On the way to glory

April awards announced in the npower Championship.

Last updated: May 1, 2013 9:45am.





The Championship awards for April have been confirmed this morning, with all four awards going to people at different clubs.

Hull City manager Steve Bruce has been awarded the Manager of the Month award, after guiding The Tigers to four league victories in six games, and he has also guided the club back into the Premier League. Ipswich Town midfielder Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has received the Player of the Month award, after bagging a remarkable seven goals in six games for The Tractor Boys. Lewis Dunk has won the Young Player of the Month award yet again, after he put in a series of solid performances last month. Finally the Goal of the Month award has gone to Colin Kazim-Richards, for his strike for Blackburn Rovers against Birmingham City, in which he took the ball past two players, before calmly scoring an effort from 15 yards out.

The champions and runners-up have been confirmed before the final game, with Wolves returning to the Premier League as champions, and Hull City will be promoted as runners-up. In the play-off places are Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Bolton Wanderers, although only The Whites and Rovers are guaranteed to be in the play-offs, so Forest and Wanderers do need to win on the final day, to guarantee their place in the play-offs. At the other end of the Championship table, both Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday know they will be in League One next season, and the last relegation place will go to either Derby County, Leicester City or Middlesbrough, with that place being decided on Saturday.

Manager of the Month. Steve Bruce (Hull City).
Player of the Month. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich Town).
Young Player of the Month. Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Goal of the Month. Colin Kazim-Richards. Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers.

4 May 2013
Last updated at 17:55


Leeds United will enter the Championship play-offs on the back of a 1-1 draw with Barnsley, after the South Yorkshire side came from behind to secure a point.

Leeds United came into the Yorkshire derby after drawing away to Blackburn Rovers last weekend, and manager Phil Walker made five changes in total, out went Paddy Kenny, Patrick Kisnorbo, Danny Pugh, Rodolph Austin and Michael Tonge, with Jamie Ashdown, Monty Gimpel, Charlie Taylor, Michael Brown and Sanchez Payne coming in. Youngster Chris Dawson was also named on the bench, with him being handed the number 33 by boss Phil Walker.

Barnsley who had lost 3-1 to Birmingham City at Oakwell in their last match, so manager Danny Lennon made eight changes in total, with only John Stones, Rob Edwards and Martin Cranie keeping their place from that defeat.

Leeds United created the first opportunity of the Yorkshire derby, and they found the net with the chance, with Ross McCormack finding the net on eight minutes. The assist for the goal went to midfielder Aidan White, but the move for the goal started from the back, centre-back Monty Gimpel picked the ball up from a Tom Lees pass, he then played the ball into Luciano Becchio, who then played the ball out to White, he then broke down the left before crossing the ball in, that was flicked on by Becchio into McCormack, and he took a touch before slotting the ball into the roof of the net.

The next chance of the match came 18 minutes later, with Ross McCormack going close to scoring his second goal of the match, but he hit the crossbar with a header. The move for The Whites again involved Aidan White and Luciano Becchio, it was the Argentinian who played the ball out wide to White, he then exchanged passes with Sanchez Payne, before crossing the ball into the penalty area to find McCormack, and he flicked the ball on with his head, but saw his header hit the crossbar with Luke Steele beaten.

The home side had another great chance just ten minutes after that Ross McCormack header, and this time Aidan White went close. The move started when David Norris latched onto a loose ball out on the right, he then cut inside before spotting the run of Sam Byram to his right, he then played the ball out to the right-back, but his cross into the box could only find Stephen Foster, who only headed the ball clear as far as Sanchez Payne, he then found White in space with a pass, and he hit a low drive which went just wide of the far post, with the sliding Luciano Becchio just failing to make contact with the shot to turn it in.

The visitors equalised just before half-time, with Craig Davies firing home from the penalty spot. The penalty was won by Barnsley midfielder Jim O'Brien, he was found by a pass over the top by David Perkins, but as he turned away from Sam Byram he was brought down for a penalty, and Davies fired the ball home under Jamie Ashdown for 1-1, a strike which took his tally for the season to 23 goals.

The first chance of the second-half fell to the home side, with Luciano Becchio putting his header wide of the goal. The move for the chance started with debutant Chris Dawson, he had replaced Sanchez Payne for the second-half, and he played the ball out wide to David Norris, who then crossed a dangerous looking ball into the box for Becchio, but he put his header just wide of the target.

Barnsley had a great chance to put themselves into the lead with 13 minutes left, but Craig Davies fired his shot wide of the target. It was Sammy Ameobi who created the chance for Davies, he picked the ball up from a pass by Martin Cranie, before slotting a brilliant ball behind the home defence for Davies to latch onto, but the striker fired across the face of goal and wide.

