Former Blues loanee Chris Wood’s 35th minute header saw Leeds United to a 1-0 victory over Town at Elland Road. The Whites might have won by a more comfortably margin having come close on a number of further occasions, while the Blues never looked like getting anything from the game once they had gone behind.

Town started with the same XI which began last week’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, however, Teddy Bishop and Luke Varney both missed out on places on the bench.

Bishop broke his nose against Villa, while one-time Whites striker Varney suffered a hamstring problem during Monday’s 4-0 U23s victory over Leeds. Andre Dozzell and Josh Emmanuel replaced them among the subs.

Hadi Sacko struck the first shot of the game for the home side in the fourth minute but screwed his effort high, wide and deep into the stand.

Neither side had threatened again before Wood cut in from the left past Christophe Berra and smashed a shot which beat Bartosz Bialkowski but crashed off the post. Kalvin Phillips scraped the follow-up well wide.

On 12 Brett Pitman, again playing as the lone striker with Tom Lawrence in behind him, required treatment for an ankle problem after a strong but fair challenge from Pontus Jansson.

Grant Ward was inches away from putting the Blues in front right on the quarter hour. The former Spurs man hit what’s becoming a trademark shot from the edge of the box which deflected away from the target off Kyle Bartley and appeared to graze the outside of the post on its way wide.

From Lawrence’s resultant corner from the left Berra powered a header over with Wood challenging him.

Pitman was eventually forced off by his earlier injury in the 25th minute with Leon Best taking over.

Two minutes later, Adam Webster played in Ward down the right and the winger sent over a cross which a defender only just managed to divert away from Jonathan Douglas as the former Leeds midfielder looked to volley goalwards.

The Blues had shaded the half but without having been able to create any clear-cut chances, however, on 36 the home side went in front.

Charlie Taylor was played into space on the Leeds left, crossed and Wood rose above Berra to head home his seventh of the season.

Wood, Blues defender Tommy Smith’s room-mate when on international duty with New Zealand, shot over on the turn on 42, then two minutes later Lawrence overhit a Town freekick from just outside the area on the right, which had been won by Best.

There was a scare for the Blues in injury time when Lawrence dallied on the ball inside his area following a Leeds corner but Berra reacted quickly to close down Wood and block his shot.

Up until Wood’s goal, when the one-time Town loanee outmuscled his former team-mate Berra with whom he had spent most of the half battling, the Blues had been on top but without creating a serious chance other than Ward’s deflected effort and Berra’s header from the subsequent corner.

The goal gave the Whites confidence, however, and they were well on top during the spell up to the break.

Six minutes after the restart Lawrence and Ward exchanged passes as the Blues broke from their own half but the ex-Spurs man misread Best’s run and sent his pass beyond the substitute.

Leeds were starting the second half where they ended the first and on 54 Pablo Hernandez sent a low cross-shot in from the right which Bialkowski claimed.

A minute later the Blues’ Polish keeper prevented Wood from scoring his second of the game when he rushed off his line sharply to block from the New Zealander after he had been played in on goal by Hernandez.

Moments later, Webster, who looked to have suffered a knock, was replaced by Josh Emmanuel with skipper Luke Chambers moving into the centre of the defence.

Leeds should have doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Freddie Sears was caught in possession midway inside his own half and Wood was fed with only Chambers and Bialkowski to beat.

The Town skipper stood his ground and blocked the striker’s shot and the ball cannoned across to Sacko, who somehow smashed wide. Bialkowski subsequently left Sears in no doubt of his opinion on the former West Ham man surrendering the ball in such a dangerous area.

The Blues were fortunate still to be only one goal behind having made little impression in the second half with the home side dominating. On 70 Phillips struck a freekick from the left which Bialkowski clawed over.

As the game moved into its final 15 minute Ward limped off and was replaced by Kevin Bru with Lawrence moving up front alongside Best, who had shown his ability in flashes but had largely been peripheral.

