What I.Saw: Yesterday Was A Breath Of Fresh Air

Six minutes of injury time. Hanging on like a cup final. Or so it seemed…

Leeds smash the ball against the post. Max Lowe casually, confidently turns the ball away for a corner. The same Lowe who started off looking as if he would be out of his depth at the Munday Park Paddling Pool. How he grew through the ninety minutes of his home debut!

A whistle, nowhere near as loud as those coming from the Derby County crowd and it's over. The iPro erupts. The return of the Mac. Our first home win in the league of the season.

A goal, Johnny Russell racing in like a train on a straight track, a wallop through a crowded area and the net bursts into life. A goal. A Gud Un too.

What else though?

We started positively, on the front foot, on the field. We reverted to type off it, only eighty seconds in and the Saville chants started in the South Stand.

Formation wise it looked a fluid 4-5-1 out of possession, 4-3-3 with the ball, the midfield encouraged to support the sole striker.

Leeds had a rock at the back, Kyle Bartley, when he wasn't defending he was hitting the woodwork, the best chance of the first half. In the second his tackle left Ikechi Anya in a heap and unable to continue.

In truth it had been a strange game for Anya as he had been clearly asked to play wide and deep, his effectiveness was diminished. His replacement, Russell scored the goal.

Once the goal went in the game came to life. Before then the visitors had been content to play on the break. The emphasis shifted. The game opened.

Will Hughes had a shot on target, Bradley Johnson and Jacob Butterfield shots were more like late night dodgy curries which you can't keep down.

Roofe, Leeds number 7, didn't need a dodgy curry; he’s a natural at going down, which bought bookings in a game that was never nasty tempered.

Tom Ince had two gilt edged chances, both he declined to accept responsibility for. In McClaren’s first spell Ince would have buried both and be fired up for a hat trick. He wasn't, he didn't. He passed to Vydra who was adjudged to be offside.

It's almost as if the players have been playing with the fear of doing something wrong. The fear of making a mistake. The mindset and culture of blame.

You can't achieve that way, or if you do it's limited.

Yesterday was a breath of fresh air.

It was a confidence boost.

We need to praise, encourage, support, to foster positivity. Like our new boss did last time round. Could this be The Derby Way?

Ultimately we rode our luck, Leeds deserved something out of the game.

I'll shed no tears mind.

Match Highlights:

Post Match Reaction:

What to read next: