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LEEDS UNITED: Ex-White eyes 'home win'
Leeds lad Andy Monkhouse will cop plenty of stick from his mates if Hartlepool United claim their first-ever win at Elland Road on Saturday.
But it would be a price worth paying for the 28-year-old Pools ace who is yet to be on the winning side against the club where he was on the books for six years as a schoolboy.
The Whites triumphed by the odd goal in five in a Carling Cup second-round tie in September, while the hosts won 2-0 on Monkhouse's previous visit to his home-town club just over 12 months' earlier.
The latter was a game in which Pools were desperately unfortunate as United memorably wiped out the 15-point deficit imposed on them by the Football League at the start of the 2007/08 campaign.
But though Monkhouse's friends held the bragging rights, that didn't stop the languid winger – who hails from Roundhay – getting some grief for scoring early on in the North Easterners' cup visit to LS11 earlier this term.
However, ultimately his mates had the last laugh – by virtue of a last-gasp 3-2 Leeds triumph – and they will be expecting more of the same this weekend albeit with a greater degree of comfort.
The victory rubbed salt in the wounds for Monkhouse, who was in exalted company during his spell with the Whites in the early to mid 1990s – only to be forced to find his teenage footballing kicks elsewhere.
And while any celebrations will be off the agenda this weekend if Danny Wilson's troops do spring a surprise, you detect that Monkhouse would gain a certain amount of inward pleasure.
Getting a starting berth is the first priority although given the fact the Monkhouse came on from the bench in the 64th minute to help inspire Pools to a come-from-behind 2-1 FA Cup replay win over Brighton on Tuesday the portents are good.
Monkhouse, who has already notched five goals this term and is on course to beat his best-ever seasonal tally of nine when Hartlepool won promotion from League Two in 2006/07, said: "None of my family as such support Leeds, but a lot of my mates do and when I scored in the Carling Cup they weren't too happy.
"Quite a few of my mates were there but, unfortunately for us, (Andy) Robinson scored in the last minute. It was a nice moment for me to score though.
"We played well, as we did at Elland Road last season when Wisey was in charge, and it would be nice to win there for a change.
"I needed a few tickets for the Carling Cup game and I've needed a few more for Saturday. But, unfortunately, there’ll be no celebrating for me if we do win, because we’ve got a game on Tuesday, so it’ll be straight home after the match!”
While several of his Whites contemparies went on to become household names, Monkhouse was forced to pick up the pieces of his career in the South Riding of Yorkshire.
The wideman found himself at Rotherham when Ronnie Moore took a punt on the youngster and offered him a professional contract.
And Monkhouse cast aside his Elland Road rejection in the best way possible by playing his part in the Millers’ back-to-back promotions in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 from the league basement to the Championship.
Monkhouse was aboard the Millmoor men’s Championship rollercoaster for three seasons until relegation back to the third tier in the spring of 2005 and the following season he joined up with ex-Whites boss Dennis Wise at Swindon before landing at Victoria Park, initially on loan, two years ago.
In a different world, Monkhouse – one part of a top-notch wing combo with Chris Sedgwick during Moore’s halcyon days with Millers– could have been afforded a bigger stage for his mercurial talents at Leeds.
While admitting to being disappointed by his Whites exit, Monkhouse channelled his dismay in a positive fashion and, some 12 years on, it’s certainly not a case of looking back with anger.
Monkhouse, an unused substitute when Rotherham famously broke their 20-match winless duck at the start of the 2004-05 against Leeds at Millmoor on a fateful and freezing November night in 2004, said: “Alan Smith was there at the same time as me, along with Jonathan Woodgate while Paul Robinson was also in the same age group.
“It was definitely disappointing not to make it at Leeds, but thankfully I went away and carved out a bit of a career for myself.
“Leeds is definitely the first game I look for when the fixtures come out. Obviously, being from Leeds and being on the club’s books as a schoolboy means it’s always a big game for me and I look forward to it.
“I was there from the age of 10 to 15 and obviously it’s a great club.
“All the teams that go to Elland Road will see it as their biggest game of the season, and it is for me especially. Leeds are used to the big occasions and they are one of the favourites to go up.”
Hartlepool have never lowered the colours of United in five previous games in league and cup, though the clubs have been infrequent combatants.
And Monkhouse is the first to admit that Leeds should really be dining at a far higher table than League One.
That said, it’s all about the here and now, and while Pools have donned the entertainers’ tag for most of this season, featuring in several high-scoring games, Monkhouse admits it’s high time they ended their charitable defensive status.
Leaked
Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for the Teessiders, who have plundered 27 in total in League One – the same number as Leeds – and only Oldham, MK Dons, Peterborough and Bristol Rovers have scored more.
However, while their home tally is the best in the division only six goals have arrived on the road.
And there is also room for improvement defensively with Wilson’s mid-tablers having shipped 25 goals. Only six clubs have leaked more.
Looking at the division, Monkhouse added: “Leeds and Leicester shouldn’t be in this league, they should be in the Championship at least and should really go up.
“And any teams who finish above them should get promoted.
“It’s been a funny season for us. We are doing alright at home and our home form is quite good, but it’s not so good away.
“Everyone in this league can beat everybody and our main problem is that we’ve been conceding a lot of goals – although we’ve scored a few.
“Rather than conceding anymore we could maybe do with a couple of 1-0 wins rather than 3-3s and 3-2s.
“If we put a run together, we’ll be right up there. Hopefully, the cup win over Brighton will have given us a lot of confidence.”
leon.wobschall@ypn.co.uk
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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