2008–09 Leeds United F.C. season

Leeds United

2008–09 season
Chairman	Ken Bates
Manager	Gary McAllister (until 21 December) Simon Grayson (from 23 December)
Stadium	Elland Road
League One	4th (qualified for play-offs)
Play-offs	Semi-finals
FA Cup	Second round
League Cup	Fourth round
League Trophy	Second round northern
Top goalscorer	League: Jermaine Beckford (27) All: Jermaine Beckford (34)
Highest home attendance	37,036 vs Millwall (14 May 2009, Play-offs)
Lowest home attendance	9,531 vs Northampton Town (7 November 2008, FA Cup)
Average home league attendance	22,849
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The 2008–09 season was Leeds United's second consecutive season in the third tier of English football.

Season summary

The season began with Gary McAllister still managing Leeds, and they appeared to be in automatic promotion contention after a promising start. However, a humiliating FA Cup exit to Football Conference side Histon saw the team's form completely collapse, and with any hope of automatic promotion having all but ended even before Christmas Day, McAllister was sacked. He was replaced by Simon Grayson, and after a nervy first few games, Grayson lifted the side from eighth to fourth, resulting in a place in the play-offs. During this time, the club recorded eleven consecutive home wins. Although to the heartbreak of Leeds fans, the club failed in the play-offs again, being defeated by Millwall in the semi-finals. During the season, Jermaine Beckford scored 34 goals in all competitions – the highest in the country. Once again, the club received the highest attendance outside the Premier League on three occasions; the largest in the play-off semi final, recording a crowd of over 37,000. Off the pitch, the club made a profit for the first time in years.

Events

This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order (starting from 26 May 2008 and ending on 14 May 2009). This list does not include transfers or new contracts, which are listed in the transfers section below, or match results, which are in the matches section.

May

• 27 May: Leeds Chairman, Ken Bates denies claims that Canadian sports firm, Maple Leaf Sports are in talks to take over the club.

June

• 4 June: Leeds confirm they have had talks with out-of-contract West Bromwich Albion striker, Kevin Phillips, regarding a move to Elland Road. However, the former England international's agent says that it would be "unlikely" that Phillips would move to Leeds. Duncan Revie, the son of the late Leeds manager, Don says he is still interested in buying the club. Meanwhile, thieves steal an England shirt worn by Don during the 1954–55 season.
• 6 June: Chairman, Ken Bates denies rumours that the club have bought back their stadium, Elland Road which is currently owned by the company, Teak Commercial Limited.
• 16 June: The fixtures for the 2008–09 League One season are released. Leeds start away at Scunthorpe United on 9 August, with their first home game against Oldham Athletic a week later. The club's final match of the season is against Northampton Town at Elland Road.
• 26 June: A friendly match scheduled for 30 July against Rotherham United is cancelled due to the "reputation" of the Leeds fans.

July

• 4 July: The Leeds team return from their holidays for pre-season training. Leeds' opponents for the friendly match on 2 August at Elland Road are changed from Sporting Lokeren to FCV Dender after Lokeren struggle to get visas for their full team.
• 9 July: Assistant manager, Steve Staunton is charged with a breach of FA rule E3 following comments he allegedly made to FA doping controllers after the club's defeat to Doncaster Rovers at Wembley on 25 May 2008.
• 10 July: The club's new kit for the 2008–09 season is revealed, with a full white home strip, a light blue/dark blue away kit and a full yellow alternative away kit. The club encounter contractual issues with the company who had agreed and signed a two-year contract with the club on 26 May 2008 to be the new shirt sponsor. The problem will force the team to wear shirts without a sponsor for the friendly against York City on the 11th.
• 14 July: Gary McAllister leaves out Sébastien Carole, Anthony Elding, Trésor Kandol, Sebastian Sorsa, Ian Westlake, Curtis Weston from his squad for the pre-season tour of Ireland. Fabian Delph and Neil Kilkenny miss out due to international duty.
• 29 July: Leeds agree a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with online travel company NetFlights.com.

August

• 1 August: The squad numbers for the new season are revealed. Most notably, Carole, Westlake, Weston and Bayly are demoted to numbers 35, 37, 40 and 41 respectively, suggesting their careers at Elland Road may be coming to an end.
• 9 August: Frazer Richardson is named as Leeds' club captain for the 2008–09 season. Leeds win their opening game of the season with a 2–1 away victory over Scunthorpe United.
• 29 August: The club confirm they have been charged by the FA with making payments to an unlicensed agent during the transfer of Anthony Elding from Crewe Alexandra in January 2008.
• 30 August: The club's new home shirt is made available for the first time in the official club shop.

September

• 3 September: Leeds' first goal against Bristol Rovers on 30 August is awarded to Jermaine Beckford after there was initial confusion where the goal had in fact been an own goal by Bristol defender, Steve Elliott. The club plead guilty to the FA charge in regard to payments to unlicensed agents in the Elding transfer.
• 6 September: The club announce that OHS will be the club's secondary shirt sponsor for a further two seasons. OHS were the club's secondary shirt sponsors in the 2007–08 season as well.
• 27 September: The club's new away shirt is made available for the first time in the official club shop and online.
• 30 September: The club are fined £7,500, with a further suspended fine of £12,500, for using an unlicensed agent in the transfer of Anthony Elding from Stockport County in January.