Almost immediately Bru was booked for a foul on Stuart Dallas just outside the Town box. While Hernandez prepared to take a freekick he eventually hit straight into the Blues wall, Sacko was replaced by Kemar Roofe.

Town finally started to make some impact as an attacking force in the 80th minute, an Emmanuel cross from the right eventually ending up at the feet of Jonas Knudsen, whose shot deflected wide. In the aftermath of the corner a grounded Berra was booked.

Bialkowski mis-hit a clearance to Wood on 84 but Berra did well to get back and the former Millwall man eventually hit a weak shot through to the Town keeper.

Seconds later, Skuse did well to get back to slide the ball away from sub Alex Mowatt when he otherwise looked to be in on goal.

With three minutes remaining Lawrence won a freekick just outside the Leeds area to the right. Sears, who twice went close to ending his goal drought - now 35 games - with freekicks last week against Aston Villa, this time shot high and wide.

A minute later, a Town throw from the right was cleared out to Lawrence, whose mis-hit shot was flicked towards goal by Bru but home keeper Robert Green was untroubled.

In three minutes of injury time with the Blues pushing virtually everyone forward, Wood was sent breaking away on the Leeds left but failed to find an untracked Mowatt with his cross.

A second Leeds goal continued to look more likely than a Town equaliser in the seconds prior to referee Stephen Martin bringing the match to an end.

The Blues never really got back into the game after going behind to Wood’s goal 10 minutes before the break.

Town were unable to threaten in the second half until the closing stages and even then keeper Green wasn’t required to make a serious save.

Leeds had chances to increase their lead but the Blues’ backline made their usual blocks and Bialkowski his now customary impressive saves, while some of the home side’s finishing could have been more clinical.

Overall, a disappointing result and second half performance in particular - the poorest since the Brentford game - which sees Town drop to 14th ahead of Tuesday’s home game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Leeds United: Green, Ayling, Jansson, Bartley (c), Taylor, Phillips, O’Kane, Hernandez (Mowatt 82), Dallas (Grimes 86), Sacko (Roofe 77), Wood. Unused: Silvestri, Coyle, Cooper, Antonsson.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Webster (Emmanuel 56), Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Ward (Bru 75), Sears, Lawrence, Pitman (Best 25). Unused: Gerken, Kenlock, Grant, Dozzell. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 22,554 (Town: 902).

Photo: Action Images

Surco72 added 17:40 - Sep 24 3 wins , 3 defeats ,3 draws 0 goal difference could we be any more average or boring . MM can tell us till he is blue in the face how great we are , we are not we are limited , have no class and no idea , all commentators and opposing managers abs supporters say it . Our great striking coach has now managed to get 3 goals in 10 games this season for all iof our forwards put together . Bedsit.... Can see why you wouldn't back up your mouth when i asked you to put money on Best outscoring Lambert , how did you put it " Best will outscore Lambert easily FACT " 2-0 so far !!

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yerfdog87 added 17:40 - Sep 24 Only needed us to score for £400. Lesson learned, never bet on your team. Actually never on Ipswich. Boring utter pants. It's so bad I'm sick of thinking about it
5

MicksZzzTactics added 17:43 - Sep 24 WOW! Yet ANOTHER we-created-next-to-nothing & 1-shot-on-goal "EXCELLENT POINT", certainly worth parking the ol' proverbial bus for ........... Ohhhh wait! we didn't get any points today did we Mr. "Bus Driver" aka Dinosauric Mick??? .... and darn rightly so!!! Because for the darn umpteenth time the overall impression one is left with afterwards , is sadly one of The Dinosaur's team of awesome awesome "favorites" & "grinders" game performance seen as a whole and as as team, fundamentally being one that was unequivocally as 'Zzz boring' as it far too often happens to be one that was 'piZzz poor' also!!! ... (obviously viewed from ANY other non rosy-tinted aspect or angle beside the classic dire McCarthy trademark-like purely defensive / defensive organization one)!!!

