After two defeats in a week including a distinct wobble in confidence after the Rothreham defeat it was with a feeling of unease I boarded the lunchtime train to Leeds. The Happy Chocker was coaching the Quiet One in his morning match at Ponty so arrangements were made to meet at The Peacock for a pint before the match..........I wonder how many thousands of Leeds fans have had the same conversation over the years, "I'll see you in the Peacock" On the way I met some happy Seagulls fans enjoying the pre match atmosphere, spookily they predicted Brighton holding on until the last minute either half and then letting a goal in..."we always do in big games" said the older on philosophically.
As we took our seats in the kop I was mortified to see no Telfer on the teamsheet and I admit I feared the worse for the beleaguered defence without the steadying hand of the veteran Scotsman.
My fears were unfounded though as Leeds took control of the match from the off and as the first half progressed the more likely Leeds looked like scoring.
Just as it looked as we would go into half time goalless we scored two in a minute bang on HT courtesy of the double Bex strike force.
The celebrations in the kop were a mixture of relief and justification in the belief in the team.
It was no more than we deserved and instigated much banging of his drum and weird shouts of encouragement from "Barry White" in the Kop. So the half time burger was consumed with a warm glow of anticipation of more goals to come in the second half.
Unfortunately that didn't quite materialise as we seemed to ease off slightly and the possibility of them sneaking a goal and giving us a nervous last 10 minutes became more likely as the game wore on.
Delph was having another stunning performance way beyond his tender age and when he beat three Brighton players on a sixpence before being scythed down a "hand bags at dawn" brawl erupted where we could have been reduced down to 10 men.
Thankfully the ref had his sensible head on and common sense prevailed. Beckford then knocked in the third to ensure a miserable trip back to the south coast for the sizable travelling contingent of seagulls fans. There was a final twist as the up to then tight defence allowed a soft goal to ruin a perfect day right on the final whistle. Overall it was a gritty and controlled performance which bodes well for the rest of the season. With no Robbo and Telfer today making the result even more impressive we headed home with a smile and not inconsiderable optimism despite the traffic jams on the way out of ER. The man of the match today was undoubtedly Delph as he weaved his magic in midfield despite the presence of arch villain Mr Savage. On the evidence of his performances so far this season he will be a key instrument in the success of the team this year and I am sure will have other clubs courting him in the January window. I am sure his undoubted love of Leeds will be a key factor in him staying with the whites for many years to come. Today's match track is dedicated to him (F.A.B.)
Next week we travel to the lunatics of Millwall and with the Lions having the same number of points as Leeds, due to a Mr Kandol, an exciting afternoon is in prospect. Can't wait.
MOT
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