An air of contentment was obvious among United's players over the prospect of a two-legged battle with Carlisle, but Elding was quietly thrilled by the chance to address a score he had hoped to settle.

The striker has prior experience of a play-off against Carlisle and, more significantly, experience of defeat.

Elding was a member of the Stevenage Borough squad who lost to the Cumbrian club during the 2005 Conference play-off final, a result which pulled the clubs in contrasting directions.

Peter Murphy's goal on 23 minutes – sufficient to earn a 1-0 victory during the final at Stoke City's Britannia Stadium – delivered the first of two promotions in as many years for Carlisle, with a third potentially in the offing this season.

Stevenage, meanwhile, remain a Blue Square Premier entity, just as they
were three seasons ago.

A single point separated Carlisle and Stevenage at the end of the 2004-05 term.

Today the margin is some 49 league places, an example of how decisive a turning point the play-offs can be.

It was, perhaps, the most crucial game of Elding's career to date, providing ample motivation for his first experience of League One's knock-outs.

"I couldn't have been happier," Elding said, when asked about the make-up of the semi-finals.

"I've heard a few people saying they're out of form which you shouldn't read too much into, but there's personal motivation for me because I've already lost a play-off final to them.

"I was playing for Stevenage when they beat us at Stoke, and there's a little score for me to settle.

"The disappointment was horrible. I'd scored 20 goals that season and to finish with no reward was tough.

"It's funny to think how far Carlisle have come since then and how much Stevenage have struggled.

"Stevenage basically stood still. It reminds you that promotion doesn't come round very often and how important it is to take your chance when it does."

The importance of opportunism has been reiterated to Elding by his first three months with Leeds, a spell in which patience and an appreciation of United's natural pecking order have been necessary.

Elding's debut was immediate – a starting position against Tranmere Rovers, two days after his transfer to Leeds from Stockport County – but until last month, Gary McAllister was more inclined to use the forward in a supporting role.

Elding knew his place, particularly once Dougie Freedman was recruited as the experienced partner for Jermaine Beckford, but the ankle injury sustained by Beckford last month brought Elding to the fore.

United scarcely missed a beat, and three successive starts for the 26-year-old coincided with three straight wins, guaranteeing the club's place in the play-offs.

Elding had faith in his talent – at Stevenage, he produced exactly 50 goals from 106 league appearances – but he also appreciated the breadth of the gulf he had crossed between Stockport and Leeds.

The gap was stressed to him once more when a crowd of over 38,000 attended Elland Road for last weekend's game against Gillingham.
"Before Saturday, the biggest crowd I'd come across was about 10,000 when I was at Boston United and we played Hull City," Elding said.

"You can't even begin to compare that with a crowd of 40,000. It was an incredible experience, and a bit surreal.

"Obviously it puts pressure on you but what surprises you most is the fact that you can't hear yourself think or what your team-mates are saying.

"The noise is deafening. To say that it gives us a massive advantage doesn't go close.I've scored goals for all the clubs I've played for and I feel I'm a proven striker in that sense, but I also know that I've got to prove it at a different level here.

"I don't want to be chipping in goals every now and again – I want to be doing it game-by-game.

"I look at someone like Dougie Freedman and I see him sitting on five goals already.

"That's an example for me and it's the sort of strikerate I should be aiming for.

"I scored 15 times for Stockport during the first half of this season, and I hoped it would be enough to earn me a big move like this.

"At the age of 26, it was maybe a case of now or never. But I'm in a position where I could be a Championship player in three games' time, just six months after I was in League Two.

"And you know that Leeds can go further than that. It's obvious to me how important the play-offs are."

The mention of Freedman is another deliberate acknowledgement of a player whose arrival at Elland Road was fundamental to the club's final league position and whose influence at Thorp Arch is clearly appreciated.

Elding and Freedman share a room when United's squad hole up in a hotel before each and every fixture, and the former is acting as something of a mentor for the latter.

Elding jokes that Freedman will bore him with tales of his coaching badges and the plans for his testimonial at Crystal Palace, the club who released him on loan to Elland Road, but the 33-year-old's input is of obvious value to a player seven years younger than him and light years behind in terms of experience.

"I room with Dougie and he never stops talking to me," said Elding.

"You're always getting bits of advice, bits of insight – and then the boring stuff like the badges he's got and what's going on with his testimonial. But in all seriousness, it's absolutely brilliant and something I'm very grateful for. You can't buy that.

"He's been top-class since coming here from Palace and he's an example to me.

"Everyone can see the difference he's made, and personally, I hope the manager signs him permanently."