October

• 27 October: Plans for the re-development of the East Stand of Elland Road are revealed. As part of the re-development, a hotel, arcade, shops, restaurants, bars, nightclub, office block and a new club shop will be built.

November

• 27 November: The club directors reveal that the audited accounts for the 14-month period to 30 June 2008 show the club have made a profit of £4,553,000. The club also announce that due to savings on VAT, ticket prices as of 1 January 2009 will feature a £1 reduction.

December

• 13 December: Leeds defender, Paul Huntington is given a three match ban (suspended until May 2010) and fined £1,500 following his gestures towards the Carlisle United fans at their defeat to Leeds at Elland Road in April.
• 18 December: The club's first team coach, Neil McDonald leaves to become new Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce's assistant.
• 21 December: Gary McAllister is sacked as Leeds' manager after 11 months in charge of the club.
• 22 December: Assistant Manager, Steve Staunton parts company with the club following Gary McAllister's dismissal. Reserve Team Manager, Neil Thompson and Goalkeeping Coach, Andy Beasley are put in charge of first team training until a new manager is appointed. Blackpool turn down Leeds' approach for their manager, Simon Grayson.
• 23 December: Blackpool announce they will be taking legal action against Leeds following Simon Grayson's decision to tender his resignation which was rejected by Blackpool's directors. Several hours later, Leeds appoint Grayson as their new manager.
• 26 December: The club announce that former Blackburn, Leicester and Wolves coach, Ian Miller has joined Simon Grayson's new coaching team.
• 29 December: Midfield starlet, Fabian Delph is charged with drink driving following an incident on 23 December. Manager, Simon Grayson states that Delph is not for sale after it is reported that Arsenal and Newcastle United are ready to launch a bid for the 19-year-old in the January transfer window.

January

• 1 January: Leeds' academy is re-structured with Daral Pugh being promoted from Under 18s Manager to Assistant Academy Manager, with responsibilities for under-16s. Neil Redfearn joins the club to replace Pugh as Under-18s Manager.
• 3 January: The away match at Hereford United is postponed to due a frozen pitch.
• 17 January: Leeds rejects bids from two unnamed Premiership clubs for starlet, Fabian Delph.

February

• 2 February: Glynn Snodin returns to the club as Assistant Manager having left the club as a player over 15 years ago. The away match against Leyton Orient is cancelled a day in advance because of heavy snow.
• 11 February: Striker, Jermaine Beckford is charged with violent conduct and offered a three match ban following an incident in the match against Millwall two days earlier.
• 13 February: Jermaine Beckford pleas guilty to the violent conduct charge by FA resulting in an automatic three match suspension.

March

• 18 March: Following news that Sheffield United have won their battle to gain compensation from West Ham as part of the Tevez affair, Leeds chairman, Ken Bates confirms that the club will claim compensation from Sheffield United. Sheffield's relegation in 2007 saw Leeds miss out on contingency payments in relation to Premiership survival for the transfers of Rob Hulse, Matthew Kilgallon, and Ian Bennett.

April

• 9 April: The club announce that Blackpool's dispute with Leeds over Simon Grayson's appointment as manager of the Yorkshire club has been resolved. Leeds City Council grant the club planning permission for their plans to redevelopment the East Stand of Elland Road.
• 21 April: Leeds' place in the 2008–09 League One play-offs is confirmed following Scunthorpe's 3–3 draw with Northampton.
• 28 April: The club's reserve team win their league – The Central League, Division One East and hence quality for The Central League play-offs.

May

• 1 May: The new kit for the 2009–10 season is unveiled, featuring a new NetFlights.com logo, a white and blue collar, a blue slash adjacent to the club badge and a blue Macron logo. It is announced that the new kit will be worn for the final games of the season, starting with the final league game of the season against Northampton Town.
• 2 May: The normal league season comes to a close with Leeds beating Northampton to finish 4th. The result means that Leeds will play Millwall in the play-off semi finals with the 1st leg away on 9 May and the 2nd leg at home on 14 May.
• 14 May: The club's play-off campaign comes to an end as they draw 1–1 with Millwall resulting in a 2–1 aggregate score to Millwall.

Pre-season

York City v Leeds United

11 July 2008	York City	1–1	Leeds United	York
19:30 BST	Sodje 43'	Report	Beckford 25'	Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 4,405 Referee: J. Moss

Galway United v Leeds United

16 July 2008	Galway United	0–2	Leeds United	Galway
19:30 BST		Report	Beckford 25', 46'	Stadium: Terryland Park Attendance: 2,749 Referee: P. Sutton

Bray Wanderers v Leeds United

20 July 2008	Bray Wanderers	2–3	Leeds United	Bray
15:00 BST	Robson 9' Rowe 32'	Report	Rui Marques 55' Haber 68' Howson 83'	Stadium: Carlisle Grounds Attendance: 5,500 Referee: T. Connolly

Shelbourne v Leeds United

23 July 2008	Shelbourne	1–1	Leeds United	Drumcondra
19:30 BST	Flood 23'	Report	Huntington 45'	Stadium: Tolka Park Attendance: 3,127 Referee: I. Stokes

Barnet v Leeds United

26 July 2008	Barnet	0–2	Leeds United	Barnet
15:00 BST		Report	Robinson 36' Howson 49'	Stadium: Underhill Attendance: 2,644 Referee: M. Russell

