On the way to glory

Drury swaps Yorkshire for London.

Last updated: July 15, 2013 3:15pm.





Millwall have today completed the signing of Adam Drury, who has joined from Leeds United on a free transfer.

Drury, 34, only arrived at Elland Road under ex-boss Neil Warnock last summer, after he signed him on a free transfer from Norwich City, but he has today left the club to join Millwall.

The left-back did feature for The Whites in 20 league games last season, playing a total of 22 matches in all competitions, but his last match was against Nottingham Forest in April, and he was not selected again by boss Phil Walker.

Millwall boss Dave Jones has handed Drury a deal until the end of the season, with him having the chance to earn an extra year, if he features in 20 league matches or more.

This is the fourth signing of the summer for The Lions, with the club also completing the free transfer of Liam Miller from Perth Glory FC, the loan signing of Ben Amos from Manchester United, and the signing of Kelvin Davis from Southampton for £14,000.

16 July 2013
Last updated at 11:50


Leeds United have today confirmed the termination of the contracts of a player and of a staff member.

The player in question to be released is Honduran midfielder Ramon Nunez, while the contract of Chris Short has been mutually terminated.

Nunez, 27, had found himself on the transfer list at Elland Road, with manager Phil Walker telling him he was not in his future plans earlier this month. Both Leeds United and the midfielder have agreed to a mutual termination of his deal today, and that is despite the 27-year-old currently being in America, where he is representing Honduras in the Gold Cup.

Meanwhile ex-footballer Short, 43, has also had his contract mutually terminated, which will bring his role as a Fitness Coach at the club to an end, a job which he did for 12 months.

First Round draw is made.

Last updated: July 18, 2013 12:05pm.





The Capital Cup First Round draw has been made today, with some interesting ties being drawn.

The tie of the round will definitely be at The Kassam Stadium, which will be the venue for a local derby, when League Two side Oxford United take on League One side Swindon Town, in a game which should be a competitive affair.

Recently relegated Premier League side Sunderland have been drawn at home, where they will take on League Two side Morecambe, in a match they should win.

West Yorkshire side Leeds United enjoyed a run in the FA Cup last season, and they will be hoping to do that in the Capital One Cup this season, and they will face League Two side Northampton Town, in a match which will be held at Elland Road.

Other notable ties include Birmingham City travelling to Luton Town, Crewe Alexandra facing a trip to Accrington Stanley, Yeovil Town hosting Cardiff City and Derby County taking on Fleetwood Town.

The ties will take place the week beginning the 12th of August.

The Capital One Cup First Round draw in full.
Accrington Stanley v Crewe Alexandra.
AFC Wimbledon v AFC Bournemouth.
Aldershot Town v Brighton and Hove Albion.
Barnsley v Rochdale.
Blackpool v Wrexham.
Bradford City v Burnley.
Brentford v Stevenage.
Bristol City v Barnet.
Bristol Rovers v Peterborough United.
Colchester United v MK Dons.
Coventry City v Bury.
Crystal Palace v Crawley Town.
Derby County v Fleetwood Town.
Doncaster Rovers v Port Vale.
Huddersfield Town v Carlisle United.
Leeds United v Northampton Town.
Leicester City v Cheltenham Town.
Leyton Orient v Wycombe Wanderers.
Luton Town v Birmingham City.
Millwall v Plymouth Argyle.
Nottingham Forest v Gillingham.
Notts County v Chesterfield.
Oxford United v Swindon Town.
Rotherham United v Middlesbrough.
Scunthorpe United v Burton Albion.
Sheffield United v Oldham Athletic.
Sheffield Wednesday v Hartlepool United.
Shrewsbury Town v Bolton Wanderers.
Southend United v Charlton Athletic.
Sunderland v Morecambe.
Torquay United v Ipswich Town.
Tranmere Rovers v Walsall.
Watford v Portsmouth.
Yeovil Town v Cardiff City.
York City v Preston North End.

McCormack looking forward to the season.

Last updated: July 22, 2013 7:20pm.





Leeds United striker Ross McCormack has this evening spoke to Sky Sports, telling us that he is looking forward to the new campaign.

McCormack, 26, did have a great season in a Leeds United shirt last season, with the striker finding the net 22 times in all competitions, he also created 10 goals for his team mates, with that seeing him finish as the player with the most assists at Elland Road, and he will be hoping to have an even better campaign this season.

The striker will also be hoping to win his place back in the Scotland national team, with him having not featured for his country since last year, and he will be hoping to impress boss Craig Levein, to win his place back in the national side.

Leeds United were involved in their second pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday, which ended in a 1-0 victory over Spanish side Malaga, with McCormack hitting the only goal of the match, which was a 20-yard strike in front of the Kop end.