Full time at Elland Road and the Yorkshire derby has finished all square this afternoon, despite the home team taking the lead through a Ross McCormack strike, the visitors came back to equalise from the penalty spot, with striker Craig Davies firing home the spot kick. The majority of the Leeds United fans stayed behind to applaud their team, who did a lap of honour for the supporters, but they will be back here later this month, as The Whites are in the play-offs. The Barnsley fans also applauded their players off the pitch, after they finished the season in 13th place, which is their highest finish for 13 years.

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the draw. "A disappointing result for us today, especially with us having taken the lead and being the better team, so to draw the match was highly disappointing for me, but I have told the lads that.

"I know there will be a lot of people questioning my team selection today, but at the end of the day I wanted to give some of my key players a rest, and when you look at the amount of players out there today who have progressed from our academy, I think it is quite impressive.

"We will face either Nottingham Forest or Bolton Wanderers in the play-offs, and both of those teams will give us a test, but we have had a great season and whatever happens I am pleased with how it has gone."

Barnsley manager, Danny Lennon, on claiming a point at Elland Road. "This was a fantastic end to a fantastic season in my opinion, it might have been an understrength Leeds United side out there today, but they still had a number of first-team regulars out there today, so to claim a point is a fantastic result.

"This is also the clubs highest finish in 13 years, but we must now go away and come back for pre-season looking to improve on that, and who knows we might be fighting for the play-offs next season."

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Ashdown, Byram, Lees, Gimpel (Peltier 66), Taylor, Norris (c), Brown (Thompson 85), Payne (Dawson 45), White, McCormack, Becchio.
Subs not used. Kenny (gk), Pearce, Lenighan, Poleon.
Goal. McCormack 8.
Booked. Brown, Norris, Dawson.

Barnsley starting line-up (4-3-3). Steele, Stones, Edwards, Foster, McNulty, Perkns, Cranie, Hassell (c), O'Brien, Davies (Harewood 83), Ameobi.
Subs not used. Alnwick (gk), Golbourne, Wiseman, Etuhu, Collins, Hunt.
Goal. Davies pen 44.

Attendance. 29,779.
Referee. Lee Probert.
Man of the Match. Tom Lees (Leeds United), rated at 7.8 over 90 minutes. The Leeds United centre-back put in a good performance this afternoon, with a number of well-timed tackles to deny Barnsley.

Derby County are relegated.

Last updated: May 4, 2013 6:30pm.





Derby County will have to plan for League One football next season, after they were relegated earlier today.

Despite beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Pride Park this afternoon, The Rams have been relegated to League One today, after Middlesbrough beat Peterborough United 1-0, and Leicester City cruised to a 4-0 victory away at Cardiff City, which meant that the win for The Rams could not save them from relegation to League One.

The relegation will come as more of a shock to people in football, as the club has had the second best defence in the Championship this season, conceding just 46 goals, but scoring goals has been more of an issue for them, with them finding the net just 46 goals, which has seen them end the season with the joint second worst attack, and on a 0 goal difference.

Relegation this season for the East Midlands club will be a massive disappointment, after they was tipped to finish in 13th place this season, but this campaign has been a massive disappointment for them, but they will be hoping to keep players like Will Hughes at the club in the summer, and keep him from the clutches of teams in the Championship and the Premier League.

The club have been in the Championship since 2008, after they was relegated from the Premier League as the worst team ever, after only winning one game, picking up just 11 points and finishing with a goal difference of -69.

The club have never recovered from relegation in 2008, with The Rams having finished in the bottom half in three of their last four seasons, with a finish in 12th place in the other, which was last season.

Next season will also be the first time Derby County have played in the third tier of English football since 1986, which was a total of 27 years ago, but The Rams supporters will be hoping they can bounce straight back into the second tier.

The Pride Park club have been managed by two managers this season, first was Nigel Clough, but he was sacked in October, the club named Gordon Strachan as manager just two days later, and it will be interesting to see if Strachan will start next season as manager at Pride Park.

DAWSON DELIGHTED TO MAKE HIS SENIOR DEBUT.

5 May 2013.
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Teenager handed a second-half debut.



Young midfielder Chris Dawson has spoken today about his delight at making his debut for us yesterday.

Dawson, 18, was brought off the bench at half-time in the 1-1 draw against Barnsley yesterday afternoon, with him replacing Sanchez Payne and playing 45 minutes in front of nearly 30,000 fans at Elland Road, in which he put in a good performance and impressing our fans.

The young midfielder was a number of players on the pitch yesterday, who have come through our academy, with them impressing the fans and manager, and a number of them will be hoping for regular places in the starting line-up next season.

