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Leeds United: Resolute Whites go safely through
It never used to be this comfortable at Boundary Park, did it?
A weather-ravaged Pennines day certainly won't linger long in the memory. But at least United negotiated their side of the bargain where it mattered at a notoriously tricky venue and produced a couple of crackerjack moments while belated Bonfire Night celebrations across the North turned into little more than damp squibs.
Soggy is perhaps the best word to describe Oldham's pretty meek performance and while the effort was there, you got the impression that some players were a little awe-struck and lacked the necessary self-belief to go anywhere near toppling United.
That's what you get when you take on a side that has lost only two of their previous 19 fixtures this season, while claiming garlands at both ends of the pitch.
Without being illuminating, United produced a consummately-professional performance and while just one goal separated the sides for virtually all of the game, the visitors rarely looked in danger of not booking their place in the hat for round two.
Given the wretched conditions, you sensed Simon Grayson and his coaching staff would have been imploring their charges about the importance of doing the basics well and maintaining their discipline.
A horses-for-courses performance was duly delivered, with United's back four – a couple of minor aberrations apart – looking characteristically robust as they claimed their third clean sheet on the spin.
The midfield, pretty much five men when not in possession, worked their socks off, none more so than scorer Jonathan Howson and the ebullient Neil Kilkenny, whose first half display against his former side was the major motivating factor behind Latics boss Dave Penney's tactical substitution in bringing on central midfielder Danny Whitaker for wing man Joe Colbeck.
It was an ultimately unrewarding afternoon for top-scorer Jermaine Beckford, but he produced a shift for the team, while keeping Sean Gregan and Reuben Hazell occupied in the heart of the Latics rearguard.
United have done it several ways already this term, winning with brilliance and panache at Bristol Rovers, making the most of a dollop of good fortune against Norwich, displaying their finishing school credentials at home to Yeovil and showing relentless persistence right to the death to ultimately chisel out the points against the likes of MK Dons and Exeter.
The machine rolled into Boundary Park on Saturday and while it wasn't the sexy football of their last road trip to Bristol Rovers, it was the sort of away performance that should keep a manager sleeping soundly at night ahead of the deep mid-winter when the fancy stuff often gets thrown out of the window.
As the nights draw in, games – especially away ones – often become attritional by nature as players cope with treacherous surfaces or inclement weather, or both at the same time.
The early winter of last season proved the beginning of the end for Gary McAllister, but this current United crop seem to display the fortitude and doggedness which the team of 12 months ago lacked in the final analysis.
In a slight switch of emphasis, Grayson elected not to replace cup-tied forward Sam Vokes with another bona fide front man in the shape of either Mike Grella or Enoch Showunmi, who would have been chomping at the bit for a rare start after becoming unwitting beneficiaries of Tresor Kandol’s indiscipline against Yeovil.
Kilkenny, who produced a telling contribution from the bench against the Glovers, was handed the artisan’s brief in the heart of midfield, while Robert Snodgrass and Bradley Johnson – with 10 goals between them prior to kick off – were given license to support Beckford.
Darryl Flahavan, who never managed to get his keeping gloves dirty in a spring loan spell at United last term, started for the Latics after joining on a temporary basis from Crystal Palace, with former United target Dean Brill demoted to the bench.
Ex-Whites stopper Gregan started, while former Huddersfield striker Pawel Abbott missed out through injury, with his physical presence something that the Latics patently lacked.
Teeming mid-afternoon rain, which pretty much failed to relent, put a dampener on proceedings.
A slow start ensued with both sides getting to grips with the skidy surface and it took a woeful back header from Hazell to create the game’s first meaningful chance.
His faux pas let in Johnson, but his effort was blocked by the onrushing Flahavan.
Slowly but surely, United claimed residency rights in the midfield and anchor Michael Doyle perhaps should have done better on 18 minutes, with his shot firing off target after the ball feel into his path nicely after Johnson’s free kick was charged down.
Oldham – left to fend for attacking morsels on the break – were struggling for inspiration, but were handed a leg up when some uncharacteristic dithering from Patrick Kisnorbo set up a golden chance for ex-Bantams ace Colbeck.
Free on goal, he took the heaviest of touches, enabling a previously-underemployed Casper Ankergren to save the day.
rare
It proved a rare moment of alarm for United, with normal service soon resumed.
And a goal arrived in the bargain on 36 minutes when Snodgrass’ neat approach work saw the platform laid for Howson, whose rasping 20-yard left-footed strike flew past Flahavan, with the aid of a slight deflection – his second goal of the campaign.
After playing out the rest of the half comfortably, United had every reason to feel confident, attacking in front of the away contingent in the second half, who made up close to half the crowd.
Howson fired an early strike straight at Flahavan, before the hosts belatedly shrugged off their first half torpor and started to hint at making a game of it.
Chris Taylor – the only player to possess any semblance of threat and class in the first half for the Latics – was invariably at the heart of things, but he lacked the necessary composure in firing a tame half-volley at Ankergren following Flahavan’s punt upfield.
The wingman, reportedly a target for Sheffield United – with Grayson also a past admirer – then caused a moment of genuine alarm with his angled shot drawing out a telling parry in the nick of time from a scrambling Ankergren.
Dean Furman fired a snap-shot over for Oldham before Beckford shot into the away end as the Whites broke with purpose.
A grandstand finale from Oldham wasn’t forthcoming and as they threw bodies despairingly forward, United applied the salt in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Snodgrass fed the ball to late sub Aidan White and his cross was emphatically dispatched by fellow replacement Grella.
Job done.
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Weather for Leeds
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 26 C
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