Ross McCormack on the upcoming season. "Last season was a mixed season for us, we did so well in the FA Cup, a competition where we reached the last eight, and we did well in the Championship for most of the season, but our league campaign fell apart in the last part of it, so for me and the rest of the lads that was really disappointing.

"We are working to make sure we hit the ground running this season, our opening pre-season match at Crewe Alexandra was disappointing, but I believe we made up for it with a 1-0 win against Malaga on Saturday, and hopefully we can have a great pre-season, and then take that into the new campaign, which will hopefully see us win promotion to the Premier League.

"We as a team are also right behind the boss Phil Walker, you only have to see what he did last season, after making the step up from being a first-team coach, to being our manager, and I believe he is the right manager in the long run for this club.

"I also want to have a better season than last season, I did brilliantly last season, but I want to have an even better one this season."

Amazing to think your still continuing this! Great work in the writing and unfortunate not to get promoted!

Cheers for the comment Dan, I am still really enjoying this save, and yes unlucky on us not getting promoted, but this will spur me on for the up and coming season.

27 July 2013
Last updated at 13:50


Leeds United have today completed the loan signing of Andrew Taylor, who has joined on loan for the 2013-14 season.

Taylor, 26, has arrived in West Yorkshire today from Championship rivals Sunderland, on a season-long loan, after being told at the beginning of pre-season, that he was surplus to requirements by manager Owen Coyle.

The left-back only arrived at The Stadium of Light less than 12 months ago, after signing from Cardiff City for £1.8m, and he made 13 appearances in all competitions, but could not stop his club being relegated.

Despite being only 26, this is his sixth club in his career, after breaking through and making his debut at Middlesbrough, he has spent time on loan at Bradford City and Watford, while also making moves to Cardiff City and Sunderland.

It is not known the full details of the loan deal between the clubs, but it is thought that the West Yorkshire side can make the deal permanent at any time, for £600,000.

MATCHES MOVED FOR TELEVISION COVERAGE.

27 July 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Three matches moved for television coverage.



We can today confirm that three of our Championship fixtures have been moved, with the matches being moved for Sky Sports coverage.

Two of the three fixtures being moved, come within seven days of each other in September, with the other fixture being played two months later, in November.

The first fixture being changed for television coverage is our trip to West Brom, which has been brought forward from the Saturday to the Friday night, with the match now a 7:45pm kick-off.

The next match being changed is the Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United, which has also been brought forward from a Saturday to a Friday night, with the match now being played at Elland Road on September 20, just a week after the trip to West Brom, and will also be a 7:45pm kick-off.

Finally the third fixture to be changed is our trip to the Cardiff City Stadium, where we will take on Cardiff City, this fixture has not had its date changed, but will now be a 5:30pm kick-off.

MIXED SIDE TO VISIT SCOTLAND.

31 July 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Boss confirms a mixed squad for the game on Friday.



We can today confirm that a mixed squad will depart for Scotland tomorrow morning.

Manager Phil Walker has confirmed the squad which will travel to Scotland tomorrow, for our pre-season friendly away to Bathgate Thistle, with the squad containing both senior players and youngsters.

The team will depart for Scotland tomorrow morning from Thorp Arch, and the players will stay in a hotel tomorrow night and after the match on Friday, with them returning to West Yorkshire on Saturday morning.

Some of the players who will travel up North are set to face Bury tonight, so it is expected those players who will play tonight, will not feature heavily on Friday night, at Creamery Park.

The squad which will travel to Scotland. Cairns, Atkinson, Thompson, Roper, Gimpel, Kisnorbo, Pearce, Tiesse, A. Taylor, Broad, White, Davies, Lenighan, Dawson, McPhail, Payne, Dyer, Mowatt, Denton, McCormack, Ashton, Stokes, James.

AWAY KIT IS UNVEILED.

31 July 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
New Macron away strip is unveiled.



We can today unveil our brand new away kit for the 2013-14 campaign today, with striker Ross McCormack taking time to model it.

The design for the new away kit is something new for the club, with the shirt being a mainly gold one, with navy blue detail, along with navy blue shorts, and the socks are mainly gold, with navy blue hoops on them.

The Leeds United club badge will also be something different this season, with it being a navy and gold one, which is also on the clubs new range of training wear, which can be bought in the club shop and online.

The new away kit will be worn at Bathgate Thistle on Friday night, with the team hoping to get off to a winning start in the new kit, against the Scottish side.

The new kit will go on sale in the club shop at Elland Road, and online at 9am on Friday morning, with the prices for the new kit being released tomorrow evening on this website.

Please note that once again I have only updated our kits, so that if I have to use pictures of players and they are in those kits, it makes sense.

