So summer is put on temporary hold but still confident of wringing out a few more weeks of sunshine. Don’t know about anyone else but I’ve never looked forward to a season. I get the old tempo raised on the actual day of the game as I make my way to the station jacketless and pockets bulging with the long days necessities but cant really get up for it while the cricket and Rugby are still in full flow.
This part of the season is when two existences collide, the relaxed strolling about in the long daylight hours clashes uneasily with the fervent worry about how Leeds United are going to make you feel. This weekend was stranger than most. Today Elland Road, tomorrow the challenge cup semi 
(did i mention we won 
) and Monday day4 at Headingley (aye well cant have everything 
). H2 had her annual treat very early as she came along to this game since twatnav was away in that there London.
It was good to be back in the Taps on Match days and meet up with the regular lads whom I hardly see at all other than match days then onto the bus up to the ground. Better now, getting the old feeling back. Shook hands with the same old crowd around us and surveyed the scene. A good crowd in the ER Sunshine very eager with a bit more than average pre game noise. By the time the teams came out there was quite a head of Steam building up helped by the sight of the teams in the tunnel on the new scoreboard Maybe 2000 Exeter fans did there bit to add to the decibel levels as the teams came out. The Red and White mass in the corner and half way along the South Stand was quite impressive actually.
No pre season games for me so it was a first glimpse of the new boys. Its no secret I’m not a Casper fan and was glad the new lad Higgs was in goal. It was good to see the athletic presence of Kisnorbo at the back too. It probably goes without saying too that the missing Richardson provided a glow of comfort, to me anyway. There was a minutes appreciation of the recently departed warmly participated in with a particularly nice “One Bobby Robson” chant from the Kop. Beckford went round the usual hugging routing and we started attacking the South stand.
Well we looked fantastic and for a while Exeter were chasing shadows strangely overwhelmed in the Elland Road Heat. Parker looked like he had joined Howson in the gym during the summer and was rampant up the left. The whole team were chasing and closing down everything and suddenly a few weeks indifference changed to wild exited optimism.
Within about five minutes Beckford had three good chances and Becchio went close with an header. Exeter were restricted to attempted breaks that we contained with both Howson and Doyle Getting well timed challenges in and the new full back Crowe well positioned to calmly send a header back pass to the keeper. Rui classily broke another move up but showed typical rashness by sending a truly awful pass into nowhere . Then it was Beckord again with an attempted curler that went close and it seemed a goal was inevitable. Indeed it was after another great run from Parker picking it up from the wing then cut into the middle to lay a perfect through ball for JB to superbly finish.
Exeter then began to break with a little more confidence. They made was a couple of speedy breaks with some woeful crosses from their right after getting into good positions. Parker did well with a cleared header after a cross from their left and it was our turn to break. The ref wasted our advantage from it when he ordered a re take of a free kick to allow Exeter time to regroup.
We continued our dominance with some spells of great pressure. Beckford headered against the bar and wasted a good position he got into on the right when he was undecided what to do with it. Then one of those turning points we get so many times. Parker went down injured seemingly innocuous. There was some bizarre announcement over the PA seemingly delivered by YTS girl on LSD. On came the scampering Hughes to fill in at Left back and all of a sudden Exeter started to come into the game growing in confidence and tenacity. They had a free kick on the edge of the box in a dangerous position that we blocked and immediately after sent a dangerous cross in that painfully crossed our entire 6 yard box. The alarm bells were ringing as they continued this very good spell of theirs right up to the half time whistle.
H2 asked if we could go to the Kop bar as she had never been in and wanted to see it 
. Are you sure I said. Anyway up we went and sure enough she suddenly realised it wasn’t quite what she was expecting 
. A mass of sweating singing swaying boyos swigging shit lager from plastic glasses were rammed in both bars. I made my way carefully through the five deep throng at the bar to bring the drinks and found as clear a space as I could. That in itself was difficult enough without snaking passed hundreds of people sitting down ‘cos "they hate man u" and standing up to sing songs about human disasters .