This season has been a good one for Dawson under Richard Naylor in the Under-18s, not only has he featured in 30 games for them, he has also scored two goals and improved as a footballer, with Naylor recommending him to Phil Walker earlier this season.

Chris Dawson on making his senior debut. "I am delighted to have made my senior debut for the club, especially as I am still in the Under-18s, I did not expect it to come as quickly as it has, and it may have only been 45 minutes but I am really happy, and I will use this to improve my progress for next season.

"I was very nervous ahead of my debut, the gaffer (Phil Walker) told me on Friday afternoon that I would be in the squad for the match, and I think I only got about 3 hours sleep on Friday night, but the boss made me feel at ease on Saturday morning over my nerves, and also all the players who was in the squad they helped me with my nerves, especially the younger ones, which is something which I am grateful for.

"It is also an honour that Richard Naylor recommended me, that means I must have done something right this season, and I hope I can produce that football in the reserves next season, but also in the senior side if I get the chance."

Who will play who in the npower Championship play-offs.

Last updated: May 6, 2013 9:00am.





We can confirm today who will play who in this seasons npower Championship play-offs, and when they will play each other.

The teams who will take part in the play-offs this season are Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, with all four ex-Premier League clubs and looking to get back into the top flight.

There will be a Lancashire derby at the Reebok Stadium in one of the semi-finals, with Bolton Wanderers facing Blackburn Rovers at home in the first leg, with the return leg being played at Ewood Park. Both these clubs suffered relegation from the top flight last season, and one of them will win a trip to Wembley to try and get back there.

Meanwhile in the other semi-final, Nottingham Forest will take on Leeds United, with the first leg being played at The City Ground, and the return leg will be played at Elland Road. Nottingham Forest have been a bogey team for Leeds United this season, with them losing both clashes against The Tricky Trees, with the most recent defeat coming last month.

As normal we will show every play-off match live, so fans of these teams can tune in if they fail to get tickets from their clubs.

The fixtures, dates and kick-off times are below.
Play-off semi-final first leg.
Friday 10th May 2013. Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers. 7:45pm.
Saturday 11th May 2013. Nottingham Forest v Leeds United. 3:00pm.

Play-off semi-final second leg.
Tuesday 14th May 2013. Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers. 7:45pm.
Wednesday 15th May 2013. Leeds United v Nottingham Forest. 7:45pm.

11 PLAYERS TO BE RELEASED IN THE SUMMER.

6 May 2013.
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Release list is announced by boss Phil Walker.



We can today confirm that a total of 11 players will be released in the summer, with the players being released when their current deals expire.

The 11 players who will not be offered new deals are Paul Rachubka, Leigh Bromby, Lewis Turner, Ross Killock, Nathan Turner, Michael Brown, Joe McCann, Robbie Rogers, Patrick Antelmi, Luke Parkin and Lewis Walters.

That list will see us releasing a lot of our reserve team players, with only Michael Brown being a regular in the senior squad this season, although Patrick Antelmi was brought off the bench against Middlesbrough, in what was his senior debut in football, but he has not played since.

Other notable players who are being released are defender Leigh Bromby, midfielder Robbie Rogers and goalkeeper Paul Rachubka, who has spent the season with Rotherham United.

Meanwhile young strikers Luke Parkin and Lewis Walters will not be offered professional deals, and that is despite Walters hitting 12 goals for the Under-18s this season.

Leeds United do wish all these players being released the best for the future, and would like to thank them for their efforts while with us.

Incredible to see this still going mate, the amount of work you've put in is fantastic

Thanks am not even bored of writing this story yet neither. I hope you continue to read this and comment on it.

Are Leeds United going down the youth route again?

Last updated: May 6, 2013 3:15pm.





Sky Sports have today looked ahead to the future of Leeds United, with us looking at the younger players who could have a big part to play under manager Phil Walker.

The West Yorkshire club are famous for bringing through the youngsters from their academy, with this season being no different, with manager Phil Walker handing a number of their youngsters their chance this season.

Manager Phil Walker has played a total of 11 players, who are 22-years-old or younger, in the first-team this season, with the majority of those coming through the famous academy at Thorp Arch.

The Yorkshire derby against Barnsley on Saturday saw eight young players take to the pitch, with the whole of the starting back four either 22 or younger, and more impressively having progressed through our Under-18s at one stage in their career.

Many fans and the media have likened the current manager at Elland Road to ex-boss David O'Leary, who brought through many young players while in charge of The Whites, including the likes of Alan Smith, Paul Robinson and Jonathan Woodgate from the academy, as well as playing the likes of youngsters Ian Harte, Lee Bowyer and Stephen McPhail regularly in the first-team.