Thanks.

I love the realism of this!

Quality this mate. Love the effort involved, let's see you get promoted!

Cheers jambo, just thought I would add the shirt updates, as I may use pictures of players in them, and the story would make sense with a new kit being released.



Am glad your loving the effort I put in KEZ, and am glad you think it is quality. Hopefully promotion will be ours this season, and I believe it could well be, as I am hoping the players will be more up for it, given the disappointment of last season.

Sorry I have not been updating this story for a while, but I have taken a break from it, but the next update should be up in the next few days.

As an avid Leeds United fan, I have been following this closely and have been reading this whole thread for the past hour or so. KUTGW!

Cheers Raul, thanks for the feedback and am glad you have spent time reading this.

I hope you continue to read this, and give me feedback from time to time.

SQUAD NUMBERS ARE CONFIRMED.

3 August 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2013-14 squad numbers are released.



We can today confirm our squad numbers for the up and coming season.

With the squad numbers now having been confirmed, this means fans can go out and have their favourite players name and number, printed on the back of their new shirt, in time for the start of the new season.

Our five new signings have all been handed squad numbers for this season, with Andrew Taylor being handed number 15, Kieron Dyer number 17, Luke James number 20, Ben Davies number 22 and Stephen McPhail number 37.

Young goalkeeper Alex Cairns will wear the number 33, after wearing the number 13 jersey last season, with Chris Dawson being handed number 32, after wearing the number 33 shirt last season.

Centre-back Monty Gimpel will wear the number 21 shirt this season, after wearing the number 36 last season.

Teenagers Lea Ashton and Noah Broad have both been handed numbers, with Ashton being handed the number 30, and Broad the number 40.

The squad numbers for this season in full.
1. Paddy Kenny (gk).
2. Lee Peltier.
4. Tom Lees.
5. Jason Pearce.
6. Patrick Kisnorbo.
7. Paul Green.
8. Rodolph Austin.
10. Luciano Becchio.
11. Luke Varney.
12. Jamie Ashdown (gk).
14. Aidan White.
15. Andrew Taylor.
16. Danny Pugh.
17. Kieron Dyer.
18. Michael Tonge.
19. David Norris.
20. Luke James.
21. Monty Gimpel.
22. Ben Davies.
23. Zac Thompson.
25. Sam Byram.
26. Dominic Poleon.
27. Sanchez Payne.
29. Simon Lenighan.
30. Lea Ashton.
31. Charlie Taylor.
32. Chris Dawson.
33. Alex Cairns (gk).
34. Tyler Denton.
36. Alex Mowatt.
37. Stephen McPhail.
40. Noah Broad.
44. Ross McCormack.

ARSENAL CLASH TO BE TELEVISED.

4 August 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Friendly to be shown live on Channel 5.



Our friendly clash against Arsenal has been picked for television coverage.

The clash against The Gunners in just under a week, which will be played at Elland Road, will be our final pre-season friendly, before beginning the season against Northampton Town, in the Capital One Cup.

The match will be shown live on Channel 5, with the match kicking off at 3:00pm, and we will be hoping for a bumper crowd at Elland Road, to take us into the new campaign.

Two leave Elland Road on a temporary basis.

Last updated: August 6, 2013 3:50pm.





Leeds United have this afternoon confirmed that Eoghan Stokes and Smith Tiesse have departed for the season.

Both Stokes and Tiesse are 17-year-old youngsters, and have both joined Guiseley on season-long loans, with their parent club hoping they will gain some much needed senior football.

Stokes, is a player who operates as a striker, and has been capped for the Ireland Under-19s, and he will be hoping for experience at Guiseley, which can help him gain some senior football at Elland Road.

Tiesse, is a player who can play at both right and left-back, and will be hoping like Stokes to earn some senior action, to help him break into the first-team at Elland Road.

10 August 2013
Last updated at 20:05


Leeds United ended a good pre-season campaign this afternoon in a disappointing way, after losing 6-0 at home to Arsenal.

Before the defeat to Arsenal this afternoon, The Whites had not only enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season, but one in which they had not conceded a single goal, thanks to a draw against Crewe Alexandra, and victories over Malaga, Grimsby Town, Guiseley and Bathgate Thistle, with striker Ross McCormack finding the net six times, to finish as top scorer in pre-season.

The Reserves picked up away wins against Harrogate Town and FC Halifax, which came in-between a 2-0 defeat at Farsley, and a 1-1 draw away to Bury.

The Under 18s only played three away friendlies in pre-season, and despite starting off with a 1-0 victory at Ossett Town, they then lost 2-0 at Nuneaton Town, before ending with a 1-1 draw against Garforth Town.

