Team News From The Leeds Camp

Last updated : 13 April 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Neill Collins
Leeds defender Neill Collins spoke to the Yorkshire Evening Post ahead of his side's League One game against Carlisle at Brunton Park this evening, the on-loan Preston man looking back on two wins in a row for Leeds after they had previously lost four matches on the bounce against promotion rivals :


" It's obviously a different atmosphere in the changing room after you've won a game, but I didn't see a huge difference in the performances other than the fact that we got the goals at the right time. I thought we were outstanding for the first 40 minutes against Swindon and probably better than we were against Southend, but football doesn't always work the way you want it to. Against Southend, we just ground the result out a bit better.

" These are the wins you look back on at the end of the season - the grind-out performances. They're the ones that really count when you're going for promotion and they're not always as pretty as you'd like them to be. Leeds United can win every week in this division, but only as long as we don't get carried away and carry on doing what we're good at.

" Everyone is capable of beating you on their day and I'm under no illusions about what to expect at Carlisle, or anywhere else in this league, but our confidence is up. I have only played at Carlisle in pre-season but am under no illusions it will be tough. If we win all our remaining games, we will be promoted and we think and believe we can do it (win automatic promotion). "





Meanwhile fellow Whites defender Leigh Bromby told the official Leeds website :

" These are quite nervous times and we have got to get through them. Winning games is one way of doing that and we did that on Saturday. But at this stage of a season teams are going to slip up. The pressure is on other teams as well. We are behind Millwall at the moment and people think we have thrown it away but you never know if we can come strong with a good run.

"The atmosphere in the dressing room is totally different when you are winning and that was something we were used to here. We put four or five wins together at the beginning of the season. There is no reason why we cannot do that again. Now, though, it is just about getting results. "





And winger cum striker Max-Alain Gradel commented to the Yorkshire Post :

" I'm enjoying playing in the side. I'm no striker but I'm ready to do a job. It's nice to score my first goal since December but the most important thing is to win. I think we will win the last five games, no question about drawing any of them. We will win the last five games by working hard and then, hopefully, we will get automatically promoted. "




In team news for the Whites this evening, former Northampton right-back Jason Crowe will be missing as he underwent an ankle operation last Friday to tidy up some loose material in the joint, and that has understandably ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

The only other Leeds player missing through injury though is centre-half Patrick Kisnorbo, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in a 2-0 defeat at home to Millwall last month. The Australian international now also set to miss out on a chance of playing in the World Cup with the Socceroos this summer.

Striker Tresor Kandol will also be absent however as he is currently sitting out the last match of a bumper four game suspension after he was sent off about 30 seconds after coming on as an injury-time substitute when Leeds lost 1-0 at Norwich last month. Kandol's latest penalty increased from a normal three-match suspension for violent conduct by a previous ban incurred by him in October.

The final Leeds man missing being midfielder Bradley Johnson who will be extremely disappointed to have picked up his tenth booking of the season right on the yellow card amnesty deadline on Saturday. Johnson now suspended for both this game and an upcoming away trip to Gillingham at the weekend.





The referee for tonight's match is Mark Halsey from Bolton, and he will be assisted down the lines by Andy Garratt from Bilston in the West Midlands and Bob Roberts from Leyland. Meanwhile the fourth official is Billy Khatib from Sunderland.