Darlington v Leeds United

29 July 2008	Darlington	0–0	Leeds United	Darlington
19.30 BST		Report		Stadium: The Darlington Arena Attendance: 3,441 Referee: E. Ilderton

Leeds United v FCV Dender

2 August 2008	Leeds United	4–1	FCV Dender	Leeds
15.00 BST	Huntington 24', 86' Rui Marques 28' Beckford 34'	Report	Van Den Eede 55'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 7,041 Referee: U. Rennie

Competitions

League One

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
2	Peterborough United (P)	46	26	11	9	78	54	+24	89	Promotion to Football League Championship
3	Milton Keynes Dons	46	26	9	11	83	47	+36	87	Qualification for League One play-offs
4	Leeds United	46	26	6	14	77	49	+28	84
5	Millwall	46	25	7	14	63	53	+10	82
6	Scunthorpe United (O, P)	46	22	10	14	82	63	+19	76

Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2009. Source: The Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
46	26	6	14	77	49	+28	84	17	2	4	49	20	+29	9	4	10	28	29	−1

Last updated: 2 May 2009.
Source: The Football League

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	L	D	D	W	W	W	W	L	W	L	W	W	L	W	L	W	L	L	L	L	D	W	L	W	W	W	L	W	L	L	W	W	D	D	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	L	W	W	W
Position	8	13	12	14	6	4	3	3	4	3	5	4	2	3	2	6	6	7	7	8	9	9	9	10	9	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	6	5	7	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	4

Updated to match(es) played on 2 May 2009. Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Scunthorpe United v Leeds United

9 August 2008	Scunthorpe United	1–2	Leeds United	Scunthorpe
12:00 BST	Hooper 57'	Report	Showunmi 61' Beckford 80'	Stadium: Glanford Park Attendance: 8,315 Referee: L. Probert

Leeds United v Oldham Athletic

16 August 2008	Leeds United	0–2	Oldham Athletic	Leeds
15:00 BST		Report	Taylor 51', 65'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 24,631 Referee: M. Russell

Yeovil Town v Leeds United

23 August 2008	Yeovil Town	1–1	Leeds United	Yeovil
13:00 BST	Owusu 62' (pen.)	Report	Becchio 1'	Stadium: Huish Park Attendance: 6,580 Referee: D. Whitestone

Leeds United v Bristol Rovers

30 August 2008	Leeds United	2–2	Bristol Rovers	Leeds
15:00 BST	Beckford 5', 77'	Report	Lambert 32' Duffy 37'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 21,024 Referee: K. Wright

Leeds United v Crewe Alexandra

6 September 2008	Leeds United	5–2	Crewe Alexandra	Leeds
15:00 BST	Delph 26' Sheehan 36' Douglas 48' Beckford 66' Robinson 81' Michalík  90+2'	Report	Bopp 90+3' Zola 90+4'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 20,075 Referee: T. Kettle

Swindon Town v Leeds United

13 September 2008	Swindon Town	1–3	Leeds United	Swindon
15:00 BST	Cox 45'	Report	Beckford 22' Kilkenny 50' Beckford 84' Sheehan  9'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 13,001 Referee: D. Deadman

Carlisle United v Leeds United

20 September 2008	Carlisle United	0–2	Leeds United	Carlisle
12:15 BST		Report	Becchio 32' Beckford 86'	Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 12,138 Referee: P. Walton

Leeds United v Hereford United

27 September 2008	Leeds United	1–0	Hereford United	Leeds
15:00 BST	Robinson 72'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 25,676 Referee: G. Laws

Peterborough United v Leeds United

4 October 2008	Peterborough United	2–0	Leeds United	Peterborough
12:00 BST	Boyd 47' Mackail-Smith 90+1'	Report		Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 13,191 Referee: L. Probert

Leeds United v Brighton & Hove Albion

11 October 2008	Leeds United	3–1	Brighton & Hove Albion	Leeds
15:00 BST	Becchio 44' Beckford 45+1', 90'	Report	Murray 90+3'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 22,726 Referee: C. Boyeson

Millwall v Leeds United

18 October 2008	Millwall	3–1	Leeds United	London
15:00 BST	Martin 37' Harris 59', 88'	Report	Becchio 31'	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 13,041 Referee: A Marriner

Leeds United v Leyton Orient

21 October 2008	Leeds United	2–1	Leyton Orient	Leeds
19:45 BST	Purches 39' (o.g.) Becchio 45' Beckford 10'	Report	Morgan 36'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 18,990 Referee: C. Webster

Leeds United v Walsall

25 October 2008	Leeds United	3–0	Walsall	Leeds
15:00 BST	Becchio 46' Delph 65', 86'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 22,422 Referee: G. Hegley

Southend United v Leeds United

28 October 2008	Southend United	1–0	Leeds United	Southend
19:45 BST	Harding 18'	Report		Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 10,132 Referee: P. Miller

Cheltenham Town v Leeds United

1 November 2008	Cheltenham Town	0–1	Leeds United	Cheltenham
15:00 BST		Report	Becchio 7'	Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 5,726 Referee: F. Graham

Leeds United v Huddersfield Town

15 November 2008	Leeds United	1–2	Huddersfield Town	Leeds
12:15 GMT	Snodgrass 3'	Report	Skarz 46' Collins 90+2'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 32,028 Referee: M. Halsey