One player to impress the Elland Road crowd this season has been Sam Byram, the 19-year-old had never played senior football before the start of this season, but he has played 33 times in all competitions in his debut season, with many tipping the York-born player for Premier League football in the future.

Other notable youngsters to feature this season have been Simon Lenighan, Monty Gimpel and Dominic Poleon. All three players are still in their teenage years, but have made their senior debuts for the club this season, and could be big stars in the future for The Whites.

Other youngsters to have made their debuts for The Whites this season are Sanchez Payne, Patrick Antelmi and Chris Dawson, while left-back Charlie Taylor has made a couple of appearances this season.

11 May 2013
Last updated at 18:05


Nottingham Forest cruised to a 3-1 victory over Leeds United this afternoon, to put one foot in the final of the Championship play-offs.

Nottingham Forest came into the play-offs on the back of a 2-2 draw against relegated Charlton Athletic, and manager Sean O'Driscoll made four changes from that draw, out went Chris Herd, Andy Reid, Billy Sharp and Lewis McGugan, with Dan Harding, Guy Moussi, Henri Lansbury and Chris Cohen coming in.

Leeds United came into the match at The City Ground on the back of a 1-1 draw at home to Barnsley, and only Tom Lees, Aidan White, Ross McCormack and Luciano Becchio remained from that draw, with manager Phil Walker making seven changes in total.

The first chance of the match fell to the home team on 14 minutes, with Henri Lansbury forcing a save from goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. The chance for Lansbury was created by Dustley Mulder, he received the ball from a Robert Snodgrass pass, before whipping the ball in from the right into the far post, and that cross found Lansbury, whose header was saved by Kenny at his near post.

Robert Snodgrass had the next chance in this match, and he fired Nottingham Forest into the lead on the 20th minute, to score against his old club yet again. The assist for the goal went to right-back Dustley Mulder, he played a good ball down the line to Snodgrass, who then cut inside and fired a low drive, which beat Paddy Kenny at his near post.

The home side doubled their lead just four minutes later, with Henri Lansbury finding the net from just inside the box. The goal for Lansbury was created by midfielder Chris Cohen, he picked the ball up in his own half and ran with the ball into the opposition half, before slotting the ball into the run of Lansbury, who skipped past a challenge from Patrick Kisnorbo, before firing home a shot from just inside the box, which beat Paddy Kenny to make it 2-0.

The afternoon went from bad to worse for the visitors, when centre-back Patrick Kisnorbo limped off with a hamstring injury. The defender picked up the injury on 36 minutes, after the Australian stretched to cut out a pass from Adlene Guedioura, but it went wrong and saw Kisnorbo pick up the injury, and that allowed Lee Peltier to replace him on the pitch.

The home side found the net for the third time on the 41st minute, thanks to a looping header from club captain Danny Collins. The assist for the goal came from a free-kick by Henri Lansbury, he took the free-kick from out on the right, and he then crossed the ball into the box to find Collins, who looped his header over Paddy Kenny and into the net.

The next chance of the match did not come until the 77th minute, with Leeds United midfielder Paul Green finding the back of the net, with what was their only shot on target of the match. The goal was rather a scrappy one, the assist for the goal went to Argentinian striker Luciano Becchio, he was found in the box by Aidan White, before pulling the ball back to try and find Rodolph Austin, that pass was cut out by a sliding challenge from Daniel Ayala, but the ball fell to Green who slotted it home.

At the full time whistle the Nottingham Forest players looked delighted with this 3-1 victory, as it looks like they will be off to Wembley, to take part in the play-off final. The Leeds United players looked down, but if they can win the return match by three clear goals, they will be the team going to Wembley.

Nottingham Forest manager, Sean O'Driscoll, on the victory. "This was a great victory for us this afternoon, and one which has seen us put one foot in the final at Wembley.

"We know that the trip to Elland Road will be tough, as they will want revenge on us for this defeat, and the three defeats they have suffered against us this season, so we will have to be professional when we go there."

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the play-off defeat. "We played absolutely terrible out their this afternoon, and it seems like this is all I am saying in my recent press conferences.

"If the lads want to get to the play-off final at Wembley, then we have to produce more than one shot on target, because that was the worst thing about today the lack of chances we had."

Nottingham Forest starting line-up (4-3-3). Ikeme, Mulder (Halford 67), Collins (c), Ayala, Harding, Guedioura, Moussi, Cohen, Snodgrass (Ephraim 83), Cox (Sharp 83), Lansbury.
Subs not used. Evtimov (gk), McGugan, Herd, Reid.
Goals. Snodgrass 20, Lansbury 24, Collins 41.
Booked. Guedioura.

