Engelsk gjestespaltist: Steve Creek om norsk besøk

STEVE CREEk (25) er født og oppvokst i Leeds og svoren supporter. Den journalistutdannede hardrockeren er vår engelske gjesteskribent i denne utgaven av TPN.

An influx of Norwegians typically invigorates Elland Road and the city of Leeds. Over the years, the likes of Alfie Haaland, Gunnar Halle, Tore Andre Flo and even Imre Varadi have all brought smiles to the faces of Leeds fans, so it was with a grin that I welcomed Jon Olsen and his girlfriend Ina to Elland Road for the visit of Carlisle on Tuesday September 29th.

They were grinning too and who could blame them – they had already seen Leeds take a very valuable three points from a gruelling trip to MK Dons. While the performance had not been of the quality of that seen in home games against Gillingham and Liverpool, there was optimism that home ties with Carlisle and Charlton would yield some excitement and some goals.

My Scandinavian friends made it clear that football was not their sole reason for making the trip to Leeds, as they had brought a big thirst for beer along with their thirst for goals. So I made the bar under the Kop our first port of call before we took our places for what we hoped would be an emphatic win over Carlisle.

When Beckford hammered home a rebounded penalty after half an hour, we felt confident there would be no repeat of the 2-0 reverse suffered at the hands of Carlisle in January – our last home defeat in a league fixture. But there was a somewhat low key atmosphere inside Elland Road. After the euphoria of matching Liverpool in front of a full house, the crowd seemed to feel a win over Carlisle would be a formality for our league leaders.

That atmosphere was to be reflected in what turned out to be a dour performance and a thoroughly sobering game for Jon and Ina. Other than Snodgrass seeing a smart shot hit the post, Leeds offered little by way of creativity and it was little surprise when Scott Dobie headed the Cumbrians’ equaliser after 75 minutes. The disappointment inside the ground was tangible as the final whistle blew and we left the ground in much the same fashion as the players did – slowly, with our heads down.

But if there is one thing you can rely on Norwegians for, it is optimism, and before long we were happily drinking in the city centre, reflecting on four points from two games and looking ahead to the top-of-the-table clash with Charlton at the weekend. Three days of sightseeing and plenty more ale left us in high spirits when we gathered in the Adelphi pub on the Saturday afternoon. The word was that the game was a sell-out, so we

jumped in a taxi feeling confident of a big crowd, good atmosphere and three huge points towards the promotion push.

The absence of Snodgrass, who had picked up a knock, amongst the starting line up was worrying but we felt certain that Kilkenny’s intelligent passing game would be well suited to the conditions, which were blustery to say the least.

The wind played havoc with both teams from the off and matters were made worse by Grayson’s failure to get the lads to keep the ball on the deck. Endless high balls were blown off course and Charlton offered very little to threaten our goal.

Becchio limped off injured after 35 minutes, which left us all concerned. That concern deepened as the game went on and we were forced to endure a typically hapless performance from Enoch Showunmi.

Mike Grella must have wondered what on earth he had done to offend Grayson as he sat on the bench and watched Showunmi completely fail to make any impact on the game whatsoever. It is not often as a Leeds fan that you pay to watch inept footballers, but Showunmi is one such player.

With all still to play for and about 15 minutes left on the clock, he was put through on the right flank with acres of space ahead of him. He desperately tried to turn the ball onto his left foot – the only one he seems able to kick with – but after failing to do so, he simply yielded possession of the ball and fell over.

Clearly, it once again wasn’t going to be Leeds’ day. Even Frazer Richardson, source of so much frustration towards the end of his days in a Leeds shirt, looked sharp and incisive at full back for Charlton. But neither side delivered the goods and once again the points were shared.

I felt like apologising to Jon and Ina afterwards, but in true Norsk style they remained pragmatic and defiant. Far from put off by two below-par performances from the team they had travelled so far to see, they were already planning which restaurants and nightspots they would hit when they come back to Leeds in December for the Huddersfield game.

Here’s hoping that by then, Leeds are back to their fluid, flamboyant, victorious best!