The first-team pre-season games in detail.
Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Leeds United.
First-half line-up. Ashdown, Thompson, Lees, Pearce (c), C. Taylor, Green, Lenighan (Austin 26), Tonge, Varney, Becchio, Poleon.
Second-half line-up. Kenny, Byram, Peltier (c), Gimpel, Pugh, Norris, Austin (McPhail 72), Dawson, Davies, McCormack, James.

Leeds United 1-0 Malaga.
McCormack 84.
Line-up. Kenny, Peltier (c) (Thompson 76), Lees, Pearce (c), Pugh, Green (Byram 76), Austin (Dyer 64), Norris (Tonge 53), Varney (Davies 64), McCormack, Becchio (Poleon 53).
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), McPhail, James, Dawson, Gimpel, C. Taylor.

Grimsby Town 0-3 Leeds United.
McCormack 30, 60, Austin 70.
Line-up. Ashdown (Cairns 57), Byram, Gimpel, Pearce (c) (Lees 45), C. Taylor (Cooper 66), Davies (Norris 66), Austin (c), Dawson (Thompson 66), McPhail (Dyer 45), McCormack (Poleon 76), James (Ashton 57).
Subs not used. Peltier, Broad, Denton, Mowatt.

Guiseley 0-1 Leeds United.
Becchio 8.
Line-up. Ashdown (Kenny 59), Peltier (c), Lees, Pearce (Thompson 45), Pugh, Green (Broad 75), Dyer (Davies 52), Tonge (Denton 75), Varney (Norris 59), Becchio (Ashton 68), Poleon.
Subs not used. Austin, Byram, Mowatt, James, McCormack.

Bathgate Thistle 0-4 Leeds United.
McCormack 2, 17, 36, Pearce 53.
Line-up. Cairns (Atkinson 63), Thompson (Roper 70), Gimpel, Kisnorbo (c) (Pearce (c) 45), Tiesse (A. Taylor 45), Davies, Lenighan (Broad 45), Dawson (Denton 70), McPhail (White 45), McCormack (Stokes 78), Ashton (James 63).
Subs not used. Payne, Dyer, Mowatt.

Leeds United 0-6 Arsenal.
Wilshere 5, Koscielny 25, Podolski 29, 37, 61, Cazorla 86.
Line-up. Kenny, Peltier (c) (Byram 65), Lees (Kisnorbo (c) 65), Pearce, Pugh (A. Taylor 45), Green, Austin (Tonge 65), Norris (Dyer 45), Varney (White 45), McCormack (Poleon 65), Becchio.
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), James, Gimpel, Thompson, Ashton.

NEW CAPTAIN IS CONFIRMED.

12 August 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
New captain and vice-captain are confirmed.



We would like to confirm that a new club captain and vice-captain have been appointed for this season.

We would like to confirm that Jason Pearce will be the club captain for the 2013-14 season, while Jamaican international Rodolph Austin has been confirmed as our vice-captain.

Centre-back Pearce, 25, arrived at Elland Road last summer from Portsmouth, for a fee of £500,000, and soon made himself at home at the heart of our defence, with Tom Lees becoming his regular partner at centre-back.

Central midfielder Austin, 28, also arrived at Elland Road last summer, arriving for £250,000 from Norwegian side SK Brann, and like Pearce he became a first-team regular in the side, making a place in central midfield his own.

They replace Lee Peltier and Patrick Kisnorbo as our leaders on the pitch, with Peltier having captained the club last season, and Kisnorbo being our vice-captain.

Jason Pearce on becoming our new captain. "It is a great honour to be named captain at this club, it is one that has a great history, and I hope I can help captain the club back into the Premier League, and write a new chapter at the club."

13 August 2013
Last updated at 22:15


Leeds United ran out 4-0 winners at Elland Road against Northampton Town tonight, to put themselves into the next round of the Capital One Cup.

Leeds United came into the match starting their second season under manager Phil Walker, and he handed summer signings Ben Davies and Luke James their debuts, along with starting the likes of Monty Gimpel, Charlie Taylor and Chris Dawson.

Northampton Town came to Elland Road tonight under manager Gary Bollan, who was beginning his first full season in charge of the club, and he handed a debut to new signing Nicky Travis, who started in the centre of midfield.

It only took the home side six minutes to score their first goal of the season, with Rodolph Austin finding the net with one of the goals of the season. The move for the goal started from midfielder Chris Dawson, he played the ball out wide to find Charlie Taylor, who played the ball down the line to find Luke Varney, but his cross was headed away by Northampton defender David Artell, and that header went only as far as Austin, who rifled home a half-volley from 20 yards out.