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Lees, Kisnorbo (c) (Peltier (c) 36), Pearce, Pugh, Green, Austin, Tonge, White, McCormack (Poleon 64), Becchio.
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Thompson, Byram, Brown, Norris.
Goal. Green 77.
Booked. Austin.

Attendance. 30,576.
Referee. Mike Dean.
Man of the Match. Henri Lansbury (Nottingham Forest), rated at 8.9 over 90 minutes. What a performance from the ex-Arsenal man, not only did he score a goal and create a goal, he caused problems for the visitors all afternoon.

FIVE SIGN PRE-CONTRACT AGREEMENTS.

11 May 2013.
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Youngsters agree professional deals to begin when they turn 17.



Five players in our Under-18s squad have this evening put pen to paper on pre-contract agreements.

The five youngsters who have signed pre-contract agreements only signed youth deals less than a month ago, but after impressing Richard Naylor, Neil Redfearn and Phil Walker, they have signed pre-contract agreements to turn professional.

The five players to agree deals are Lea Ashton, Steve Benjamin, Noah Broad, Rob Cooper and Terry Spilman.

Young striker Lea Ashton, 16, will sign a two-year professional contract, when he turns 17 years old, on February 4 2014.

Fellow young striker Steve Benjamin, 16, was born in Port Elizabeth in Saint Vincent, which is a volcanic island in the Caribbean, but moved to England at a young age. In terms of the contract he has agreed, he will sign a three-year professional deal, on April 4 2014.

Midfielder Noah Broad, 15, is a local lad having been born in Leeds, and he will sign a deal until June 2017, which will begin on September 4 2014.

Young Rob Cooper, 15, is a player who can operate at either left-back, or on the left side of midfield, and he will sign a deal until June 2017, which will begin on July 20 2014.

Terry Spilman, 15, is another midfielder to sign a pre-contract agreement, with him agreeing a deal until June 2017, which will begin on July 11 2014.

Kisnorbo out for three months.

Last updated: May 12, 2013 10:15am.





It has been confirmed that Leeds United will be without Patrick Kisnorbo for the play-off semi-final second leg.

Centre-back Kisnorbo, 32, picked up a hamstring injury in the 36th minute of the defeat at Nottingham Forest yesterday, and further scans by the West Yorkshire club have shown it to be torn, which has ruled him out for three months.

The injury will be a blow to Leeds United because as well as losing Kisnorbo yesterday, they went down to a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, meaning they will have to win by three clear goals on Wednesday, if they want to reach the play-off final at Wembley, or by two clear goals if they want to take it extra time and penalties.

HOME KIT FOR SEASON 2013-14 IS REVEALED.

14 May 2013.
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First look at the new kit.



We are delighted today to unveil the new home kit for the 2013-14 season, with goalkeeper Paddy Kenny and defender Sam Byram modelling our new kit.

Once again our kit is manufactured by the Italian sportswear company Macron, while our kit sponsor is again insurance company Enterprise Insurance.

In terms of the new outfield home kit, the shorts and socks are white with detail as usual, but the shirt is something a little different this year, it is a white shirt as usual, but it has two blue stripes down the centre of the shirt, the collar on the shirt is also blue, while the back of the neck features a stitched on Leeds United rose.

The goalkeeper kit is something a little different for next season, we have gone for shorts which are black with a little green on them, socks which are green with some black on them, while the shirt is primarily green with black and white detail on the front.

The shirt will be worn for the first time against Nottingham Forest tomorrow night, with us hoping it can help us to the play-off final at Wembley, and then to promotion back into the Premier League.

The new kit will be on sale at our club shop from 9am on Thursday morning, the prices have not been confirmed yet, but they will be announced in the match programme tomorrow, as well posters in the window of the club shop, and announcements before and at half time tomorrow night.

Please note I have not updated anything on the game, I have just released a new home kit on the story, as if I need to use pictures of players next season in the new kit I can.

SELL-OUT EXPECTED FOR TOMORROW NIGHT.

14 May 2013.
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Around 3,500 tickets remain for tomorrow night.



We would like to inform fans wanting to attend the game against Nottingham Forest tomorrow night, that tickets are close to being sold out.

As of lunchtime today, there were 3,500 tickets remaining for the play-off clash tomorrow night, a match which could see us just 90 minutes away from a return to the Premier League.

As for where the tickets are located in the ground, the majority of remaining seats are in the West Stand, although there are some left in the East Stand Lower and Upper, but the areas in the North, North East, North West and South East are sold out, with Nottingham Forest filling their allocation in the South Stand.

Chairman Ken Bates has said he hopes for a sell-out for tomorrow night, with him hoping a capacity crowd can make for an unforgettable night at Elland Road, and the crowd can help us to victory.

