Leeds ended their pre-season campaign with a solid if unspectacular win in the Midlands.

I travelled the eight miles or so from my home to the Pirelli stadium and witnessed an overall solid performance by Leeds giving Neil Warnock a win at the club where he cut his managerial teeth, albeit a few yards down the road at the old Eton Park ground which is now a housing estate.

Warnock's starting line-up maybe gave us an indicator of what his strongest starting 11 is likely to be, unless of course he can bring in the striker and right-winger he desires before next Saturday week. The likelihood is grim as he told Yorkshire Radio he needs to sell before he can buy and the likes of Rachubka, Nunez and Connolly are hardly gold-plated commodities.

The travelling Leeds fans, who made up the majority of the 3127 crowd were in excellent voice, singing songs old and new whilst the locals were somewhat sparse and apathetic, in fact I dont think I heard a solitary chant from the Brewers fans.

The goal came on 27 minutes, Luke Varney heading home from close range.

Paddy Kenny had been a virtual spectator until the 35th minute, engaging in some banter with the fans in the stand behind his goal eg the infamous "party" song which has boomed from the terraces pre-season, he got down well to deny the highly rated Billy Kee and saved from Morgan.

Burton should have drew level on 47 minutes, but Kenny smothered sub Paterson's drive. Holness nearly put through his own net three minutes later.

Really it was a game of few chances, dare i say it, it lacked the creative spark a certain Scot once provided.

As the subs came thick and fast, I was pleased to see the team generally keep their shape and clearly Warnock has assembled a team who will graft all day and night.

As well as Paddy Kenny standing out, I was also impressed with Jason Pearce who put in a no-nonsense shift at the back. Rodolph Austin initially had a quiet start to his much anticipated debut but grew in stature and after some wholehearted skirmishes in the centre of midfield it is easy to envisage how he will become a cult hero amongst Leeds appreciative followers.

Sam Byrom underlined his growing reputation with an outrageous burst of skill down the right which nearly resulted in a goal. He should maybe have scored in his second consecutive friendly but scuffed a gilt edged opportunity, to his credit he chased down the rebound, which in many ways summed up the performance, Hugh on graft but low on creativity and finishing.

Whether it will be enough to elevate United back to the Premiership remains to be seen. Friendlies are hard to gauge however I must say I left Staffordshire tonight feeling glass half full rather than empty!

Photo: Action Images via Reuters