8

Pip50 added 17:44 - Sep 24 One shot on target. We have a decent squad just a pr@t for a manager. Now need a run of defeats and hopefully Marcus will smell the roses. Steve Bruce is a free agent.
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superblue70 added 17:45 - Sep 24 I am so bored and angry, how the hell can one man erode my 46 year passion for this club and football in general so easily. Can't even listen on the radio anymore as it bores me to tears please go Mick before every one else does instead . I just want my itfc back.
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Oldsmoker added 17:46 - Sep 24 One shot on goal, straight at the goalkeeper, in the 89th minute. That's a poor display. Now forgotten. On to Brighton @ Home.
1

Brownie added 17:47 - Sep 24 Poor performance & no goals again. 1 game all season where we have scored more than 1 goal. It's not likely to bring the crowds flooding back. I said last week 3 more months of this and MM will be toast. That might be a generous prediction because we can't continue like this...
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Knightsy added 17:53 - Sep 24 I feel sorry for all of you that has forked out for a another season ticket to watch this Sh1te. At this rate the highlight of the season will be Elton John, and he's past it like M.M
5

Penguinblue added 17:55 - Sep 24 What would Penguinblue say? Come on every one - he's had his time - this is dire, Lets all campaign for McCarthy OUT
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TimmyH added 17:58 - Sep 24 So far this season there has been too much back slapping in my opinion,i.e Skuse: 'we've had a good start to the season and it could have been better' MM: 'Chambers has been inspirational and is the first name down on the sheet', Douglas: 'Sears unbelievable work' etc etc... We're now sitting 14th (early days I know) and performances have been patchy and so have the results W: 3 D: 4 L: 3 and could have looked worse barring the Derby fluke, lets stop with the mid-week press interviews of 'bigging up' players and the 'gaffa' and concentrate on getting more consistent, yes it's taken me 10 games to say that once more!! Poor result and bye the sounds of it performance against a very average Leeds side today, take away the 4 goals in the 2nd half against Barnsley on the opening day and we have looked poor in front of goal so far this season, improvement needed.

8

DurhamTownFan added 18:04 - Sep 24 I'd like to know where all the MM apologists go when we lose and play badly. There's always a lot of people marking you down when we win lucky and I'm still complaining about our football, but I don't see many of them on here today. Or are you all just the same people, happy one week but complaining the next? I'm fed up, even when we win. If like to see a manager who takes control of the game and goes for a win instead of keeping it tight and trying to nick the win. He's taken us as far as he can in my opinion but I don't see either him walking or ME sacking someone who's happy managing a club on a shoestring.

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RedDust added 18:04 - Sep 24 Have you ever met a mother that is so over protective of there child they shield them from taking any chances or risks that by virtue install a subconscious mindset of fear in there child and limit there full potential? Well that is exactly what MM does to his players, Mccarthy programs his players to operate from a state of fear which puts a leash around there neck which in many cases does not even need to be there. McCarthy is is a viable manager when the situation is one of survival, Once the state of survival has been achieved he can't then change his approach into a 'Front Runner' mentality. The question that should be asked is are we happy with a state of self limitation being imposed over our football club?

6

calvin added 18:06 - Sep 24 Who would the fans like as our next manager who has to work with a owner who will not give them any cash. McCarthy out.
0

gibbo added 18:12 - Sep 24 When the hell are we going to realise that to win the game you have to score and to score you have to shoot, another game where we don't have a single shot on target and this ridiculous formation with one up front
7

