May 11, 2010

#10: PromoPod!

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The tenth and final episode of The Square Ball’s 2009-10 season brought Dan Moylan, Michael Normanton, Daniel Chapman (Moscowhite), and Paul O’Dowd (Oddy) together to celebrate one of the most significant days in the club’s recent history: promotion back to the Championship after three years in League One.

White Watching covered the final two fixtures. A 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic — decided by a Richard Naylor own goal on 88 minutes, with former Leeds players Frazer Richardson and Sam Sodje in the Charlton side — sent Leeds into the final day needing a win at Elland Road. Results elsewhere also registered: Tranmere Rovers, with former Leeds players Ian Moore and Andy Robinson, beat Millwall on the same afternoon — a result that mattered because Millwall were directly behind Leeds in the table chasing automatic promotion. Bristol Rovers provided the opposition, and the match delivered drama from the outset. Max Gradel was dismissed on 33 minutes, reducing Leeds to ten men. Darryl Duffy gave Bristol Rovers the lead on 48 minutes. Then Jonny Howson, introduced as a substitute, changed the game entirely: his goal on 59 minutes brought Leeds level, and Jermaine Beckford’s strike on 63 minutes sealed the result and confirmed promotion. The hosts gave considerable time to Howson’s contribution, noting his ability to produce in high-pressure moments and recalling strong performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United earlier in the season.

The episode served as Jermaine Beckford’s send-off. The numbers were straightforward: 111 starts, 72 goals, and a move to Everton at a reported salary of around £24,000 per week. Beyond the statistics, the hosts reflected on his personality, his informal leadership of the squad, and what he had represented during years when Leeds United needed a focal point. The farewell was warmly given.

Patrick Kisnorbo and Robert Snodgrass were confirmed in the PFA League One Team of the Year — recognition the panel considered well earned. Leeds United’s new kit, produced by Macron, was also announced and discussed.

Dan provided a lengthy digression involving a stag weekend in Manchester and an incident with a shotgun that the rest of the panel found difficult to move past efficiently. The episode ended with the hosts turning to the summer: squad areas that needed strengthening, the nature of Championship football, and what a club back at the second level for the first time since 2007 would need to do to be competitive.