Leeds United v Hartlepool United

22 November 2008	Leeds United	4–1	Hartlepool United	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 14', 90+1' Delph 50' Becchio 64'	Report	Porter 24'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 21,182 Referee: G. Salisbury

Northampton Town v Leeds United

25 November 2008	Northampton Town	2–1	Leeds United	Northampton
19:45 GMT	Davis 27' Bignall 87'	Report	Beckford 68'	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 6,008 Referee: C. Foy

Tranmere Rovers v Leeds United

6 December 2008	Tranmere Rovers	2–1	Leeds United	Birkenhead
15:00 GMT	Kay 17' Moore 46'	Report	Showunmi 10'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 8,700 Referee: R. Shoebridge

Leeds United v Colchester United

13 December 2008	Leeds United	1–2	Colchester United	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Snodgrass 14' Prutton  66'	Report	Hammond 45+2' Yeates 66'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 19,625 Referee: N. Miller

Milton Keynes Dons v Leeds United

20 December 2008	Milton Keynes Dons	3–1	Leeds United	Milton Keynes
15:00 GMT	O'Hanlon 11' Wilbraham 17', 55'	Report	Snodgrass 49'	Stadium: stadium:mk Attendance: 17,073 Referee: T. Bates

Leeds United v Leicester City

26 December 2008	Leeds United	1–1	Leicester City	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Snodgrass 90'	Report	Oakley 24'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 33,580 Referee: M. Halsey

Stockport County v Leeds United

28 December 2008	Stockport County	1–3	Leeds United	Stockport
12:00 GMT	Mullins 2'	Report	Becchio 19' Delph 73' Christie 87'	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 10,273 Referee: R. Beeby

Leeds United v Carlisle United

10 January 2009	Leeds United	0–2	Carlisle United	Leeds
15:00 GMT		Report	Graham 27' Bridges 35'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 22,411 Referee: K. Friend

Brighton v Leeds United

17 January 2009	Brighton	0–2	Leeds United	Brighton
15:00 GMT		Report	Trundle 61' Delph 82' Becchio 11'	Stadium: Withdean Stadium Attendance: 7,096 Referee: P. Miller

Leeds United v Peterborough United

24 January 2009	Leeds United	3–1	Peterborough United	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 62', 71' Howson 90+1'	Report	Mackail-Smith 80'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 22,766 Referee: A. Taylor

Leeds United v Southend United

27 January 2009	Leeds United	2–0	Southend United	Leeds
19:45 GMT	Rui Marques 6' Naylor 11'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 20,392 Referee: D. Foster

Walsall v Leeds United

31 January 2009	Walsall	1–0	Leeds United	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Deeney 7'	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 8,920 Referee: K. Wright

Leeds United v Millwall

9 February 2009	Leeds United	2–0	Millwall	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 32', 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 19,314 Referee: A. Wiley

Huddersfield Town v Leeds United

14 February 2009	Huddersfield Town	1–0	Leeds United	Huddersfield
12:00 GMT	Clarke 16'	Report		Stadium: Galpharm Stadium Attendance: 20,928 Referee: P. Taylor

Hereford United v Leeds United

17 February 2009	Hereford United	2–0	Leeds United	Hereford
19:45 GMT	Myrie-Williams 39' Brandy 63'	Report	Trundle 10'	Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 6,120 Referee: G. Horwood

Leeds United v Cheltenham Town

21 February 2009	Leeds United	2–0	Cheltenham Town	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Howson 54', 66'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 20,131 Referee: P. Walton

Leeds United v Scunthorpe United

28 February 2009	Leeds United	3–2	Scunthorpe United	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 33', 67' Johnson 38' Howson  79'	Report	Hooper 42', 51'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 24,921 Referee: I. Williamson

Oldham Athletic v Leeds United

2 March 2009	Oldham Athletic	1–1	Leeds United	Oldham
19:45 GMT	Hughes 51'	Report	Becchio 52'	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 7,835 Referee: R. Booth

Bristol Rovers v Leeds United

7 March 2009	Bristol Rovers	2–2	Leeds United	Bristol
15:00 GMT	Hughes 14' Kuffour 90'	Report	Becchio 27' Snodgrass 58'	Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 10,293 Referee: A. Marriner

Leeds United v Yeovil Town

10 March 2009	Leeds United	4–0	Yeovil Town	Leeds
19:45 GMT	Beckford 26', 51', 58' Kilkenny 43' Becchio 72'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 18,847 Referee: A. Haines

Leeds United v Swindon Town

14 March 2009	Leeds United	1–0	Swindon Town	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 87',  90'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 21,765 Referee: K. Stroud

Crewe Alexandra v Leeds United

21 March 2009	Crewe Alexandra	2–3	Leeds United	Crewe
15:00 GMT	Pope 60', 73' Jones  17'	Report	Kilkenny 27' Becchio 30' Snodgrass 33'	Stadium: Alexandra Stadium Attendance: 7,138 Referee: S. Mathieson

Leeds United v Milton Keynes Dons

28 March 2009	Leeds United	2–0	Milton Keynes Dons	Leeds
15:00 GMT	Beckford 37', 54'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 27,649 Referee: N. Swarbrick

