. "





The main injury concern for Leeds this evening is of course the possible participation of star striker Jermaine Beckford, the 26-year old having, at half-time, limped out of Saturday's 2-2 draw at Hartlepool with a minor hamstring strain. Meanwhile centre-back or defensive midfielder Patrick Kisborno has missed the last three games for the Whites with a calf injury, and midfielder Neil Kilkenny has been sidelined recently with an ankle problem picked up in a 3-0 defeat away to Swindon two weeks ago.

January transfer window loan signings Gary McSheffrey (striker from Birmingham City) and Shane Lowry (centre-half from Aston Villa) are available though along with permanently contracted former Leicester City winger Max-Alain Gradel. The trio in contention for a starting place as in the FA Cup, no player can appear in a replay if signed since the first tie took place but there is no such rule in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.




The referee for tonight's match is Andy Hall from Birmingham, and he will be assisted down the lines by Gary Beswick from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham and Dean Mohareb from Stockport. Meanwhile the fourth official is Neil Swarbrick from Preston.

The set of officials responsible for ensuring that tonight's game kicks off at the earlier time of 7pm, while also perhaps later on overseeing a penalty shootout if the scores finish level on aggregate after 90 minutes. The rules in the tie being that away goals do not count double and that there is no extra-time.