Leeds were denied victory against QPR late on after twice taking the lead in a well fought game.
Apart from a shaky first 10 minutes or so, Leeds looked little troubled in the goal less first half. Early on there ensued a ‘gentleman’s excuse me’, when Warner & Kilgallon politely left the ball to eachother, before common sense prevailed and Warner retrieved it just before the oncoming attacker made his presence felt.
Healy had a difficult chance when the ball came to him on the edge of the area, but it fell beneath his feet and he was unable to gain enough leverage to get enough power on his otherwise accurate shot. In all, Leeds shaded the first half, but at that point a draw seemed fair enough.
As the second half progressed, Leeds became more dominant, and it came as no surprise when we went ahead. A header (from Stone I think) hit the bar and the ball fell to a grateful Eddie Lewis who lobbed the ball from the edge of the six yard box into the opposite corner. It was no more than we deserved, and at this point QPR looked a very dodgy outfit, lacking in both ideas and effort. Our defence had been rarely troubled and the midfield was being dominated by Stone, Derry, and a very lively Westlake who had come on for Bakke at the start of the second half. Healy had been industrious chasing and harrying every ball and Horsfield having been used primarily as a target man, fell foul of a few dubious decisions from the Referee, having only one chance when a cross from the left skimmed across his forehead. His lack of sharpness showed then, something I hope will improve, as he gets more games under his belt.
We were spreading passes across the pitch with ease, and there was no hint of what was to follow. The only down side was when Butler entered into the fray as he (believe it or not) kept hoofing the ball down the throats of the grateful QPR defenders.
Then things changed! The pivotal moment came when Healy was subbed for Seb Carole. In an instant we went from a team in complete control who had the game for the taking, to one that sat back and invited the opposition to come at us. Time after time the ball was hoofed upfield to come back with interest. These are seasoned professionals for goodness sake, not young lads. They should know better! I can only assume that it was a tactical ploy by Blackwell himself, because it all happened in an instant. We could then see it coming, and it was no surprise when Crainey gave away the penalty. Warner went on walkabout towards the corner flag in an effort to un-nerve the penalty taker, but to no avail, and he picked up a yellow card for his troubles as well.
While QPR were still celebrating, hardly believing their luck, the ball was played up the other end, and for once the ball broke kindly for Geoff Horsfield who tucked it away from about 8 yards out. Leeds then had a chance to go 3-1 up, when Carole only had the Keeper to beat from the edge of the 6 yard box, but like a Rabbit startled by headlights he simply froze before tamely shooting straight at him. QPR then broke away again to equalise and could even have sneaked an undeserved win when Crainey (again) was all over the place towards the end. Warner saved and luckily the ball fell near him and he gratefully pounced on it.
So it ended 2-2, and we all felt deflated, reagarding this game as 2 points lost. QPR fans on the other hand were celebrating like they’d won it.
Reflecting on the game nearly 24 hours on, the indication is that there are a lot of things we can say have improved from last season. But, the fact that we only drew last night was, in my opinion down to the manager.
His rantings in the post match interview suggested that his players were to blame for not holding onto the lead. It was simply a tactical error, that he himself, must remain accountable for. Kevin Blackwell’s credibility is rapidly declining as we listen to excuse after excuse. Nice bloke though he is, I fear his tactical decisions have been costing us dearly from the end of last season, continuing through to this.
And if there’s one lesson that should be learned from last night’s performance, it should be………………………….
If it aint broke, don’t fix it!
Report by The Man From The Ministry
Player Ratings
Tony Warner
6/10 (Booked 80mins)
Gary Kelly
7/10
Paul Butler
5/10
Matt Kilgallon
6/10 (Booked 90mins)
Stephen Crainey
6/10 (Booked 8mins)
Steve Stone
9/10
Eirik Bakke
6/10
Shaun Derry
7/10 (Booked 46mins)
Eddie Lewis
7/10 (Scored 65mins)
David Healy
6/10
Geoff Horsfield
8/10 (Scored 82mins)
Ian Weslake
7/10 (on for Bakke 50mins)
Seb Carole
6/10 (on for Healy 77mins)
6/10 (on for Horsfield 84mins)