Colchester United v Leeds United

4 April 2009	Colchester United	0–1	Leeds United	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Becchio 28'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 9,559 Referee: A. Woolmer

Leyton Orient v Leeds United

7 April 2009	Leyton Orient	2–2	Leeds United	London
19:45 BST	Thornton 65' Church 85' Demetriou  59'	Report	Snodgrass 19', 60' (pen.)	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 6,943 Referee: T. Kettle

Leeds United v Stockport County

11 April 2009	Leeds United	1–0	Stockport County	Leeds
15:00 BST	Howson 9'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 24,967 Referee: P. Crossley

Leicester City v Leeds United

13 April 2009	Leicester City	1–0	Leeds United	Leicester
15:00 BST	Howard 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Walkers Stadium Attendance: 27,507 Referee: L. Mason

Leeds United v Tranmere Rovers

18 April 2009	Leeds United	3–1	Tranmere Rovers	Leeds
15:00 BST	Beckford 15' Kilkenny 26' Becchio 56'	Report	Sodje 27' (o.g.)	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 24,360 Referee: M. Oliver

Hartlepool United v Leeds United

25 April 2009	Hartlepool United	0–1	Leeds United	Hartlepool
15:00 BST		Report	Beckford 59'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 6,402 Referee: C. Webster

Leeds United v Northampton Town

2 May 2009	Leeds United	3–0	Northampton Town	Leeds
15:00 BST	Becchio 44' Beckford 59' Snodgrass 90'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 34,214 Referee: Andy Penn

Play-offs

Millwall v Leeds United

9 May 2009 Play-off Semi-Final (1st Leg)	Millwall	1–0	Leeds United	London
12:45 BST	Harris 71'	Report		Stadium: The Den Attendance: 13,228 Referee: C. Oliver

Leeds United v Millwall

14 May 2009 Play-off Semi-Final (2nd Leg)	Leeds United	1–1 (1–2 agg.)	Millwall	Leeds
19:45 BST	Becchio 53' Beckford	Report	Abdou 74'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 37,036 Referee: M. Halsey

FA Cup

Leeds United v Northampton Town

7 November 2008 1st round	Leeds United	1–1	Northampton Town	Leeds
19:45 BST	Robinson 37' (pen.)	Report	McGleish 9' Coke  26'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 9,531 Referee: M. Oliver

Northampton Town v Leeds United

17 November 2008 1st round (replay)	Northampton Town	2–5	Leeds United	Northampton
19:45 GMT	Crowe 44', 89'	Report	Beckford 13', 45+2', 54' Howson 28' Parker 41'	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 3,960 Referee: P. Crossley

Histon v Leeds United

30 November 2008 2nd round	Histon	1–0	Leeds United	Impington
12:15 GMT	Langston 38'	Report		Stadium: Bridge Road Attendance: 4,301 Referee: N. Swarbrick

Football League Cup

Main article: 2008–09 Football League Cup

Chester City v Leeds United

12 August 2008 1st round	Chester City	2–5	Leeds United	Chester
19:45 BST	Lowe 15', 75'	Report	Beckford 3', 25', 35' Snodgrass 10' Robinson 31'	Stadium: Deva Stadium Attendance: 3,644 Referee: G. Salisbury

Leeds United v Crystal Palace

26 August 2008 2nd round	Leeds United	4–0	Crystal Palace	Leeds
19:45 BST	Douglas 11' Beckford 32' Becchio 52' Showunmi 76'	Report		Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 10,765 Referee: K. Friend

Leeds United v Hartlepool United

23 September 2008 3rd round	Leeds United	3–2	Hartlepool United	Leeds
19:45 BST	Snodgrass 14' Showunmi 58' Robinson 90+1'	Report	Monkhouse 2' Porter 33'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 14,599 Referee: A. Penn

Derby County v Leeds United

11 November 2008 4th round	Derby County	2–1	Leeds United	Derby
19:45 GMT	Villa 6' Ellington 18'	Report	Becchio 40'	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium Attendance: 18,540 Referee: G. Laws

Football League Trophy

Main article: 2008–09 Football League Trophy

Leeds United v Bradford City

2 September 2008 1st round (N-E)	Leeds United	2–1	Bradford City	Leeds
19:45 BST	Robinson 7' (pen.) Becchio 50'	Report	Conlon 71'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 20,128 Referee: A. Taylor

Rotherham United v Leeds United

8 October 2008 2nd round (Northern)	Rotherham United	4–2	Leeds United	Sheffield
19:45 BST	Sharps 17' Hudson 44' (pen.) Broughton 48' Fenton 53'	Report	Howson 31' Showunmi 56'	Stadium: Don Valley Stadium Attendance: 4,658 Referee: S. Mathieson

