Leeds United 3 Walsall 0.

Driving home listening of course to Radio Leeds (who still offer a little bit of coverage despite Uncle Ken's eagerness to drag our wireless sets into the digital age), Adam Pope revealed that there was a larger than usual media-presence in the Elland Road gantry and spotted several Premiership and Championship scouts - including (I think he said) Dominic Matteo on behalf of Stoke City.

They were here to see Fabian Delph and the youngster did not disappoint with a brilliant second-half double, a screamer of a first and the second weren't bad either.

Delph's soaring stock value is a contradiction of the woeful state of the world's economy, whilst our investments, pensions and houses slide in value, his own rises every match it seems.

Uncle Ken tells us that, thanks to his financial prudence, we are no longer in any need to sell of our crown jewels on the cheap. Indeed had Delph emerged a couple of years earlier, he would have surely followed the likes of James Milner, Scott Carson and Aaron Lennon leaving for a criminally giveway knock-down fee.

So our joy a Delph's phenominal progress and his role as the fulcrum of our team is tempered with pain. Whilst the credit crunch bites, football as ever is in a world of its own. Every man nay boy in this case has his price and we approach January with understandable trepidation.

Keep on picking the side around him and promotion is in the bag, sell him in January then the picture is not so clear.

But back to the present and it was a frustrating first-half, the Saddlers came as expected to thwart Leeds and the job was half-done with the scores goalless at half-time. I thought Leeds had passed the ball round well, but we just lacked that penetration of the man-packed Walsall midfield/defence. However it could have been worse, Casper Ankegren, the only change from Tuesday's win over Orient enforced by David Lucas's illness, did well to save from Jacob Ibere when Walsall remembered how to attack after 37 minutes.

But with the fans still settling in their seats after the interval, Luciano Becchio continued his amazing arrival in the English game with goal number eight of the season. From a corner, Walsall failed to clear their lines and our Argentine striker made the crucial breakthrough.

And then, came the Fab show. On 65 minutes, Leeds won a free kick 25 yards out, Andy Robinson rolled the ball wide to Delph who unleashed a blistering drive into the top left-hand corner which brought the roof off Elland Road.

And immediately after the familar sight of Michael Ricketts shooting wide at ER with just minutes on the clock, it was Delph yet again and once more he finished with aplomb from great distance.

The win shoots Leeds up to second, the message from the stands to Delph's suitors is "hands off" but as ever, we all know the final say rests in the boardroom. 

Photo: Action Images

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