United back from the brink
Dennis Wise reacts to a late penalty decisionSouthend 1 Leeds United 1ON a day when so much seemed to be at stake, controversy was bound to reign at Roots Hall.
Leeds United relied on the latest of strikes from David Healy to prevent a relegation-inducing defeat in Essex today, but the drama of the striker's 89th-minute intervention was lost in the events that followed.
United were in the middle of a frantic attack when, with injury-time close to completion and the scores level at 1-1, a cross from Radostin Kishishev struck the arm of a Southend United defender inside their box.
Referee Nigel Miller pointed immediately to the penalty spot but, in the blink of an eye, reversed his decision and awarded Southend a free-kick.
The reason for his change of heart was unclear, and the County Durham official refused the opportunity to explain his reasoning afterwards.
But the damage had been inflicted, and the true cost to Leeds will be clearer when the Championship season concludes. Little wonder that Dennis Wise begged for reassurance that his and Miller's paths will never cross again.
Leeds might not have deserved three points, but the fact that victory was denied in such contentious circumstances was a cruel development for Wise's players.
With a win in their hands, United would have reached the international break with safety beckoning. When their season resumes with a home game against Preston North End on March 30, they will find themselves four points adrift.
Had Healy not struck at the death, however, United might well have been preparing for relegation this morning after a hugely expensive defeat. To that end at least, Wise should count his blessings.
Leeds were not found wanting for effort, but their performance was ragged and at times showed signs of desperation. It is, however, another result that fails to improve their position.
Wise's willingness to alter United's line-up has been a contentious issue throughout the term, but the decision to involve Tresor Kandol today was as unexpected an alteration as the 40-year-old could have made.
A run of 11 games without a goal had preceded Kandol's recent absence from the team, but the striker was preferred to Healy alongside Richard Cresswell up front after Jemal Johnson sustained a head injury at Leicester in midweek.
The combination of Kandol and Cresswell was clearly intended to add physical presence to Wise's team, but it represented a major risk before a fixture which Leeds could not contemplate losing. Selecting Kandol was not exactly a case of Wise wheeling out his big gun.
It was almost inevitable that the selection of Kandol was subjected to immediate scrutiny. Cresswell's pass sent Frazer Richardson running towards the byline and the full-back's perfect cross dropped the ball onto Kandol's head six yards from goal. Darryl Flahavan was flat-footed and badly exposed, but Kandol nodded a poor finish wide of the post.
The chance, though, was indicative of United's effective approach to the fixture. Jonathan Douglas had predicted an onslaught from Southend, but Steve Tilson's side found possession impossible to control until his strikers clicked with the opening goal on 24 minutes.
Lubomir Michalik surrendered possession 10 yards outside his own box, and Ritchie Foran's pass found Lee Bradbury in space.
The striker had the option of shooting himself, but his selfless pass gave Mark Gower the freedom to slip a low shot past Casper Ankergren.
The home crowd understood the importance of the opening goal, but fortune favoured Leeds until Miller's late involvement. Three minutes after Gower's goal, Freddy Eastwood curled a beautiful shot against the post as United's defence threatened to cave in.
Chances at the other end were few, although Cresswell should have beaten Flahavan when he turned Efe Sodje inside the box as Southend's centre-back struggled to claim a bouncing ball.
But Flahavan smothered Cresswell's scuffed finish, and an instant counter-attack from Southend forced Ankergren to prevent the visitors from reaching a disastrous position at the interval.
The Dane's one-handed save denied another cute finish from Eastwood, whose invention created space where there seemed to be none, but United's improvement at the start of the second half at least created the possibility of a recovery.
A free-kick from Robbie Blake was parried by Flahavan on Southend's line, and the home goalkeeper was fortunate to come up with the ball after the resulting corner caused chaos inside the box.
But Southend's threat was never far from the surface, and Eastwood's deflected shot looped onto the roof of the net with Ankergren beaten on the hour.
The hosts were dangerous on the counter, and Foran should have increased their scoreline when a sliced clearance by Matt Heath saw him curl his finish high into the crowd. Another stroke of luck was forthcoming when another effort from Foran was cleared by Michalik in front of goal with Ankergren out of position.
But just as United's challenge began to fade, Healy intervened with 60 seconds remaining.
The striker was fouled on the edge of Southend's box, and when Robbie Elliott's deceptive free-kick found him unmarked eight yards from goal, Healy thrashed a powerful shot passed the motionless Flahavan. But it was left to Miller to ensure what could yet be a draw too far.
Kilde: YEP (
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