Jonathan Howson and Gary McAllister have rallied behind Jermaine Beckford and backed the Leeds United striker to bring a swift end to his goal drought.
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The 24-year-old scored twice in last month's 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, but nine of his last 10 appearances have failed to produce a goal, and Beckford endured another unrewarding afternoon at Whaddon Road on Saturday as a series of good chances passed him by.
But McAllister predicted that his leading scorer would make a quick recovery from his lull, and midfielder Howson also offered his support to Beckford after witnessing the 13-goal striker's frustrating experience at Cheltenham.
Howson said: "It's not happening for him at the moment but Becks will keep plugging away in training and he'll keep trying.
"It's only a matter of time before he gets back on the sort of goal-scoring run we know he can produce."
Beckford established himself as English football's top scorer after racing on to a tally of 11 goals in his first nine outings this season, and he was shortlisted for League One's player-of-the-month award at the end of August, a prize which went to Carlisle United's Danny Graham.
The forward's fortunes were summed up by his recent display against Leyton Orient at Elland Road, where he drew a blank after missing a penalty and hitting both the crossbar and a post, and United have looked to his strike partner Luciano Becchio for their goals during the past month.
McAllister, however, was enthused by the number of chances created for Beckford at Whaddon Road and in previous league matches, and he urged the forward to trust that his own ability will see him through a difficult spell.
McAllister said: "As long as we keep supplying him with ammunition, I'm sure he'll come good.
"Strikers go through these little patches, and he's just got to be strong and trust himself – like all the players in our team. There's a lot of quality here."
The full article contains 404 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.