Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford having best of both worlds with sights set on Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic

Ten games without netting but still starting every single league fixture in the lone striker role.

There is, after all, far more to Bamford’s game then goals with Bielsa often highlighting the striker’s all round contribution.

By his own admittance, says Bamford, that couldn’t always be said as a youngster.

Put simply, the forward thrives on goals which are finally arriving via five in his last seven games.

The combination of strong hold up play and nine for the season has fired Leeds clear in the automatic promotion spots, one game short of the half-way stage of the Championship campaign.

And Bamford is even looking at two tables with the striker hoping both areas of his game continue to thrive and still setting his sights on the Championship’S Golden Boot award.

Bamford’s double in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at home to Cardiff City took the forward one short of double figures for the campaign so far and indeed only one adrift of last term’s total in his first season with the Whites.

After missing 21 games with two separate knee injuries, the forward was pleased with last season’s return.

Staying injury free was always the first priority for his second campaign which began with four goals in his first five games.

Yet after bagging United’s third in the 3-0 win at Stoke City on August 24, Bamford had to wait 11 weeks and through two international breaks before netting again when holding his nerve to convert from the penalty spot in the 2-1 success at home to Blackburn Rovers on November 9.

Throughout it all, Bielsa stayed loyal and the striker was asked about his head coach’s support after quickly following his penalty against Blackburn with a strike in the 2-1 win at Luton Town in the very next game.

“He said that it was a cunning case,” said Bamford last month.

“A unique case because normally if a striker is not scoring it’s because he’s sh*t or because he’s not playing but with you it’s neither of them so it’s a unique case that I don’t understand so I am sure you should be scoring every game.”

That, though, remains the striker’s aim with Bamford delighted and relieved that his previously lesser-famed attribute of strong hold up play is now being accompanied by goals.

“It’s weird because throughout my career, since I was young I was always looked at for my goals and my all-round game wasn’t very good,” said Bamford.

“It was something t I had to work on and since coming to Leeds my all-round game - well, last year write it off because of injuries and stuff - but this year my all-round game has been really, really good I feel.

“Then I’m missing chances which I know I should be scoring and that’s been frustrating for me.

“But to put them both together, if I can keep putting these together, it can be a good year.”

Bamford’s seasonal best return came in 2013-14 when netting 25; 17 on loan from Chelsea at MK Dons in League One and another eight on loan at Derby County as the Rams made the Championship play-offs.

Bamford was then loaned to Middlesbrough the following season and netted a Championship best return of 19 to also help the Riversiders to the play-offs.

After subsequent loan spells in the Premier League at Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Burnley, Bamford then joined Middlesbrough permanently in January 2017 and after the Riversiders were relegated, 13 goals were notched the following Championship campaign.

But two years on and with last season’s injury troubles behind him, there is every chance of Bamford recording a best ever Championship haul at Leeds this term and the striker is shooting for the very top.

Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic currently leads the division’s goal scoring charts on 16 and Bamford readily admits he takes a big interest in the Golden Boot race.

“I pay quite a bit of attention to it,” admitted the Whites no 9.

“Every striker in the league wants to be at the top of it and whilst he is still quite a away ahead I still believe he is catchable. It’s something that I look at it but without getting trying to get too far ahead of myself.

“I have just got to concentrate on trying to score in each game that comes along and then come the end of the season we will see what the charts say.”