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Leeds United: Gary McAllister's show of faith pays off
Gary McAllister watched with relief as Leeds United halted their losing away run at Cheltenham Town – and then insisted a 1-0 win had vindicated his single-minded selection policy.
* Click here to read a match report from Leeds United's 1-0 win against Cheltennham Town.
* Click here to watch a picture slideshow of match action from Leeds United's 1-0 win against Cheltenham.
Bradley Johnson pledged to return stronger: Click here for full interview.
United's boss kept faith with an unchanged line-up at Whaddon Road in the wake of last Tuesday's loss to Southend United – the fourth defeat in as many away matches – and he was rewarded with a badly-needed victory outside Elland Road.
YEP chief soccer writer Phil Hay gives his verdict on how United's players performed at Whaddon Road: Click here for full details.
A lack of creativity at Roots Hall prompted calls for McAllister to alter his side and increase United's attacking threat by including winger Andy Robinson in his line-up, but he stuck with the same 11 players on Saturday and saw Leeds close in on the top of League One with their first away win since September 20.
The clash at Cheltenham was United's fifth in just over a fortnight and McAllister promised that a cramped fixture list would give first-team opportunities to several of his fringe players in the weeks before Christmas.
Robinson's limited involvement in particular has been the topic of intense debate this season and he appeared for 35 minutes at Whaddon Road after being named as a substitute by McAllister, but United's manager said that his thoughts over selection would not be influenced by outside opinions.
McAllister declared: "On reflection, and with the advantage of watching the Southend game again, I didn't feel we did a lot wrong.
"I just thought that in the final third we got a bit sloppy and it would have been harsh to drop any of the guys who were involved in that performance. I stuck with them and we got the right result.
"I don't need to remind anyone that there are guys knocking on the door.
"Andy's obviously chomping at the bit, without a shadow of a doubt and that's what's going to take us over the line.
"We've got 20 players who are all competitive and want to play. This is the period when I'm expecting the squad to be fully utilised and that's the big message.
"But the onus is on me – I pick the 11 players and I've got to pick the right permutations for Leeds to be winning games."
McAllister's line-up was of less significance than the outcome at Whaddon Road which moved Leeds back into second position in League One and cut their deficit behind leaders Scunthorpe to one point.Luciano Becchio scored the game's only goal with a seventh-minute header – the Argentinian's fifth strike in six matches – and the narrow victory ended United's troubled run of results away from home.
Six weeks had elapsed since the club's last victory on the road, away to Carlisle United, and McAllister paid tribute to the resilience of his players after they battled through a tense second half to close out their win over Cheltenham.
McAllister, meanwhile, has clarified speculation which arose last week suggesting that Dean Windass was poised to leave Hull City and sign on loan for Leeds.
He said rumours of an impending deal for the 39-year-old striker were without foundation.
"I think (the reports) might have come from Dean Windass himself," McAllister joked.
"At this moment, if I'm looking to strengthen then I'll be looking to strengthen in other areas of the park."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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