It only took the home side 19 minutes to find the net again, with Ross McCormack finding the net to make it 2-0. The assist for the goal went to Rodolph Austin, he picked the ball up after ex-Leeds goalkeeper Shane Higgs could only push away a shot by Luke James, and he then chipped the ball into the six-yard box to find McCormack, who slotted the ball home on the half-volley.

Leeds United goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown was called into action for the first time on the 29th minute, when he had to deny Clive Platt. The chance for Platt was created after some good passing football, Nicky Travis was found by a pass from Chris Hackett, before playing the ball into Platt, and he saw his low shot saved by the foot of Ashdown.

The home side wrapped up the match on the 48th minute, with Rodolph Austin finding the net for the second time on the night. The move for the goal started from a corner by Ben Davies, he whipped the ball into the near post to find Austin, whose header clattered off the crossbar and with Shane Higgs still on the ground, and that allowed the midfielder to slot the ball home for 3-0.

The next chance in the match fell to the away side, with Clive Platt forcing a save from Jamie Ashdown. The chance for Platt was created by Ishmel Demontagnac, he picked the ball up from a Joe Widdowson pass, before crossing the ball into the box to find Platt, who brought the ball down and hit a shot, which was well saved by Ashdown.

Leeds United wrapped the match up on the 74th minute, with Luke James finding the net with a debut goal. The assist for the goal went to Aidan White, he picked the ball up from a pass by Simon Lenighan, before cutting inside and passing it into the run of James, whose shot took a deflection and beat Shane Higgs, to make it 4-0.

At the final whistle, it is the home side that have progressed into the next round, thanks to two goals from Rodolph Austin, and one each from Ross McCormack and debutant Luke James.

Leeds United manager Phil Walker. "This was a great victory for us tonight, especially with it equalling our biggest win of last season, in our very first game of this season.

"The performance of Rodolph (Austin) was a particular highlight tonight, not only did he score two goals, but he also created one, and deserved to win the Man of the Match award.

"The knock to Chris Dawson was a disappointment, and he was brought off as a precaution, but I believe he should be fine and it was only a knock."

Northampton Town manager Gary Bollan. "Of course losing in the manor we did is disappointing, but I believe they (Leeds United) will be in the running for promotion this season, especially after the disappointment they had last season.

"My main aim for this season will be to avoid relegation from the football league, as we are tipped to finish down near the relegation zone, and anything above that will be a definite bonus."

Leeds United line-up (4-4-2). Ashdown, Peltier, Gimpel, Pearce (c) (Kisnorbo 58), C. Taylor, Davies, Austin (c), Dawson (Lenighan 52), Varney (White 52), McCormack, James.
Subs not used. Cairns (gk), Thompson, Poleon, Becchio.
Goals. Austin 6, 48, McCormack 25, James 74.

Northampton Town line-up (4-4-2). Higgs, Johnson (Twumasi 64), Langmead (c), Artell, Widdowson, Hackett, Travis, Guttridge (Fox 58), Demontagnac, Nicholls (Tozer 74), Platt.
Subs not used. Archer (gk), Moult, Plummer, Charles.
Booked. Platt.

Attendance. 7,184.
Referee. Mark Clattenburg.
Man of the Match. Rodolph Austin (Leeds United), rated at 9.4 over 90 minutes.

Second Round draw is made.

Last updated: August 13, 2013 10:45pm.





The draw for the Second Round of the Capital One Cup has been made tonight.

The draw for the Second Round has thrown up a derby at Griffin Park, with League One side Brentford taking on Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, in a West London derby.

Two more rivals will lock horns in the Second Round, with Charlton Athletic facing a trip to Millwall, in what should be a heated London derby.

League Two side Port Vale will be hoping for a full house at Vale Park, when they take on Premier League side Liverpool, in a match which The Reds will be hoping will bring an easy victory.

East London side West Ham United will face a trip up North, with them being drawn to take on North Yorkshire side York City, with The Minstermen taking on a Premier League side at this stage, for a second season in a row.

There will be another Premier League side taking on a League Two side at The Madejski Stadium, with Reading taking on AFC Wimbledon, in a match where Reading will be hoping for a big win, over The Dons.

Other ties will see Oxford United travelling to Leeds United, Fulham taking on Watford, Wigan Athletic taking on Burnley, and Sheffield Wednesday facing a trip to Everton.

The ties will take place the week beginning the 26th of August.