First-team squad

Squad information

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Since	App	Goals	Ends	Transfer fee	Notes
1	GK		Ankergren	29	EU	2007	104	0	2010	Undisclosed
2	DF		Richardson (captain)	26	EU	2001	173	5	2009	Youth system
3	DF		Huntington	21	EU	2007	31	2	2010	£200k
4	MF		Douglas	27	EU	2005	166	11	2009	Undisclosed
5	DF		Rui Marques	31	Non-EU	2005	94	4	2010	Free
6	DF		Michalík	25	EU	2007	53	1	2011	£200k
7	MF		Prutton	27	EU	2007	69	4	2010	Free
8	MF		Kilkenny	23	EU	2008	57	5	2011	£150k
9	FW		Beckford	25	EU	2006	100	54	2010	£ 50k
10	FW		Becchio	25	Non-EU	2008	56	19	2011	£300k
11	DF		Sheehan	22	EU	2008	24	2	2011	Undisclosed
12	GK		Lucas	31	EU	2007	23	0	2009	Free
13	FW		Grella	22	EU	2009	12	0	2010	Free
14	MF		Howson	20	EU	2006	97	12	2011	Youth system
15	MF		Delph	19	EU	2007	54	6	2012	Youth system
16	MF		Johnson	22	EU	2008	44	4	2011	£250k
18	MF		Robinson	29	EU	2008	41	6	2011	Free
19	DF		Parker	21	EU	2007	45	1	2009	Youth system
20	FW		Kandol	27	Non-EU	2006	66	12	2011	£200k
21	FW		Showunmi	27	EU	2008	16	5	2010	Free
22	MF		Hughes	31	EU	2007	74	1	2010	Undisclosed
23	FW		Snodgrass	21	EU	2008	51	11	2011	£ 35k
24	MF		Sweeney	24	EU	2008	9	0	2010	£150k
25	GK		Martin	20	EU	2007	0	0	2011	Undisclosed
26	DF		Sodje	29	EU	20092	7	0	2009	Loan
27	FW		Dickinson	23	EU	20092	8	0	2009	Loan
28	GK		Flahavan	30	EU	20092	0	0	2009	Loan
29	FW		Elliott	19	EU	2007	4	0	2011	Youth system
31	DF		Webb	19	EU	2008	1	0	2009	Youth system
32	DF		White	17	EU	2008	9	0	2012	Youth system
33	MF		Falkingham	18	EU	2008	0	0		Youth system
36	DF		Naylor (VC)	32	EU	2009	24	1	2011	Free

• Last updated: 15 May 2009
• Source: Wikipedia players' articles, Leeds United, Sky Sports
• Ordered by Squad Number.

Appearances (starts and substitute appearances) and goals include those in The Premiership, The Championship (and playoffs), League One (and playoffs), FA Cup, League Cup, EFL Trophy, and UEFA Cup.
¹Player first came to the club on loan and was transferred the following year.
²Player is at the club on loan
Squad includes players registered with the club on the last day of the season (14 May 2009) only.

Squad stats

				Total			League One		FA Cup		Football League Cup		Football League Trophy
No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Sts	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls
1	GK		Ankergren	39	39		35		1		3
2	RB		Richardson	27	29		23		2		3		1
3	CB		Huntington	7	7		4				2		1
4	CM/RB		Douglas	49	51	2	45	1	3		3	1
5	CB		Rui Marques	36	36	1	32	1	1		1		2
6	CB		Michalík	22	26		19		3		3		1
7	RM/CM		Prutton	12	20		16		1		1		2
8	CM/RM		Kilkenny	35	38	4	32	4	1		3		2
9	FW		Beckford	37	42	34	36	27	1	3	4	4	1
10	FW		Becchio	48	55	19	46	16	3		4	2	2	1
11	LB		Sheehan	13	14	1	11	1	1		1		1
12	GK		Lucas	18	18		13		2		1		2
13	FW		Grella		12		12
14	CM/RM		Howson	34	52	6	43	4	3	1	4		2	1
15	LM/CM		Delph	47	51	6	44	6	2		4		1
16	LM		Johnson	7	20	1	17	1			2		1
18	LW/RM/FW		Robinson	27	41	6	34	2	2	1	3	2	2	1
19	LB		Parker	30	31	1	26		2	1	2		1
20	FW		Kandol
21	FW		Showunmi	6	16	5	8	2	3		3	2	2	1
22	RM/RB		Hughes	23	32		27		2		2		1
23	RW/LM/ST		Snodgrass	35	51	11	44	9	2		3	2	2
24	LM		Sweeney
25	GK		Martin
26	CB		Telfer	18	18		14		2		2
26	CB		Sodje	7	7		7
27	RB		Assoumani	1	1		1
27	FW		L. Dickinson	4	8		8
28	FW		Christie	2	5	1	4	1	1
28	GK		Flahavan
29	FW		Elliott
31	CB		Webb		1				1
32	LB		White	7	9		5		1		2		1
33	CM		Falkingham
35	FW		Trundle	7	10	1	10	1
36	CB		Naylor	24	24	1	24	1
38	LB		C. Dickinson	7	7		7

Last updated: 15 May 2009
Source: Leeds United
Ordered by Squad Numbers
0 shown as blank

Disciplinary record

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name				Notes
15	MF		Delph	13
10	FW		Becchio	8
23	MF		Snodgrass	7
36	DF		Naylor	6			3/6 yellow cards at previous club
18	MF		Robinson	6
4	MF		Douglas	5
16	MF		Johnson	5			2/5 yellow cards on loan
8	MF		Kilkenny	5
9	FW		Beckford	5	1
6	DF		Michalik	4	1
5	DF		Rui Marques	4
7	MF		Prutton	3	1
1	GK		Ankergren	2
2	DF		Richardson	2
11	DF		Sheehan	1		1
38	DF		C. Dickinson	1
27	FW		L. Dickinson	1
14	MF		Howson	1	1
22	MF		Hughes	1
3	DF		Huntington	1
19	DF		Parker	1
26	DF		Sodje	1
21	FW		Showunmi	1
26	DF		Telfer	1
32	DF		White	1

Last updated: 7 May 2009
Source: BBC Sport
Only competitive matches
= Number of bookings; = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card; = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.