I love the way you write up your career, just adds another aspect to it. Also makes me feel a little shameful as I can get through a season in no time at all yet in your posts it has gone from November. On this note I hope you don't mind if I used a similar style for my own career thread as I think its awesome.

Cheers for the detailed comment, it is always good to get comments from people, as it shows people are reading my career. I am glad you love my style of writing and of course I do not mind you using this style for yours, also the reason why it has taken so long to get this far is because I do not play the game everyday, so I enjoy this career when I go back onto it.

I hope you carry on reading this and also commenting on it.

Good luck mate, really well written story, hopefully you will be writing a Premiership story next season!

Cheers Rick and I am glad you think this is well written. As for the Premier League I am just doing my next update, but I am not giving anything away, but you will find out if we will be at Wembley or not.

As ever I hope you carry on reading and commenting on the story.

15 May 2013
Last updated at 22:20


Leeds United may have beaten Nottingham Forest tonight 1-0 at Elland Road, but it is Forest who have progressed into the play-off final at Wembley, thanks to a 3-2 win on aggregate.

The Whites came into the second leg looking for revenge after the 3-1 defeat at The City Ground, and manager Phil Walker made two changes from that match, out went the injured Patrick Kisnorbo and Michael Tonge, with Lee Peltier and David Norris replacing them.

Nottingham Forest came to Elland Road knowing that Wembley was in sight, and manager Sean O'Driscoll made just the one change from the first leg, out went Dan Harding to be replaced by Greg Halford.

The first chance of the match came in the opening minute, with Rodolph Austin firing a shot which clipped the top of the crossbar as it went over. The chance for the home side was created by Luciano Becchio, he was found by a pass from Danny Pugh, before knocking it back to Austin, and he fired a shot which beat Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, but clipped the crossbar on the way over.

The next chance of the match came just seven minutes later, with Leeds United captain Lee Peltier forcing a save from Carl Ikeme with a rising shot. The chance for Peltier was created by David Norris, he was picked out by a Aidan White pass, before playing the ball into the run of Peltier, who hit a vicious shot towards the top corner of the goal, which was turned behind by Ikeme.

The pressure from the home side paid off on 32 minutes, with striker Luciano Becchio finding the net for the 23rd time this season. The assist for the goal went to midfielder Paul Green, he picked the ball up after a terrible pass from Robert Snodgrass, before playing a pass for the Argentinian striker to latch onto, he then took a touch before scoring with a low drive in front of the stand with the Forest fans in, to give the home fans some hope of going to Wembley.

The next chance did not come until after the hour mark, with Ross McCormack hitting the post with a free-kick. It was the Scottish international who won the free-kick on the edge of the box, he was brought down by Greg Halford, who protested the decision to the referee as he felt he had dived, but the free-kick was awarded, and McCormack rattled the post with goalkeeper Carl Ikeme beaten.

Nottingham Forest finally fired a shot on target on the 66th minute, but Henri Lansbury was denied by Paddy Kenny. The chance for Lansbury was created by Guy Moussi, the Forest midfielder won the ball from David Norris, before slotting it into the run of Lansbury, and hit a low shot with just Kenny to beat, but the goalkeeper saved the shot at his near post with his foot.

The final chance of the match came again from the home side, with Rodolph Austin going close with another effort. The chance for the Jamaican international was created by Paul Green, he picked the ball up out on the right from a Sam Byram pass, before playing a square pass into Austin, who took a touch and then hit a low drive, which went just wide of the post of Carl Ikeme.

At the final whistle the Nottingham Forest players and fans were delighted, they may have lost on the night here at Elland Road, but they will be at Wembley a week on Monday, where they will face Blackburn Rovers in a match which will decide who will be in the Premier League next season. For Leeds United it will be another season in the Championship, something which will disappoint and hurt their fans and players, especially with the club having been in the top two for most of the campaign, but they will have to go away and improve this summer, and try for promotion again next season.

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on not making the play-off final. "I am totally disappointed tonight that we will not be at Wembley, we was in the top two for so long this season, and we only have ourselves to blame for not being promoted, but this season we have achieved our highest league position since 2004.

"I was delighted for him (Luciano Becchio) to score that goal tonight, not only was it his 23rd goal of the season to confirm him as our top scorer for the campaign, but it was his first since signing his new deal, and one which ended his goal drought which at the start of the night was at 402 minutes.

"We will now go away for our holidays and look to come back in pre-season stronger, and also looking to win promotion back to the top flight."

Nottingham Forest manager, Sean O'Driscoll, on the nights events. "It was disappointing to have lost the match tonight, especially having only one shot on target all night, but I am absolutely delighted to have won on aggregate, which will see us face Blackburn Rovers at Wembley, in a match where we will be 90 minutes away from the Premier League.