The Capital One Cup Second Round draw in full.
Barnsley v Tranmere Rovers.
Birmingham City v Hull City.
Blackburn Rovers v Colchester United.
Brentford v Queens Park Rangers.
Bristol City v Morecambe.
Bristol Rovers v Huddersfield Town.
Coventry City v Bolton Wanderers.
Crystal Palace v Crewe Alexandra.
Everton v Sheffield Wednesday.
Fulham v Watford.
Ipswich Town v Aston Villa.
Leicester City v Blackpool.
Millwall v Charlton Athletic.
Notts County v Swansea City.
Port Vale v Liverpool.
Reading v AFC Wimbledon.
Scunthorpe United v Brighton and Hove Albion.
Sheffield United v Nottingham Forest.
Southampton v Derby County.
West Brom v Cardiff City.
Wigan Athletic v Burnley.
Wolves v Middlesbrough.
Wycombe Wanderers v Newcastle United.
York City v West Ham United.

JAMES DELIGHTED WITH HIS DEBUT.

14 August 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Striker delighted to make his first appearance for the club.



Summer signing Luke James has spoken of his delight this morning at making his debut for the club last night.

James, 18, arrived at Elland Road in the summer on a free transfer, after being released by his former club Hartlepool United, after his deal expired at Victoria Park.

The striker was not heavily involved in pre-season, only featuring for Phil Walker on three occasions, but he was handed a starting place against Northampton Town last night, and he bagged a debut goal for us, in the 4-0 Capital One Cup victory.

Ashington-born James, has taken time and spoken exclusively to us this morning, and what he has had to say is below.

Luke James on his debut. "It was great to make my first competitive appearance for the club, and to top it off with a goal is every strikers dream, especially on his full debut.

"It was a shock to be told I was starting the match yesterday afternoon, especially as the gaffer had not included me much in pre-season, but I was glad to make an lasting impression on my debut, but we now have to look ahead to the weekend, and focus on beating Leicester City."

The Sky Bet Championship 2013-14 season preview.

Last updated: August 16, 2013 1:15pm.





The newly named The Sky Bet Championship kicks off tonight, as recently relegated Sunderland take on recently promoted Sheffield United, and we now look ahead to the new campaign.

The Football League has new sponsors from this season, they have signed a five-year deal with Sky Bet, who are based in Leeds, and they have taken over from npower as the sponsors of the football league.

There will be six new teams taking part in The Sky Bet Championship this season, with Sunderland, Swansea City and West Brom being relegated from the Premier League last season, while Preston North End, Sheffield United and Tranmere Rovers gained promotion from League One.

The two teams who we believe will win promotion to the Premier League this season are Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United, who both will be hoping to win promotion back to the Premier League. The Trotters are being tipped to win the league for the second successive season, despite only making the play-offs last season and making no summer signings, we believe Mick McCarthy can guide his team to promotion, with the likes of Kevin Davies, Lee Chung-Yong and David Ngog all being key to them this season. Leeds United we believe will finish as runners-up this season, this is their second season under manager Phil Walker, who has had a full pre-season for the first time, and we believe the fact that the disappointment of losing out on promotion last season, will push them on this season.

The four teams who we believe will finish in the play-off places are Sunderland, West Brom, Swansea City and Nottingham Forest. Sunderland who suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, will be hoping to bounce straight back, but we believe they will only make the play-offs, with the club losing 30 players in total, and they have only signed four players, and that we believe will spoil their chance of a place in the top two. Midlands side West Brom are another side who suffered relegation last season from the top flight, and we believe they will finish in 4th place, they may have lost the likes of Shane Long and Craig Dawson, but they have added Marc Albrighton and Denis Suarez to their squad. Welsh side Swansea City also suffered relegation from the top flight last season, and we believe they will finish in 5th place, after not signing anybody in the summer, the sales of Wayne Routledge and Luke Moore to Sunderland, could come back to haunt them. Nottingham Forest we believe will take the final play-off spot in the league, despite only spending £140,000 during the summer, but they have added the likes of Jay Tabb, Elliott Ward and John Flanagan to their squad.

We now look at the teams who we believe will complete the rest of the top half of the table, which is 7th place to 12th place. We believe it will be Blackpool, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bristol City, Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Millwall who will finish in the top half, with all those clubs supporters hoping for a great season.

We will now concentrate on the bottom half from 13th to 21st place, with the clubs finishing in these places hoping for either a comfortable season, or to avoid relegation from the division with ease. We believe it will be Burnley, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City, Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Ipswich Town, Cardiff City, Watford and Sheffield United who will finish in those places respectively.

Now we concentrate on the three teams we believe will not be good enough, and will suffer the heartache of relegation. The team we believe who will finish in 22nd are Preston North End, despite the club spending nearly £1,000,000 in the summer, we do not believe they have added enough quality to survive relegation. We believe it will be Peterborough United who will finish in 23rd place, the club avoided relegation by two points last season, but the club have only added two players to the squad in the summer, and we believe this will not be enough to survive relegation this season. The team we are predicting to finish bottom of the league are Tranmere Rovers, the club may have been busy in the summer signing players, with nine players joining in total, but those players we believe are not good enough at this level.