Suspensions

No.	P	Name	No. Matches Banned	Reason for Suspension	Notes
6	DF	Ľubomír Michalík	1	Red card for second bookable offence
11	DF	Alan Sheehan	3	Red card for violent conduct
15	MF	Fabian Delph	1	Five yellow cards
7	MF	David Prutton	1	Red card for second bookable offence
9	FW	Jermaine Beckford	3	Violent conduct	Incident not spotted by referee during play. Suspension handed after match.
10	FW	Luciano Becchio	1	Five yellow cards
14	MF	Jonny Howson	1	Red card for second bookable offence
9	FW	Jermaine Beckford	1	Red card for second bookable offence
15	MF	Fabian Delph	2	Ten yellow cards

Awards

Internal Awards

Official Player of the Year Awards

The results of the 2008–09 Leeds United F.C. Player of the Year Awards were announced at a dinner on 14 April 2008 at Elland Road.

• Fans' Player of the Year: Jermaine Beckford (Runner-up: Robert Snodgrass)
• Fans' Young Player of the Year: Fabian Delph (Runner-up: Aidan White)
• Players' Player of the Year: Fabian Delph
• Goal of the Season: Fabian Delph (vs Brighton, 17 January)
• Best Contribution to Community: Andy Hughes
• Chairman's Special Award: Jonathan Douglas and Ben Parker

Regional Members Clubs Player of the Year Awards

• Player of the Year: Robert Snodgrass
• Goal of the Season: Jermaine Beckford (vs Millwall, 9 February)

Official Goal of the Month

• August: Jermaine Beckford (12 August vs Chester City)¹
• September: Andy Robinson (6 September vs Crewe Alexandra)
• October–January: n/a
• February: Jermaine Beckford (9 February vs Millwall)²

¹Winning goal was the player's third goal in the match. ²Winning goal was the player's first goal in the match.

External Awards

League One Team of the Week

The following Leeds players have been selected in the official League One team of the week.

• 11 August: Frazer Richardson, David Prutton
• 8 September: Alan Sheehan
• 15 September: Fabian Delph, Jermaine Beckford
• 22 September: Aidan White
• 29 September: Andy Robinson
• 13 October: Fabian Delph, Jermaine Beckford
• 27 October: Ben Parker, Fabian Delph
• 3 November: Frazer Richardson
• 17 November: Robert Snodgrass
• 24 November: Fabian Delph, Jermaine Beckford
• 29 December: Ľubomír Michalík, Fabian Delph
• 19 January: Fabian Delph
• 26 January: Jermaine Beckford
• 2 February: Rui Marques
• 23 February: Jonny Howson
• 2 March: Jermaine Beckford
• 30 March: Casper Ankergren, Jermaine Beckford
• 6 April: Jonathan Douglas
• 15 April: Fabian Delph
• 20 April: Neil Kilkenny
• 27 April: Casper Ankergren

Others

• PFA Fans' Player of the Year (League One): Jermaine Beckford
• PFA Team of the Year (League One): Fabian Delph
• PFA Fans' Player of the Month (League One): Jermaine Beckford (September, March), Fabian Delph (November, January)
• The Football League Golden Boot: Jermaine Beckford
• League One Young Player of the Year: Fabian Delph
• League One Player of the Month: Jermaine Beckford (September)
• Yorkshire Evening Post Player of the Year (Leeds United): Jermaine Beckford, (Runner-up: Robert Snodgrass)

Transfers

In

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	EU	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
18	MF		Andy Robinson	28	EU	Swansea City	Free Agent	Summer	2011	Free
11	DF		Alan Sheehan	21	EU	Leicester City	Transferred1	Summer	2011	Undisclosed
21	FW		Enoch Showunmi	26	EU	Bristol City	Free Agent	Summer	2010	Free
23	FW		Robert Snodgrass	20	EU	Livingston	Free Agent1	Summer	2011	£ 35k2
10	FW		Luciano Becchio	24	Non-EU	Mérida UD	Transferred	Summer	2011	£300k3
26	DF		Paul Telfer	36	EU	Bournemouth	Free Agent	Summer	20094	Free
28	FW		Malcolm Christie	28	EU	Middlesbrough	Free Agent	Summer	n/a5	Free
27	DF		Mansour Assoumani	25	EU	Sportfreunde Siegen	Free Agent	Summer	2009	Free
13	FW		Mike Grella	22	EU	Cary Clarets	Free Agent	Winter	2010	Free
36	DF		Richard Naylor	31	EU	Ipswich Town	Transferred	Winter	2011	Free

¹As the player was under the age of 23 at the time of the transfer, an undisclosed compensation package was due to the player's former club.
²Although intended to be undisclosed, it was revealed on Yorkshire Radio on 18 April 2009 that the compensation paid to the player's former club was £35,000.
³Although intended to be undisclosed, chairman Ken Bates revealed on Yorkshire Radio on 19 May 2009 that the compensation paid to the player's former club was £300,000.
⁴Player originally joined the club on a non-contract basis, but signed a one-year contract lasting until 2009 several weeks after.
⁵Player joined the club on a non-contract basis.

