'It's Leeds United, it's what we do' says Jermaine Beckford reflecting on ten-year anniversary of escaping League One

Returning to the club after loan spells at Carlisle United and Scunthorpe United, the striker’s side began a first ever campaign in League One with a 15-point deduction for not complying with insolvency rules in 2007.

Escaping the clutches of English football’s third tier was looking an arduous task.

Yet just short of three years later, that task was completed by Beckford’s final goal for the Whites in a 2-1 victory against Bristol Rovers scored ten years ago today.

Fittingly, it came after the odds had been stacked firmly against United’s favour with Beckford recalling an Elland Road eruption akin to an “illegal firework” as United finally waved goodbye to League One.

There were no shortage of goals for Beckford in a Whites shirt with the striker netting 85 times in 152 appearances after joining Leeds from non-league Wealdstone in March 2006.

One of those goals in particular - the strike to seal a 1-0 win at Manchester United in the FA Cup third round in January 2010 - always receives annual acclaim and celebration three days into each new year.

Yet May 8 of the same year saw Beckford net the goal that finally took United out of the League One doldrums at the third time of asking following defeat in the play-offs in the previous two campaigns.

Despite beginning the 2007-08 campaign on minus 15, a 20-goal haul from Beckford helped ensure that the season still ended with a Wembley play-off final but alas heartache through a 1-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers.

The striker then bagged 27 league goals the following season which also took the Whites to the play-offs but more misery followed via defeat to Millwall in the semi-finals.

One year on, Leeds lined up for their final day hosting of Bristol Rovers knowing victory would finally take them back to the Championship without the need for the play-offs by sealing an automatic promotion place.

Once again, even more despair looked imminent with United reduced to ten men following Max Gradel’s 34th-minute dismissal. Worse still, Daryl Duffy then fired Rovers in front three minutes after the break.

But this time there was to be no denying United’s promotion bid at the third time of asking with Jonny Howson equalising one minute before the hour before Beckford fired home what proved the winning goal and his 25th league goal of the season just four minutes later.

It proved Beckford’s last goal and last outing for the club as the striker then joined Everton at the end of the month but the memories of that game remain as vivid as ever ten years on.

Beckford recalled: “The sound around Elland Road when the second goal went in, and not even the second goal, when Johnny Howson’s goal went in even, it just erupted.

“It was like an illegal firework going off. It was incredible, absolutely incredible. It was just like a huge explosion of relief and everybody getting behind us because we knew we were going to win that game.

“We knew we could win that game, even being down to ten men with Maxi being sent off and being a goal down.

“We went in at half time and we said ‘do you know what, yes, the odds are stacked against us, but they are always stacked against us - this is Leeds United, this is what we do, this is how we do it.’

“We just went in at half time and just knew - ‘don’t worry about what happens, it’s always going to be the hard way, we always do it the hard way, that’s what Leeds United is, we have never had anything easy. The odds are always stacked against us, let’s just suck it up, get on with it and show them what we do.’

“It was like ‘when we win, we are promoted, there’s no two ways around it so let’s just do that.’

“We knew we had goalscorers in the team, we knew he had players that can keep the ball out of the net and we knew we had players that win the ball back.

“So it was just a case of utilising everybody correctly and coming away with what we deserve - the win, the three points and the promotion.”

Reflecting on the celebrations that followed, the 36-year-old smiled: “It was carnage, absolute carnage. It was amazing. We were out in the city centre and all I remember is not going to sleep for maybe two whole days and two whole nights.

“We had so much fun. It was elation, it was relief because we had been to the play-offs two years in a row and had no luck.

“We lost 1-0 to Doncaster and we lost at Wembley and we lost over two legs to Millwall and we were winning in the first leg as well so that was tough to take.

"But it’s Leeds United. Nothing is ever meant to be easy is it?”