So it was a nice surprise that we were set to have a pre-season match against a great Premiership team. Who would it be against? The mighty Liverpool with Anfield awaiting us? Would the beautiful Emirates Stadium in North London play host to an Arsenal Vs Leeds friendly?
Nope!
Instead, we were set to visit the run down Turf Moor, home of Burnley FC for our last pre-season match before the league got going. To say Turf Moor is a little run-down is an understatement. We'll get to the ground in a little while. Firstly we parked up, as a lot of Away supporters do, in the Cricket club car park around the back of the stadium. After a quick drink and a laugh at how dense the barmaid was in the cricket club (lets just hope she doesn't double as the team's score-board operator) we made our way around the corner and through the turnstiles into the ground. As you pass through the turnstiles (and pay the ludicrous £15 for the match) you are greeted by a large hole in the wall which passes as the entrance into the "concourse"...a corridor of concrete with almost Zero lighting. The only light seemed to be coming from the few entrances up to the seating area.
We made our way to our unallocated seats and found that we would be spending the match on wooden seats...lets just say it's a good job we don't sit down at away matches! It also sparked off the rendition of "Wooden seats? Ya havin' a laugh!" chant that was sung by almost every Leeds fan in the ground.
The new Burnley mascot was introduced to the fans for the first time this season. Something called Bertie Bee which, to be perfectly honest, looked more like a wasp than a Bee! Naturally it was greeted well by the Leeds fans : "What the f*cking hell is THAT?"
Then it was time for the match.
Leeds were without the services of Fabian Delph, strongly rumoured to be on his travels across the pennines to the Moneybags City. Whether the rumours are true or not remain to be seen. Jermaine Beckford had been penned in to starting the game too but didn't make the runout for the first half, leaving everyone a little bemused.
So Leeds lined up with a team of Ankergren, Crowe, Marques, Kisnorbo, Parker, Hughes, Howson, Prutton, Johnson, Grella and Showunmi (who was comically introduced as Enoch Showuminimini).
On paper we were a weakened team and Burnley were feeling an almost full strength team that included the likes of Chris Eagles (instantly disliked for his affiliation with Scum) and Robbie Blake, a Leeds United old-boy.
The premiership team were on the back foot from the beginning with Grella and Howson both going close. About halfway through the first half, following a bad tackle on Jason Crowe, Bradley Johnson stepped up and hammered his freekick into the post. Leeds were well and truly taking the game to Burnley. Showunmi missed an absolute sitter too when a ball came in low from the right hand side and he failed to hit the target with his tap in.
On 37 minutes however, the deadlock was broken when a slip by Burnley defender (and ex Leeds player) Caldwell, let in young American/Italian Mike Grella who curled a beautiful ball past The Beast Jensen and into the back of the Burnley net. Grella's relief was clear to see as he bagged his first senior goal for the club, one that the fans have been looking forward to for a long time too.
The Burnley fans were poor. I don't know whether it was a mixture of the fact that their team played rubbish, or whether the fact that we started chanting "Blackburn, give us a song, Blackburn Blackburn give us a sing" followed by "Preston, give us a song..." etc etc that really upset them.
As half time approached, Leeds United remained on top of the game, having another couple of chances but failing to add to their lead. Chris Eagles for Burnley had a golden opportunity to equalise in the final seconds of the first half but directed his shot wide of Ankergren's goal.
In the second half, Leeds picked up where they had left off and still pressed the sorry-looking Burnley who certainly did not seem to be performing like a Premier League outfit.
A few substitutions slowed the second half down and made it a slightly more sloppy affair than the first...but it was one of those substitutions, Andy Robinson for Leeds who stepped up to the mark again. A cross from the right and Robinson was there to blast the ball past Jensen's bottom left.
Burnley made a flurry of substitutions after the second goal went in and around the 76th minute, they managed to pull a goal back following a low corner which was slid into the net past Ankergren.
The game stayed 2-1 to Leeds who delighted in taking the scalp of a Premier League opponent.
I can honestly say that if Burnley continue to perform like they did on Saturday against us, they will end up being whipping boys in the Premiership.
As the Leeds fans sung :
Blackburn will murder you, Blackburn will murder you!
Portsmouth will murder you, Portsmouth will murder you!
Tottenham will murder you, Tottenham will murder you!
Hull will draw with you, Hull will draw with you!
Saturday 8th August, Leeds will play host to Exeter as the League One season gets underway and I cannot wait to be stood in N8 at Elland Road, cheering the boys on to victory on the first step to promotion!
Current Paddy Power odds of Outright League Win : 3/1
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