Out

N	P	Name	Country	Age	Type	Moving to	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Apps	Goals	Source
8	MF	Alan Thompson		34	Retired	Retirement	Summer	n/a	25	5
35	DF	Darren Kenton		29	Out of Contract	Cheltenham Town	Summer	n/a	16	0
10	FW	Leon Constantine		30	Transferred	Northampton Town	Summer	Free	6	2
31	FW	Tomi Ameobi		19	Transferred	Doncaster Rovers	Summer	£ 30k	2	0
39	FW	Anthony Elding		26	Transferred	Crewe Alexandra	Summer	£160k	9	1
38	MF	Sebastian Sorsa		24	Released	Hamilton Academical	Summer	n/a	0	0
41	MF	Robert Bayly		20	Released	Sporting Fingal	Summer	n/a	3	0
40	MF	Curtis Weston		21	Transferred	Gillingham	Summer	Free	11	1
35	MF	Sébastien Carole		25	Released	Darlington	Summer	n/a	52	3
27	DF	Mansour Assoumani		27	Out of Contract	Wrexham	Winter	n/a	1	0
37	MF	Ian Westlake		25	Released	Cheltenham Town	Winter	n/a	52	3
28	FW	Malcolm Christie		29	Released1		Winter	n/a	5	1
17	DF	Scott Gardner		20	Released	Mansfield Town	Winter	n/a	2	0
26	DF	Paul Telfer		37	Released	Slough Town	Winter	n/a	18	0
30	GK	Jonathan Lund		20	Released	Grimsby Town	Winter	n/a	0	0
—	MF	Lee Booth		18	Released		Winter	n/a	0	0
—	MF	Nathan Cartman		19	Released		Winter	n/a	0	0
—	GK	Matt Edwards		18	Released	Rochdale	Winter	n/a	0	0
—	FW	Sam Jerome		18	Released		Winter	n/a	0	0
—	DF	Chris Ovington		18	Released	Bradford Park Avenue	Winter	n/a	0	0
—	DF	Ross Wilkinson		19	Released		Winter	n/a	0	0

EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable; Apps = Total number of competitive appearances (including substitute appearances) at the club prior to departure; Goals = Total number of competitive goals scored at the club prior to departure.

¹Player was at the club on a non-contract, pay-as-you-play deal which include a clause in which either party could cancel the agreement with 7 days notice. The player was the party that triggered the clause, resulting in his release from the club.

Loans

No.	P	Name	Country	Age	Loan club	Started	Ended	Start source	End source
40	MF	Curtis Weston		21	Gillingham	1 August	27 August
20	FW	Trésor Kandol		26	Millwall	7 August	28 January
17	DF	Scott Gardner		20	Farsley Celtic	19 September	21 October
25	GK	Alan Martin		19	Barrow	24 September	2 May
37	MF	Ian Westlake		25	Cheltenham Town	23 October	24 January
16	MF	Bradley Johnson		21	Brighton & Hove Albion	27 October	5 January
35	FW	Lee Trundle		32	Bristol City	9 January	11 March
36	DF	Richard Naylor		31	Ipswich Town	14 January	2 February
38	DF	Carl Dickinson		21	Stoke City	15 January	18 February
29	FW	Tom Elliott		18	Macclesfield Town	27 January	26 February
20	FW	Trésor Kandol		27	Charlton Athletic	30 January	3 May
31	DF	Jonathan Webb		19	Newcastle Blue Star	27 February	2 May
27	FW	Liam Dickinson		23	Derby County	13 March	14 May
24	MF	Peter Sweeney		24	Grimsby Town	20 March	2 May
11	DF	Alan Sheehan		22	Crewe Alexandra	23 March	2 May
26	DF	Sam Sodje		29	Reading	26 March	14 May
28	GK	Darryl Flahavan		30	Crystal Palace	26 March	14 May

Sources: For loan start source see "Start source". For loan end source see "End source".
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; No. = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); In/Out = In: The player came in on loan, Out: The player went out on loan; Loan club = the club that the player moved on loan to or the club that the player came from on loan; Started = the date when the player's loan started; Ended = the date when the player's loan ended.

New Contracts

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Status	Contract length	Expiry date	Source
5	DF		Rui Marques	30	Signed	2 years	May 2010
14	MF		Jonathan Howson	20	Signed	3 years1	June 2011
	GK		Matty Edwards	17	Signed	1 year	July 2009
	FW		Chris Ovington	17	Signed	1 year	July 2009
7	MF		David Prutton	26	Signed	1 year	June 2010
25	GK		Alan Martin	19	Signed	3 years	August 2011
31	DF		Jonathan Webb	18	Signed	1 year	August 2009
15	MF		Fabian Delph	18	Signed	4 years	August 2012
32	DF		Aidan White	17	Signed	4 years	December 2012
	DF		Tom Lees	18	Signed	3 years	January 2011
22	MF		Andrew Hughes	31	Signed	1 year2	June 2010

¹Automatically extended until 2012 if the club is promoted to The Championship.
²Player's first contract included an appearance related clause which was automatically triggered in March, resulting in a one-year contract extension commencing in June 2009.