Confirmation on January 29 that Gary McAllister had taken the seat vacated by Dennis Wise left United's players wondering what lay in store for them, and Kilkenny's intention of finding a niche in McAllister's plans was hindered when he strained an Achilles tendon at Southend United later that evening.

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His recovery took five weeks to complete, and though McAllister expected to have him available for the postponed match at Doncaster Rovers a fortnight ago, the final stages of Kilkenny's rehabilitation eventually ran into the final days of February.

But if Kilkenny needed reassurance over McAllister's opinion of him, it was provided at Swindon Town on Saturday when the Australian international rejoined United's starting line-up after a single day's training.

Kilkenny had begun working with McAllister's squad on Friday, fully a month after sustaining his injury, but his performance on the right side of midfield against Swindon contributed to a badly-needed victory at the County Ground. "Neil Kilkenny is a player I feel can pull it together," said McAllister. "He plays with no fear on the ball."

The 22-year-old admitted to private concerns when Wise stepped down a matter of weeks after signing him from Birmingham City, but Kilkenny believes the shifting sands were not the problem they might have been.

"It's a bit of a worry when you sign for one manager and then three or four weeks later he's left the club," said Kilkenny.

"But the new manager wants to play football, and that's my game. I want to get the ball down and start passing it. I was pleased to hear him come in and say that, and it's good to have a manager like him.

"He's a top manager. I heard some of his team talks when I was injured - I'd go into the changing room and listen to them. It was all a bit strange, but I'm pleased to be playing again.

"I was worried at the start of the week about whether I'd be able to play and I only trained on Friday, but the manager put me in the team. I was quite surprised by that because I haven't played for five weeks, and I haven't even trained. I'm glad he had the confidence to play me."
Kilkenny's role on Saturday was even more of a surprise to him than his inclusion in the starting line-up.

McAllister took Kilkenny out of his usual stamping ground in the centre of midfield and named him on the right wing with permission to roam.
Competition for central positions is intense at Elland Road and will increase further when Andrew Hughes and Jonathan Douglas recover from their respective knee injuries. The growing influence of David Prutton in what was his recognised position with Nottingham Forest and Southampton has given McAllister an additional option to consider.

Prutton was included in the centre of midfield to good effect against Crewe Alexandra last weekend, and his prominent display at Swindon - where he created the only goal - may lead McAllister to declare him a fixture in that position.
Kilkenny said: "I'm just happy to be playing. I want to play central midfield but that's the manager's choice. Maybe when my fitness comes back a bit he might push me towards the middle again.
"But if we keep winning and the central midfielders keep playing well then I can't complain. Right midfield is probably not my best position but I haven't trained for five weeks.
"You want to play as much as possible, and I was disappointed to get the injury. I tried to play through it but it was hurting too much, and the manager told me to have another week off. He then said I'd be travelling (on Friday). I trained and felt alright.
"Towards the end of the game I could feeling myself blowing a bit, and I want to get my fitness back as soon as possible and play a full game."
United's first win in eight matches on Saturday had an important effect on their league position, lifting them to a position two points short of the play-offs with the help of Tranmere's 1-0 defeat to Doncaster. The club are also in possession of a game in hand over Tranmere.
Successive home matches against Bournemouth and Cheltenham Town are enticing opportunities for a Leeds team who, having stumbled through an acute loss of form, are now protecting a four-match unbeaten sequence after draws against Northampton, Nottingham Forest and Crewe, and Saturday's win over Swindon.
Kilkenny said: "We grinded a result out, and that's what you have to do to get promoted.
"I played against Leeds twice (for Oldham Athletic) and in the first game at Boundary Park, I thought Oldham were the better team. But Leeds grinded the result out there.
"We're back to winning ways and I hope we can move up the table again. I don't think this is the start of something - we're just continuing something. The lads were doing well before January and we're trying to continue that now and get promoted. That was the aim at the beginning of the season. The manager told me that, and people around the city have been telling me that as well."