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Leeds United: McAllister defends his United reign
Gary McAllister mounted a defiant defence of his reign and insisted he was the man to take Leeds United forward after the club's FA Cup humiliation at the hands of Histon.
Leeds suffered their first ever defeat to non-league opposition and one of the worst results in their long and distinguished history on a miserable afternoon yesterday, leaving McAllister to fight back at suggestions that his position as manager was now under threat.
Histon lie 43 league places below Leeds – in the Blue Square Premier – but the little-known semi-professional side produced the shock of the second round with their memorable result at Bridge Road, claiming United's scalp through a first-half header from postman Matt Langston.
The Cambridgeshire side succeeded where Rushden and Diamonds, Telford United, Wimbledon and Sutton United had failed before them – overcoming their part-time status to knock Leeds out of the FA Cup – and their reward was another home tie in round three against Championship outfit Swansea City.
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The embarrassing outcome has United focused squarely on claiming promotion from League One, and Leeds will contest a low-key league game at Hereford United on January 3 while Histon and Swansea are competing for a place in round four of the FA Cup.
Histon's victory forced an emotional and dejected McAllister – who admitted his stomach was "churning" – to answer questions about his future, just 10 months after his appointment as manager at Elland Road.
"I think I've taken this club and pushed them in the right direction," McAllister said.
"It's not my decision, but I feel that I'm the guy who can take this club into the Championship."
United were already licking their wounds from a league defeat to Northampton on Tuesday night and Langston's 39th-minute header rounded off a bad week in terrible conditions yesterday.
Driving rain drenched the pitch in Histon, turning Bridge Road into a mud-bath and creating an archetypal battle between a Football League side and their non-league hosts, and Langston settled the tie when he rose to head home a corner from Gareth Gwillim.
Leeds battled desperately for an equaliser after half-time, watched by a live television audience, and Lubomir Michalik drove one shot against a post and had another cleared off the line brilliantly by Histon substitute Antonio Murray.McAllister said: "The facts are that they're through and we've got to take it on the chin.
"Could I fault the players' effort? No. There was just a lack of quality.
"We've got no excuses and I wish them all the best.
"It's got to hurt us and my stomach is churning, as you can imagine. I'm absolutely not good.
"I know how important this is, and I just sometimes wonder if they (the players) know the importance of this result.
"It goes down in folklore as one of probably the biggest upsets.
"We're a third division team and at times we looked like a third division team."
McAllister was in charge of United during the crucial spell of games which took Leeds to the League One play-off final last season, and he was credited with resurrecting the campaign following a sustained loss of form under previous boss Dennis Wise.
Leeds were closing in on the top of League One midway through last month but have dropped to seventh in the division, and McAllister was exasperated by the performance of his players yesterday.
"Some of our passing was very sloppy and I've banged on about this for a long time," he said.
"Everybody's had a chance. At crucial times our decision-making was poor.
"I don't think we were outfought and there's no way you can throw that at the Leeds United players.
"But I know what Histon are and I wish them all the best."
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Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
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