Surco72 added 18:19 - Sep 24 I would like Hoddle or Zola any one who knows how to get players to learn to pass and embrace creative players rather than stunt their progress. It doesn't take any money to change style or tactics look at Pompey
6

hancockingoal added 18:23 - Sep 24 I didn't go to the game today so I cannot really comment on the performance? However listening to snatches on radio Suffolk and reading reports it pretty much summed up what I expected! I am a season ticket holder of many years so I am not an armchair fan. My concern now after 3+ years of being led by Big Mick is where is the building and plan for the future? We just seem to play not to lose and if we win then that is a bonus? Having seen us since regularly 1962 I have seen some good and some not so good managers. Milburn didn't succeed but he started a youth policy that others developed and became the envy of the football world! McGarry had a plan, Robson turned that plan into a phenomenon! Lyal had a plan, Burley had a plan, all of them wanted to make us better! Now what about Big Mick? Where is the ambition? Where is the adventure? Where are the youth given their head? I don't mean the odd sub appearance. Robson struggled at times but we could always see that he was trying to take us to the next level! I am sorry but I don't see this with Big Mick and I feel sad and now disalusioned!

26

TimmyH added 18:27 - Sep 24 Don't know why I thought we've played 10 games already, must be thinking of the Stevenage game...another classic performance.
5

MickMillsTash added 18:27 - Sep 24 They worked harder than us, looked fitter than us and were more organised than us- those things do not cost any money. On the back of the rubbish that was Derby Away I almost feel like an apology is due before having to sit through another 90 minutes. 4 games - 2 goals , one a penalty, one a fluke goal Ward has lost his confidence -terrible at defending, Best not fit, the midfield 3 have no creation, Knudsen vunerable, Chambers - mr 60% not MR 100%, .In what other team does Sears get a shirt Time to worry

10

Jiffy added 18:32 - Sep 24 Marcus Stewart for manager.
1

runaround added 18:39 - Sep 24 So close to Mick's favourite nil nil score line! We kept to our side of the bargain but Leeds obviously didn't get the e-mail & had not only the temerity to try and win but actually scored a goal! I would think Mick will be very unhappy with that! Seems like we were lucky it was only 1-0 & offered very little. We have attacking players in the team but are far too safety first & pragmatic, aiming to not lose rather than win. This is down to Mick & until he changes his safety first philosophy we will continue to win won one draw one lose one. I hope he realises but fear he is unwilling to change. 2 tough home games now against teams towards the top. Will be tough but would rather get one point from 6 having gone for it rather than 1 point having spent 3 hours defending hoping to nick one from a set piece

8

surgery added 18:41 - Sep 24 Perhaps I may have been wrong at 17:16
1

babyblueboy added 18:41 - Sep 24 And a long way home 1.0 £150.00 day out to watch a pile of shi×× never looked like scoring where has the murph money gone if no goal scorer arrives in Jan (probably to late by then) we are fu×××d and just seen the scum too of the league the day gets worse "what a waste of money " Evens do one !!!! Mm follow him
11

blues1 added 18:48 - Sep 24 Jas0999. How did we lose more players in the transfer window than we signed? We basically lost Murphy, Stewart and Malarcyk, and signed Best, Varney, Williams, Ward,Connor and Lawrence. That's 3 out, 6 in. But why would I let the facts get in the way of ur vendetta against Evans. Lack of investment is all u go on about and yes I do agree we should maybe spend more than we do. Every fan does. But, and it seems I have to say this every time we lose, but ask Derby fans if spending loads of money necessarily gets you anywhere. The only reason we care playing as poorly as we are is because, as u also say, Mccarthys tactics are just so poor. Maybe I'm wrong, but I do believe the players we have are capable of so much more, but that won't happen under the present management

10

joepublic added 18:51 - Sep 24 Babyblue How did Emmanuel do at rb?
1

jas0999 added 19:07 - Sep 24 Blues1 - I fear you may have forgotten about Tabb, Foley, Fraser, Pringle and Feeney. All players in the squad last season. You count New loanees, but didn't seem too keen to count the departing loanees. I agree with your six in. However it's eight out. You are as I have said on countless occasions entitled to your opinion. I am also entitled to mine and I personally don't think the style of play is acceptable or entertaining, whilst four goals in nine is woeful.

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