Sponsored by
How's that! We're off to Wembley
Jonathan Howson sent Leeds United to Wembley with two priceless goals against Carlisle United - on a dramatic night when the midfielder feared he would be dropped.
Howson followed up a 10th-minute strike by scoring seconds before the final whistle at Brunton Park to earn Leeds a sensational 3-2 aggregate victory over Carlisle and secure the club's place in the League One play-off final.
United were under extreme pressure last night after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the semi-final first leg at Elland Road, but Gary McAllister's players recovered from an abject home display to produce a perfect away performance and move to within one game of reclaiming their place in the Championship.
Howson admitted his starting place had been at risk last night after his quiet display in the first leg, but McAllister was rewarded for a brave show of faith as an unchanged line-up reversed their narrow deficit with a 2-0 win.
Howson said: "If Gary McAllister had put me on the bench, I'd have had no complaints.
"The other night I was way below my standard but I can put it down to being one of those games. As soon as I found out I was starting, I thought 'I've got to repay him' because he kept faith with me.
"The thought that he would drop me had crossed my mind a few times because I'd been nowhere near the performance I was capable of, but he had a word with me, said I wasn't good enough on Monday and that I needed to up it.
"It hasn't sunk in yet but obviously I'm delighted. With the second goal, I didn't think I connected with it as well as I would have liked, and when it hit the net I didn't know how to react. It was just a massive buzz.
"It's been a hard season but we have to go to Wembley now. The job's not fully done."
McAllister admitted before last night's match that he expected the first goal to be pivotal and Howson's early finish – a low volley from six yards – gave Leeds control of a game which Carlisle had briefly dominated.
Bradley Johnson hit the post deep in the second half as the match edged towards an extra half-hour, but Howson struck with a left-footed shot in the one and only minute of injury-time to complete a famous victory.The goal prompted riotous celebrations among the 1,600 Leeds supporters who travelled to Cumbria for last night's second leg, and McAllister and his players emerged from the tunnel to receive their acclaim long after Carlisle's fans had dispersed from the terraces.
McAllister said: "That was for them (the supporters), and the players would be first to admit that.
"It was a bit of a damp squib on Monday night and I think the fans got the reaction they wanted.
"I've got to admit that I thought long and hard about making two or three changes, and the players would have accepted that because we under-performed.
"But we gave the same 11 a go looking for a reaction, and that's the sort of reaction that any manager in the world would like. We were brave, we got a wonderful result and the added bonus of a very good performance."
McAllister will discover tonight who United's opponents will be in the play-off final, with Doncaster Rovers and Southend United preparing to settle the second semi-final at the Keepmoat Stadium. The tie is finely balanced after a goalless draw in the first leg.
London is certain to be flooded with a mass invasion of Leeds supporters on Sunday, May 25, and Howson admitted he would have joined up with the crowd who have followed United through the play-offs had he not been part of the squad tasked with completing the club's path to the Championship.
Howson said: "If I wasn't in this position (as a player), I'd have either been at Carlisle tonight or at home watching the game on TV.
"To actually be playing, it's what you dream of as a little kid. I couldn't have written this any better for myself.
"It's going to take me a few days to come down because we're going to Wembley. It's a massive achievement."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