How we believe The Sky Bet Championship table will finish this season.
1st. Bolton Wanderers.
2nd. Leeds United.
3rd. Sunderland.
4th. West Brom.
5th. Swansea City.
6th. Nottingham Forest.
7th. Blackpool.
8th. Brighton and Hove Albion.
9th. Bristol City.
10th. Birmingham City.
11th. Crystal Palace.
12th. Millwall.
13th. Burnley.
14th. Huddersfield Town.
15th. Leicester City.
16th. Middlesbrough.
17th. Barnsley.
18th. Ipswich Town.
19th. Cardiff City.
20th. Watford.
21st. Sheffield United.
22nd. Preston North End.
23rd. Peterborough United.
24th. Tranmere Rovers.

Please note that I have only changed the league name on the story, the league is still sponsored by npower on the game, I am just adding realism to the story.

16 August 2013
Last updated at 15:20


Leeds United get their league campaign underway tomorrow against Leicester City at Elland Road, and we now preview the 2013-14 season for them.

This is the second full season in charge at Elland Road for Phil Walker, but it is his first full pre-season campaign as manager, after being appointed as gaffer last July, after former manager Neil Warnock resigned as the manager at the club. Despite The Whites ending pre-season with a 6-0 defeat against Arsenal, it was a good close season for the club, one in which they had not lost up to the match against the North London club, and had not conceded a goal up to that point. The club did play their first competitive fixture of the season in midweek, with them knocking Northampton Town out of the Capital One Cup at Elland Road, with the match finishing 4-0 to the West Yorkshire side.

It has been a quiet summer for the West Yorkshire club on players arriving at Elland Road, with just five players being brought in by boss Phil Walker. The players who have joined the Championship club this summer are Stephen McPhail, Ben Davies, Luke James, Kieron Dyer and Andrew Taylor, with those five players hoping to play a part in the season ahead.

A total of 16 players have left Elland Road during the summer, with the majority of those being fringe players. The players that left the club during the summer, either permanently or on loan were Leigh Bromby, Michael Brown, Paul Rachubka, Patrick Antelmi, Ross Killock, Joe McCann, Lewis Turner, Nathan Turner, Robbie Rogers, Luke Parkin, Lewis Walters, Davide Somma, Adam Drury, Ramon Nunez, Eoghan Stokes and Smith Tiesse.

As for the up and coming season, The Whites will look to use last season's disappointment in the league, to spur them on this season. Manager Phil Walker has not spent anything during the summer, but it is reported he does have money to spend, if he needs to.



The star player. We believe that Argentinian striker Luciano Becchio will be the star player at Elland Road this season. The player who joined the club five years ago, found the net 23 times in all competitions last season, to finish as top scorer at the club, and this is why we believe he will be the star player this season.

The best youngster. We believe Simon Lenighan will be the youngster who will make the biggest impression this season, he is a player who has come through the famous Leeds United academy, and made ten appearances in all competitions last season, and we believe he will make a lot more this season.

Keep an eye out for. Jamaican midfielder Rodolph Austin will be the man to keep an eye on this season, the player joined from Norwegian side SK Brann last summer, and after a very impressive first campaign for the club, he has been made vice-captain for the season ahead.

Where they will finish this season. Top six.

Odds to win promotion with William Hills. 16/1.

Expected to finish top scorer. Luciano Becchio.

Expected starting line-up. Kenny, Peltier, Lees, Pearce, Pugh, Green, Austin, Norris, White, McCormack, Becchio.

Captain/vice-captain. Jason Pearce/Rodolph Austin.

17 August 2013
Last updated at 17:50


Leeds United got their 2013-14 league campaign off to a winning start this afternoon, by beating Leicester City 2-0 at Elland Road.

The home side came into the match today on the back of a 4-0 victory over Northampton Town, in the Capital One Cup in midweek, and manager Phil Walker made a total of seven changes from that win, with Jason Pearce, Luke Varney, Rodolph Austin and Ross McCormack the only survivors from that win.

The visitors also progressed in the Capital One Cup in midweek, with them beating Cheltenham Town 4-1 at the King Power Stadium, and manager Roy Keane made just the one change from that win, out went Lloyd Dyer who dropped to the bench, with Matt James replacing him.

The home side took the lead on 11 minutes, with Luciano Becchio finding the net for the first time this season. The assist for the goal came from Ross McCormack, midfielder Rodolph Austin who went close earlier found McCormack with a pass, who then laid the ball into the run of Becchio, who curled a shot into the top corner of the net, with a shot which easily beat The Foxes goalkeeper Kasper Schemeichel.

