Kemar Roofe - Fans memories of striker propelled into Elland Road folklore

He was the Leeds United striker who jokingly took to social media about being under a goalscoring curse.
Kemar Roofe celebrates scoring his first ever Leeds United goal. PIC: Varley Picture AgencyKemar Roofe celebrates scoring his first ever Leeds United goal. PIC: Varley Picture Agency
Kemar Roofe celebrates scoring his first ever Leeds United goal. PIC: Varley Picture Agency

Kemar Roofe sent Twitter into a frenzy with the hashtag #Pray4Roofe after he was denied his first goal by the Anfield woodwork during the EFL Cup quarter-final match against Liverpool in November 2016.

The so close-yet-to-far-effort stretched his goal drought to 22 games following his move to Leeds United from Oxford United in the summer of 2016.

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However the search for salvation ended within a week when he scored in the following game in front of the TV cameras against Aston Villa in a 2-0 victory under the Elland Road floodlights.

Kemar Roofe shakes hands with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the EFL Cup quarter-final clash at Anfield in November 2016. PIC: GettyKemar Roofe shakes hands with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the EFL Cup quarter-final clash at Anfield in November 2016. PIC: Getty
Kemar Roofe shakes hands with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the EFL Cup quarter-final clash at Anfield in November 2016. PIC: Getty
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He would go to score 28 goals during his three seasons with the Whites including two hat-tricks - one against Newport County in the Carabao Cup at Elland Road and another in the Championship at QPR, United's last win in the capital.

He finished the 2018/2019 campaign as the club's top scorer in the Championship with 14, two of which came in an unforgettable 3-2 injury time win against Blackburn Rovers.

Your YEP has been asking the Elland Road faithful to share memories of a Leeds United number seven.

Responses included:

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Darren Fleming (@papafleming) - "Blackburn 3-2 win Boxing Day Had plans for after game so agreed to meet Mrs F outside ground couple of mins from end. Just left ground when he equalised and heard even louder roar two mins later. Made worse by fact Mrs F was stuck in traffic on way to ground so could have stayed!"

Paul Blakemore - "Villa and Blackburn two late winners. Amazing scenes and Roofe propelled into folklore!"

Chris Cole - "Has to be Rovers at home scoring the two in injury time. My last trip from Australia with my Australian wife! She hadn’t experienced anything like it before!"

Stephen Reynolds - "The dramatic last gasp winner against Blackburn on Boxing Day. The scenes in the stadium were off the scale."

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@OfficialChops - "Villa away, Blackburn at home over the Christmas period - late goals winning massive three points. His goal v Derby away in the playoff too. Sadly another thing he will be remembered for though is been injured at completely the wrong times, missing big important games. #RaiseTheRoofe."

Darren Agus "Aston Villa away where we losing but come back to win. Roofe with a shot inside the penalty box for the win."

Shane Hanson - "Villa header was a great atmosphere when it went in."

Simon Meade - "QPR away. Hat-trick in our last away win in London."

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Benji Farkie - "Blackburn home on Boxing Day 2018 2-1 down in stoppage time Roofe scored an equaliser and then a header to win in the last seconds of game."

LEEDS UNITED MAD (@LeedsUnited_MAD) - "Wed 26th Dec 2018; 1-2 down to a time-wasting Blackburn Rovers. Up pops Roofe for an equaliser a minute into injury time. Surely that's that. But no. A sublime Pablo cross three minutes later & Roofe heads the winner! What a Boxing Day Elland Road atmosphere!!"

R.Cartwright (@rogercart57) - "Been some outstanding moments but gotta be the third goal from 2-0 down at Villa Park can't buy that pure emotion flooding out... not forgetting the faces of Smith & Ter."

Phil Hardaker (@philjh1975) - "His second in the Derby game at the start of Bielsa’s reign, when he tied Keogh’s legs in knots. That’s when we knew we actually had a chance of doing something special."

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EdmondDantes (@LeComtedeMonteC) - "Yep. You nailed it. As Roofe glided in between Tomori and Keogh, to bury a beauty of a header, at Derby, I knew something very, very special was happening at Leeds."

Apollo Junction (@ApolloJunction) - "His last second goal at Villa Park to complete a remarkable comeback to win 3-2."

Elliott Daniels (@Elliott_MOT) - "Never forget walking across to Elland Road ahead of the Blackburn game and saying to @bladenlufc 'A nice and simple 2-0 will do today, Villa Park nearly killed us off'. The rest as they say is history."

Stephen Fennell (@StephenFennel15) - "Headed goal against Villa. Kop end."

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