please log in to view this image please log in to view this image I couldn’t make my mind up whether to go to bed for a few hours or cat nap on the settee as I had to be up at 3am for the long trip to Cardiff. In the end I didn’t get much sleep anyway but didn’t want to not wake up in time. I was wearing my number four Billy Bremner shirt today and wanted him to instil some fighting spirit into the team today. Billy was my hero and always will be and epitomised what being Leeds was all about, instilling in me the love and loyalty of following my team. I was at Wembley in 1972 to see us win the FA Cup and that remains my favourite ever game that I went to as a Leeds United fan. Seeing Billy lift the FA Cup from Her Majesty the Queen was a magical moment that has stayed with me for ever. I still hold the FA Cup dear and would love a cup run. There was very little traffic on the road when I left home though so got to Leeds in plenty of time for the coach, picking Nikki up on the way there. After a stop at Abertillery, we arrived at the services rendezvous point with the police and arrived at the ground an hour before kick-off. It hadn’t been a bad journey down here either. One thing I will say is that the stewarding and policing today were very good with a lovely vibe with the fans which was good to see. Being treated like human beings makes a big difference in my opinion. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Team: Robles, Struijk (captain), Gnonto, Summerville, Firpo, Llorente, Aaronson, Kristensen, Greenwood, Gyabi and Gelhardt. Subs: Wöber for Gyabi (59), Rodrigo for Summerville (59), Drameh for Kristensen (59), Joseph for Gelhardt (73), Perkins for Aaronson (86). Subs not used: Klaesson, Ayling, Harrison, Roca. Leeds drew the game 2-2 with Rodrigo (65) and Perkins (90) scoring the Leeds goals meaning a replay will now take place at Elland Road. The winners of the tie will be away to either Boreham Wood or Accrington Stanley, both new grounds in the next round if it’s us. Attendance: 20,324 with 6,597 Leeds fans. Referee: Jarred Gillett. Booked: Gnonto, Struijk, Greenwood. Just as the game kicked off the heavens opened, and we got soaked as we were right at the front of the stand and for once I’d managed to hang my flag up so the same happened with that. For the first twenty minutes of the half, it looked like Leeds were up for the game as we camped out in the Cardiff half. The Leeds fans were the only ones to be heard in the stadium as the hostile atmosphere that is normally heard from the Cardiff fans was non-existent. Things changed within the next six minutes as suddenly Cardiff got on top. They took control of the game as they attacked our end where Robles made the initial save before they crossed the ball into the middle of the box and had some luck with a deflection off Greenwood’s foot then slammed the ball into the back of the net to take the lead. Within another six minutes their ball over the top beat our defence and they were the quicker of the teams and scored a second goal. With the Leeds support stunned into silence, the Cardiff fans woke up and started to create an atmosphere. Here we go again came to mind especially as we started to chase shadows and were running around like headless chickens which continued into the second half until our first subs were made on 59 minutes. There had been boos from the terraces too as many Leeds fans were angry that the FA Cup had not been taken seriously once again after all the effort put in from our travelling support. Underneath the stand at half time I told some others of my dream the day before that we had won 7-2 although us fans couldn’t see the pitch as there was a building in front of us. I do dream some daft things as I never thought for one minute that we could do that today. We had a laugh as some lads said they should put a bet on that score line as we headed back into the stand. Well I did get the two goals right lol! Wöber made his debut although I’ve no idea what position he was playing but at one point he was in the middle of the pitch. It was noticeable straight away that he added a bit of steel to the team and was pointing to others telling them where to play the ball. With the triple sub made, Rodrigo sparked some life into Leeds and started attacking the goal in front of us. Gnonto was on fire down the wing in front of us to the right of the goal and his physical presence makes such a difference to the team. After being fouled, Greenwood’s free kick was hit into the box then Rodrigo headed the ball into the net to pull one back. Firpo sent a great pass through to Rodrigo who had his shot saved then Perkins following up with the rebound saw his shot go past the post. Their player was then sent off for deliberate handball for denying Leeds a goal scoring opportunity., To me, this is when things went our way. Although the resulting penalty from Rodrigo was saved, Cardiff being down to 10 men helped Leeds to get the upper hand. A great run by Gnonto on the wing, a back heel from Firpo, gave Perkins the chance to score an equaliser in injury time sending the celebrating Leeds fans wild. After looking down and out for an hour of the game, we’d got our get out of jail card. When Perkins came on it looked like we were playing with two strikers for once which was good to see. I always couldn’t understand why you had to swap one for the other. I was brought up watching a 4-4-2 system which worked for the best team ever I had the privilege to watch. We don’t need to shy away from that system to me. Whilst everyone was glad, we didn’t get beaten on the day, that doesn’t take away how dire we played as a team for an hour. At one point we had five of our players chasing two of theirs on the right hand side of the pitch but they still came away with the ball. We looked to have no tactics, no leadership and no ideas on how to play to any of our strengths. Gnonto moving onto the wing in place of Summerville who had taken a bad tackle in the first half, worked really well as did the triple substitution. Everyone stepped up to the mark once these changes were made which worked in our favour. We now have our next game in the league at Aston Villa next Friday before an FA Cup replay. It would be nice for the club to keep the prices down for that game as a thank you to the fans for their loyal support. Watch this space! See you then - LUFC - Marching on Together! please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