Leeds United centre-back Tom Lees was very lucky not to be sent off on 18 minutes, after he brought down Leicester City striker David Nugent, with a tackle which infuriated The Foxes players, who believed he should have been sent off, as he was the last man.

The Whites doubled their on the 19th minute, with Luciano Becchio finding the net for the second time in the match, but this time from the penalty spot. The penalty was won by midfielder David Norris, he was found in the box by a pass from Luke Varney, before being upended by Ritchie De Laet, and that allowed Becchio the chance to score from the spot, which he did calmly by sending the keeper the wrong way.

The visitors had their first real chance of the match on the 40th minute, with midfielder Matt James going close. The midfielder was found by a pass from Neil Danns, after he played a one-two with Andy King, and James hit a low drive at goal which had beaten Paddy Kenny, but went wide of the goal.

The first real chance of the second half came seven minutes after the hour mark, with Andy King forcing Paddy Kenny into a save. The move started with Lloyd Dyer out on the left, he played a quick free-kick inside to find Matt James, who then played a low pass to find King in the box, and he then hit a low shot which was going in at the near post, until Kenny got down to save it.

Leicester City had another great chance just ten minutes later, this time David Nugent fired a low shot across goal and wide. The one time England striker was found by a clearance from Zak Whitbread, he then skipped past a challenge from Jason Pearce, before firing a shot across goal and just wide of the far post, with Paddy Kenny beaten.

Leeds United had the final chance of the match, with skipper Jason Pearce rattling the crossbar. It was striker Ross McCormack who created the chance, he whipped the ball into the box from a corner to find Pearce, who had climbed up the highest to get a header in at goal, but it came back off the crossbar and was cleared, after beating an outstretched Kasper Schmeichel.

Full time at Elland Road and the Leeds United players are delighted with this victory, they get their league campaign off to a winning start, thanks to two goals from Argentinian striker Luciano Becchio. Leicester City on the other hand will be heading home in an unhappy mood, not only have they lost today, but they feel that Tom Lees should have been sent off in the opening 20 minutes.

Leeds United manager Phil Walker. "I am delighted to get our league campaign this afternoon off to a winning start, especially against Leicester City, as I thought they would have caused more problems for us than they did today.

"I believe we were lucky in parts of the match, especially with Tom (Lees) not getting a red card, but in football you sometimes need that luck."

Leicester City manager Roy Keane. "I am furious with the decision not to send Tom Lees off today, I believe we would have won the match if he was sent off, but he was not and a minute later they scored their second goal, and we went on and lost the match.

"We now have to pick ourselves up and concentrate on taking on Swansea City, as I believe they can cause us lots of problems, when they visit on Tuesday night."

Leeds United line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Byram, Lees, Pearce (c), Pugh, Green, Austin (Thompson 59), Norris, Varney (White 75), McCormack, Becchio.
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Peltier, A. Taylor, James, Poleon.
Goals. Becchio 11, pen 19.
Booked. Lees.

Leicester City line-up (4-5-1). Schmeichel, De Laet (c), Morgan (St. Ledger 66), Whitbread, Konchesky, Marshall (Gallagher 45), Danns, King, James, Knockeart (Dyer 45), Nugent.
Subs not used. Collin (gk), Grimmer, Spurr, Drinkwater.
Booked. De Laet, Whitbread, Danns.

Attendance. 25,442.
Referee. Anthony Taylor.
Man of the Match. Tom Lees (Leeds United), rated at 8.7 over 90 minutes.

18 August 2013
Last updated at 10:35


Young Leeds United midfielder Chris Dawson has left the club today, with Wrexham signing him on loan.

Dawson, 18, has been loaned out by Leeds United manager Phil Walker, with Wrexham signing him for three months, with the League Two side promising to give him regular first-team football, during his three months at The Racecourse Ground.

The central midfielder made his debut for The Whites on the final day of last season, coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Yorkshire rivals Barnsley at Elland Road, and he has already featured for the first-team this season, in the 4-0 win over Northampton Town, in the Capital One Cup.

2013-14 SEASON TICKET SALES CONFIRMED.

18 August 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Over 10,000 season tickets sold for this season.



We can this afternoon confirm our season ticket sales for this season.

The deadline for fans buying season tickets was up yesterday at 1:00pm, and the ticket office has confirmed after spending yesterday afternoon, and this morning counting the sales, that we have sold 12,003 season tickets, for the 2013-14 season.

The average adult season ticket has been reduced by £1 from last season, with the average price this season being £479. This not only allows our fans to attend all 23 home league matches, but to get first refusal on away tickets, and to be first in line for home games in the cup competitions.