Becks back in the goal groove
Jermaine Beckford applauds the fans after scoring his second goal against GalwayGalway United 0 Leeds United 2
The 20 goals accrued by Jermaine Beckford last season gave the striker both a badge of honour and a rod with which to beat his own back.
In becoming the first Leeds United player since 2003 to amass that figure in a single league campaign, Beckford was deservedly showered with awards from his club and the Football League alike towards the end of the the 2007-08 season.
But at the end of his most successful year as a professional the question asked of Beckford was certain to be whether his prolific performance was a one-off success or an indication of his true quality and potential.
After two pre-season games, the debate has already swung in the 24-year-old's favour.
Beckford has encountered, and will encounter, more proficient opposition than York City and Galway United, but the three goals taken by him during little more than 100 minutes of friendly football speak of a player whose engine is warming up rapidly.
Leeds United's manager, Gary McAllister, joked last night – after Beckford's brace brought about a 2-0 victory over Galway – that the striker might be peaking too soon, but he was more serious when he stressed the need to find suitable support for his most prolific squad member.
Beckford can be relied upon for goals next season and a return of 20 for the second year running is a wholly realistic aim.
What McAllister cannot have failed to realise is that a signing which complements him perfectly could virtually facilitate Leeds' promotion from a division the club did not wish to be in next term and can tolerate for no longer than another 12 months.
A sharp finish from the striker after 26 minutes provided United's first goal at Terryland Park in County Galway last night, and his deflected strike 20 seconds into the second half guaranteed a winning start to the club's tour of southern Ireland and their first victory of the summer.
United's visit to York last Friday, when they were held to a 1-1 draw, was little more than a fitness exercise, and their game in Galway took on much the same guise, but the make up of McAllister's starting line-up yesterday proved that he is already looking for players to begin jostling for position with the first game of the new season little more than three weeks away.
Paul Telfer, one of Leeds' touring trialists, was included at centre-back and remained on the field for 73 minutes, but the remainder of the side was not unimaginable as a possible team that McAllister might select when the season begins at Glanford Park next month.
Telfer, too, has the potential to be involved at that competitive stage and his first meaningful display in Galway, some six months after toe surgery, did not mark him out as a player who has passed over the hill. His fitness, at the age of 37, looked respectable and his physical condition was as McAllister would desire.
Telfer's sharpness, meanwhile, was demonstrated in the 58th minute by an urgent recovery and sliding tackle on Galway's Derek Glynn which thwarted a goalscoring chance while avoiding the concession of a penalty.
His contribution was arguably the most intriguing factor for McAllister to consider but it was Beckford – as he did so often last season – who successfully stole the show.
The striker's goals were the two moments of class in a committed, but scrappy, friendly which would have brought him a hat-trick had it not been for an offside flag raised against him while the fixture was goalless.
Jeff Kenna, the former Blackburn Rovers defender and Galway's manager, promised beforehand that United would be given "a game" – his way of confirming that the hosts intended to provide real opposition – and for 26 minutes the contest was played out in an even fashion.
Galway's tackling and passing initially showed more bite than that of Leeds', perhaps understandably given that the eircom Premier Division club are halfway through their domestic season, but Kenna was in the eye of the storm when Beckford gained Leeds the initiative with the match creeping towards the end of its first half-hour.
Such is Galway's financial predicament and shortage of players that Kenna re-registered himself as a player on Tuesday, in time to play at right-back from the first whistle last night.
His self-assurance was tangible in the early stages, but it was Kenna's side of Galway's defence that Beckford breached in the 26th minute.
Andy Robinson's swift pass from the centre of midfield gave Beckford room to sprint into the edge of Galway's box and the striker's skill and balance took him to the near post where his low shot squirmed beneath the hand of goalkeeper Alvin Rouse.
Beckford had already ruffled Rouse's net by curling home Bradley Johnson's through-ball from an offside position seven minutes earlier, and though Galway imposed themselves admirably for a team who lie at the foot of their domestic division United's chances were the source of greater promise.
Enoch Showunmi headed Alan Sheehan's curling delivery over the crossbar two minutes before Beckford's goal, an opportunity created by Jonathan Howson's incisive pass to the left wing, and Leeds finished the first half with shots from Howson and Sheehan which left Rouse untroubled.
Galway's most encouraging effort of the opening 45 minutes fell to Dutch striker Danni Konig, whose glancing header asked Casper Ankergren to nudge the ball past the post with his fingertips, but the home side had not had time to settle at the start of the second half when Beckford's second goal confirmed the final result.
Kenna's players conceded the ball immediately from the kick-off and possession passed from Andrew Hughes to Showunmi who slipped it to Beckford inside the box.
The striker checked his stride in time to steer the ball towards the far corner of Galway's goal and his delicate finish flew into the net with the aid of a deflection off the head of Alan Keane.
Galway, who until then were presenting Leeds with an honest performance which lacked technical finesse, had reverted to a team consisting largely of reserves at half-time and never threatened to force the positive result that Kenna desired.
Robinson tested Gary Rogers, Galway's substitute goalkeeper, with a low shot, and Galway's clearest opening was passed up on the hour by Cian McBrien who shot wide of an open goal after a defensive error drew Ankergren off his line.
Keane wasted a similarly good chance late on, slicing his finish wide of the post eight yards from goal.
But when the 63rd minute brought five Leeds substitutions, followed by a further four 10 minutes later, the rhythm of the game was lost and the outcome became a formality.
The lull left United to enjoy a satisfying result, and an acceptable performance, inspired by a familiar match-winner whose taste for goals has not diminished.
Leeds United: Ankergren (Martin 73), Richardson (Parker 73), Telfer (Michalik 73), Huntington, Sheehan (Gardner 73), Hughes (Prutton 63), Howson (Sweeney 63), Johnson (Bayly 63), Robinson (Douglas 63), Showunmi, Beckford (Haber 63). Subs (not used): Marques.
YEP