"This season has been a great one for us, in pre-season we were predicted to finish in 14th place, yet we are one match away from a return to the top flight, something I would like to congratulate all the players on."

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Peltier (c) (Byram 67), Lees, Pearce (c), Pugh, Green, Austin, Norris, White, McCormack, Becchio (Antelmi 75).
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Drury, Brown, Lenighan, Poleon.
Goal. Becchio 32.

Nottingham Forest starting line-up (4-4-2). Ikeme, Mulder, Ayala, Halford, Collins (c), Guedioura, Moussi, Cohen, Snodgrass, Cox (Sharp 87), Lansbury.
Subs not used. Evtimov (gk), Harding, Herd, McGugan, Lascelles, Moloney.

Attendance. 36,551.
Referee. Jay Spong.
Man of the Match. Daniel Ayala (Nottingham Forest), rated at 7.5 over 90 minutes. The Forest centre-back put in a good performance to stop the attacks of Leeds United, and to help his side reach Wembley.

Unlucky mate

Unlucky with that last match, playing well all season to let it slip at the end must be horrible, good luck next year!

I know, I thought when Becchio scored we was going to turn things around, but it was not to be



Not a great end to the season, especially as we was in the top two for so long, but this will give me more motivation for next season

BYRAM REFLECTS ON HIS DEBUT SEASON.

16 May 2013.
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Teenager speaks about his debut campaign.



Sam Byram has spoken to us exclusively today on how he has felt he has done in his debut season for the first-team.

Byram, 19, had not played a single minute of senior football before the start of this season, but that all changed against Port Vale in the first round of the Capital One Cup, when he featured for 90 minutes in the 1-0 victory against the League Two side, and since then he has gone on to make a total of 34 appearances this season, with 28 of those coming in the Championship.

The York-born youngster is a versatile player, he can play both at right-back and on the right of midfield, and that versatility has helped the team out this season, also helping Byram feature as many times as he has.

Sam Byram on his debut season at the club. "This season has been great for me, it has been one in which not only have I made my senior debut for the club and in football, but I have gone on and played 34 times for the club, something which I am very proud of.

"Phil Walker has been a great help for me as well, he told me at the start of the campaign I would get my chance, but he also told me that I would not be used too much, as I am still only young and need rest between matches, but hopefully I can play in more matches next season.

"I am now looking forward to the pre-season holiday, but I am also looking forward to the beginning of July, which is when we will return for pre-season training, so hopefully a good pre-season can help us hit the ground running next season, and gain us promotion back into the Premier League, something which we are all disappointed did not happen this season."

Leeds United season 2012-13 results.

Last updated: May 16, 2013 2:30pm.





Leeds United completed their season last night with a victory over Nottingham Forest, but lost the play-off semi-final 3-2 on aggregate, we now look at their results from the campaign.

Despite the defeat last night in the play-offs, it has been quite a successful season for the West Yorkshire team, not only did they finish in 3rd place in the table, but they reached the last eight of the FA Cup, and also reached the Second Round of the Capital One Cup.

We have split the results into the three competitions that The Whites took part in this season, with the results and goal scorers in all competitions below.

WHO WILL BE JOINING US NEXT SEASON.

28 May 2013.
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The teams arriving and departing for next season are confirmed.



The 2012-13 Championship season came to an end at Wembley yesterday, and we can now confirm who has left and entered this division for next season.

It was Blackburn Rovers who were the winners in the play-off final at Wembley yesterday, as Alan Curbishley guided his team to a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest, the team that defeated us in the semi-final, to book their place to Wembley.

Former Premier League champions Rovers are the final team to leave the Championship, they have been promoted back into the Premier League with Wolves and Hull City, with Rovers and Wolves bouncing straight back into the Premier League, after relegation from their last season.

Also leaving the Championship for next season are Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic, with all those three clubs suffering relegation to League One for next season.

Arriving to face us in the Championship from the Premier League next season will be West Brom, Swansea City and Sunderland, after they all suffered relegation from the top flight on the final day.

Arriving to play in the Championship from League One next season are winners Sheffield United, runners-up Tranmere Rovers and play-off winners Preston North End.

Arriving. West Brom, Swansea City, Sunderland, Sheffield United, Tranmere Rovers and Preston North End.

Departing. Wolves, Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic.

29 May 2013
Last updated at 23:55


The npower Championship awards have been announced tonight, just two days after the last game of the season.

The awards were announced tonight at The Football League Awards 2013 dinner, which saw the award winners in the Championship, League One and League Two announced, but we do concentrate on the Championship award winners in this news update, with five awards being handed out, and also the Players' Team of the Year was announced.

