Patrick Bamford seeks quick response and fires warning about Leeds United's ten-point cushion

United were 13 points clear of third during the half-time interval of Saturday's Championship hosting of Cardiff City when leading the Bluebirds 2-0 but the outcome of a 3-3 draw and a late winner for Preston North End at home to Luton Town slashed the deficit to ten.

The Whites - who had won seven in a row prior to the Cardiff clash - are still no bigger than 1-9 to finish in the division's automatic promotion places but Bamford is taking little comfort given the relentless nature of English football's second tier.

Leeds are still one game short of the division's half-way stage with 24 games remaining including four in 12 days over Christmas and new year.

Asked how important it was to focus on United still having a ten-point cushion after the Cardiff draw, Bamford said: "It is good, but ten points is one week if you play three games in a week.

"It can soon get shut-down and we have got to concentrate on winning the next game as it comes and try and win as many games on the bounce as we can."

United will return to action on Saturday at sixth-placed Fulham who themselves are only two points off third.

Third-placed Preston then visit Elland Road five days later on Boxing Day for the first of three games in seven days with Leeds away at Birmingham City on the final Sunday of the year and then visiting leaders West Brom on New Year's Day.

"If you have a game quickly after something has gone wrong, you can bounce back.," said Bamford.

"It is a demanding period. I know it is Christmas, but we don't get to feel like it is really Christmas because it is a working holiday.

"I say working, but it is not really festive working.

"But we have a job to do and for us, it is going to be all about recovery as we will not get much training time in this period.

"It is about how well you play and recover quickly and go again."