I do worry about the aging demography of our fan base so it was mixed feelings I had when surveying the bar area. Most were under 35, many in their twenties but do we need or want these kinds of younger fans? To carry on these days like 80s hoolies is just idiocy. It wasn’t much cleverer in the eighties but at least you didn’t have surveillance, CTCs and a well organised police intelligence operation to contend with. Thankfully H2 didn’t twig what they were singing about and I was too ashamed to tell her. Suffice it to say anyway she doesn’t want to go back to the bars again. Had a quick natter with three lads I know from Hudders and it was back for the second half.
Hughsey made a penetrating run to create an opportunity but that broke down and indeed it was Hughsey again showing good energy racing back to stop the break. We then started to show hesitancy signs. The midfield didn’t seem to be looking for and wanting the ball and it all got a bit frustrating. Thankfully we had Jermaine Beckford and as long as he is their defences seem reluctant to come forward. Twice he created chances for himself and tried his trade mark chip shots. This put the jitters in to Exeter and we came back strongly into the game and took the initiative once more. It’s all Leeds now I said in the text to my mate just after their man was sent off for something I still don’t know he did. Presume it was abusive language. Instead of this been the cue to press home we simply allowed Exeter to once more come at us with some great vigour. They seemed to grown after going a man down and it was they who looked like getting the next goal. It was as if they threw caution to the wind and played without pressure to their advantage. This is where I think we let ourselves down with a number of things. Snods was unusually ineffective. Howson couldn’t get to dominate; Doyle wasn’t showing as i thought he would. Johnson was disappearing into passenger status and it took an assured steady defensive show to keep them out. We did break and get into some good positions. Howson dawdled on his wrong foot and couldn’t get a shot in when he was in a great position. Crowe???? broke through with a great run but wasted it with a lame finish straight at the keeper.
Still Exeter remained composed and kept a good shape seemingly unaware they had a man short. The free kick was a beautifully worked one and they were deservedly level. There was some excitement amongst the Exeter fans, a couple went on the pitch and a few ran to the Leeds Fans across the South Stand. They do seem to enjoy it here don’t they?
This was the cue for Andy Robinson chants, the Kop messiah . To be fair I do think coming on at home when we are chasing a result is just his forte. The goals seemed to satisfy Exeter and allowed us to attack them with more time. They seemed content to maintain a rearguard action. This again was a concern to me. Given these circumstances I thought we could have created more with a surge of relentless forward play but too many times we seems lackadaisical around the box. None more so than Becchio who with the goal at his mercy couldn’t get the ball down. He went off very soon after that to be replaced by Big Enoch which was a cue for a song in the kop complete with swinging around the head mimes which amused H2. He did look dangerous and strong as well. I thought he was unfairly booked as well when he was clearly impeded in his run. Increasingly it looked likely that we were going to have to produce something special as the clocked ticked down. That something special was once again the man Beckford. I thought he took the header goal superbly to send the kop into raptures.
There was still time for Beckford to get his hatrick which he almost did but could quite get to grips with his final opportunity in the last seconds just before the final whistle.
“‘Kin pay him whatever he wants” was the shout nearby directed to Bates and who can begrudge him that, he certainly won us this game with his eye for goal.
Anyway it was a beautiful evening so we walked back into town avoiding the dreadful bus queue. We passed the increasingly depressing Holbeck area with the sadly and never to reopen Waggon, passed the completely refurbished/ruined Brittania by passed some yoof lurking under the flyover and some gawping loiterers onwards to the Grove. Had a couple outside amidst the swanky hotels and apartments that now dwarf the it as it holds its position there like a defiant Dog.
We then went to the Loch Fyne restaurant then for a splendid end to a fab day. Here’s to many more like it this season
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I might Be Middle Class but I'm Hard. Al Dente you might say