Let's move onto the award winners now, the Manager of the Year award went to Wolves boss Stale Solbakken, he won the award after guiding the West Midlands side back into the Premier League at the first attempt, and that came in his first season in charge at Molineux.

The Player of the Year award was won by Wolves striker Kevin Doyle, who found the net 29 times in 44 matches, and finishing with an average rating of 7.47.

It was Birmingham City winger Nathan Redmond who won the Young Player of the Year award, the 19 year-old put in a series of high-class performances this season, with him finding the net four times, and setting up 18 goals in 36 appearances, with an average rating of 7.02.

It was Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn Rovers, who finished the 2012-13 Championship season as the Top Scorer, he went into the play-off final a goal behind Kevin Doyle of Wolves, but his brace at Wembley meant he finished the season above Doyle, thanks to an impressive 30 goals in his debut season at Ewood Park.

The Goal of the Season award went to Craig Bellamy of Cardiff City, which was for his strike against Charlton Athletic on January the 19th, which was a top-drawer strike from 27 yards out.

The Players' Team of the Year was also confirmed, with the team being made up of three players from Wolves, two from Brighton and Hove Albion and one each from Barnsley, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest.

The list of the award winners.

Manager of the Year. Stale Solbakken (Wolves).
Player of the Year. Kevin Doyle (Wolves).
Young Player of the Year. Nathan Redmond (Birmingham City).
Top Scorer. Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers).
Goal of the Season. Craig Bellamy. Charlton Athletic v Cardiff City.
Players' Team of the Year. Jason Steele (Middlesbrough), Neal Eardley (Blackpool), Roger Johnson (Wolves), Gordon Greer (Brighton and Hove Albion), Jason Pearce (Leeds United), David Lopez (Brighton and Hove Albion), Jacob Mellis (Barnsley), Chris Cohen (Nottingham Forest), Stephen Hunt (Wolves), Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers), Kevin Doyle (Wolves).

Unlucky in the play-off's mate. great story though!

Cheers Rick, I am hoping it will make the players more determined for next season, and can attract players from the Premier League to help us into the top flight next season.

Next update is ready to be uploaded, it shows who we will face in the pre-season friendlies.

PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE IS CONFIRMED.

31 May 2013.
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Summer friendlies are confirmed.



We can today confirm our plans and who we will face in pre-season.

The players will report back to Thorp Arch on July 1, for pre-season training, in preparation for the up and coming season in the Championship.

The pre-season will see our first, reserve and youth-teams playing in pre-season matches, something which first-team boss Phil Walker, reserve-team boss Neil Redfearn and youth-team boss Richard Naylor have arranged together.

Our first-team have been arranged to play in a total of five pre-season friendlies, with three away from Elland Road and two at Elland Road. Our first test of the summer will see us travelling to face Crewe Alexandra on July 13, before facing Spanish Cup runners up Malaga at Elland Road a week later, we then face trips to Grimsby Town and Scottish side Livingston, before finishing the pre-season campaign against Arsenal at Elland Road.

The reserve-team will play in just four pre-season matches, with all four matches being played away. First up will be a trip to face Farsley on July 17, then we will face a trip to Harrogate Town five days later, before rounding pre-season off with trips to FC Halifax and Bury.

The youth-team will also be involved in pre-season friendlies, and like the reserves they will be away from home, but they will take on just three teams. First up will be Ossett Town on July 8, before facing a trip to Nuneaton Town on July 11, and then rounding the pre-season off away at Garforth Town.

We would like fans to note that the pre-season schedule could change at any time, with the chance of friendlies being cancelled or more being added.

The pre-season 2013 match details in full.
Monday July 8. Ossett Town at Ingfield. 7:45pm.
Thursday July 11. Nuneaton Town at Liberty Way. 7:45pm.
Saturday July 13. Crewe Alexandra at The Alexandra Stadium. 3pm.
Sunday July 14. Garforth Town at Wheatley Park Stadium. 3pm.
Wednesday July 17. Farsley at Throstle Nest. 7:45pm.
Saturday July 20. Malaga at Elland Road. 3pm.
Monday July 22. Harrogate Town at Wetherby Road. 7:45pm.
Thursday July 25. Grimsby Town at Blundell Park. 7:45pm.
Sunday July 28. FC Halifax at The Shay. 3pm.
Wednesday July 31. Bury at Gigg Lane. 7:45pm
Friday August 2. Livingston at Almondvale Stadium. 7:30pm.
Saturday August 10. Arsenal at Elland Road. 3pm.

Ticket details for the pre-season schedule will follow soon, and will be announced on this website.