My Leeds United - Promotion dream getting clinically vulnerable White through quarantine

GETTING THROUGH - Dan Skelton has been in quarantine due to his medical condition but Leeds United dreams are helping him through.

Dan Skelton is a housing support worker who has been following Leeds home and away since meeting his partner in 2011. He had a kidney transplant the same year and is considered in the clinically extremely vulnerable category during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being told you have to stay at home for a minimum of 12 weeks is strange, being classed as vulnerable when you feel well is odd, but not being able to watch Leeds play – that’s the real blow.

A season being suspended is almost unthinkable, yet the fact it happened with Leeds sitting top and close to promotion, strangely it feels apt.

If it’s not Leeds stopping Leeds, it’s a global epidemic, it just had to happen to us.

Being housebound has its restrictions and difficulties - it will drag almost as long as a two-week international break - but one way I am getting through it is clinging to the hope that when, or if, football resumes, the Whites will finish the job, even if I can’t be there in person to witness it.

Having a schedule helps me but, whatever it is, taking things day by day seems to work. I can’t recall how many times I’ve watched the Quest highlights of our games [other channels are available], only of our wins of course.

Birmingham away, despite being there, is one I watch over and over, what a game, what a day, how Leeds.

It’s moments like this that you miss, but just watching highlights gives you a flicker of the adrenaline of a game, enough to get me through each day.

It will get me through the quarantine, probably having watched all our winning goals from every conceivable angle, doing so with the hope that, at the other end, will be a promotion party.

I would give almost anything to be able to go watch Leeds again.

The virus stopped us going to Cardiff; for Hull we flew in from Paris to Manchester on an early flight and drove to the game, that’s what Leeds means.

Health and family is, of course, more important than football, but what outsiders don’t understand is that, even though Leeds can make us suffer, following Leeds keeps us healthy, especially mentally. Leeds is a family, the club keeps us dreaming, whilst belonging, believing.

The highs, lows, emotions, football is a part of life and no virus can take away from that.

For no matter where you are, from New Zealand to Beeston, Malaysia to Seacroft, we are all part of the Leeds family and we all look after each other. If we need help, the family reaches out, protects and supports one another.

And this is what makes the club so special, this is what gets me, will get us through these uncertain times. It is a difficult time for myself and one that I couldn’t have prepared for but, like many others, Leeds is part of my DNA, Leeds will get me through this.

Knowing that whenever it may be, I will get back to Elland Road, travelling across the country to follow the team, getting that buzz back, that’s all I need to keep me going though, of course, promotion would be nice. I am quarantined for safety, watching Leeds highlights for sanity.

Quarantine or no quarantine, Leeds would take more. Family is the most important thing right now, but family includes Leeds.

We’ll get through this all marching on together.