Big Leeds United boost as ex-Whites boss lends hand to club's Championship promotion bid and new chance

An ex-Whites boss has provided a helping hand to Leeds United’s Championship promotion bid in a fresh big boost for Daniel Farke’s side.

United’s key automatic promotion rivals Burnley had the chance to move just two points behind Farke’s taple-toppers with a victory in Saturday’s lunchtime derby at Preston North End.

Preston, though, managed by former Whites boss Paul Heckingbottom, held the Clarets to yet another goalless draw involving Scott Parker’s side.

The result still took third-placed Burnley a point closer to Leeds but the Whites now have the chance to kick seven points clear of the Clarets with victory at home to Sunderland in Monday night’s game in hand.

Incredibly, Scott Parker’s Clarets went into the contest having kept a record ten Championship clean sheets in a row and still having conceded just nine goals all season.

Watford were the last team to score against Burnley in the league, way back on December 21 when Kwadwo Baah’s 80th-minute strike proved only a consolation in a 2-1 defeat for the Hornets.

Excluding added time, it meant Burnley had gone 910 minutes of league football without conceding a goal, over 15 hours.

Preston, under former Leeds boss Heckingbottom, lined up in 15th place, seven points off the play-offs and 11 points clear of the dropzone.

As part of a goalless first half, Lyle Foster squandered a glorious chance to put the Clarets ahead in the sole minute of added time as he blazed over the bar with the goal gaping from the middle of the box.

Six minutes after the break, Foster worked another fine opening in the box but his low shot hit the outside of the post as Preston survived.

Ex-White loanee Jaidon Anthony then looked set to finally break the deadlock with 18 minutes left as he cut into the box only to fire his shot over the bar.

As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, a dangerous cross from Burnley’s January signing Marcus Edwards took a huge deflection and flied narrowly over as part of a frantic finish.

But the contest ultimately ended goalless, the Clarets having now gone 1000 minutes without conceding a goal but again unable to net at the other end.