Leeds United 4 Southend United 1
The League One table makes frustrating reading for Leeds United, but the Elland Road club are minus nine and counting. 
Cast into the wilderness by the Football League a fortnight ago, United seem intent on belittling their 15 point punishment, and a crushing victory over Southend United yesterday edged them closer towards the tail of the League One crowd.
Relegation ought to have been United's concern this season, and may still be, but it is impossible not to wonder where the new campaign is heading.
Leeds began their term by producing a win at Tranmere Rovers in the 89th minute last weekend, and yesterday's success seemed equally fated after three goals in the final four minutes salvaged another unlikely victory. A small tide is developing at Elland Road and, for the time being at least, its direction is unerringly positive.
A nine-point gap exists between United and Southend, who occupy 23rd place in League One, but the deficit is placed in a better context by the realisation that it stood at 15 just eight days ago. Leeds are not out of trouble, nor is the health of the club conclusively repaired, but it is difficult to remember a time when Elland Road was so lacking in dissatisfied supporters. The late finishes from Tore Andre Flo, Rui Marques and Jermaine Beckford which secured yesterday's result left the stadium pulsating.
Ten months ago, a league game against Southend heralded the launch of Wise's reign, and the beginning of what has been a compelling story of football management.
Southend's involvement in United's first home fixture of the new season yesterday suited the occasion, not least because Wise has strived to portray this term as a fresh beginning and a second coming.
Leeds marked Wise's managerial debut with a 2-0 win over the Essex club last October, but the campaign as a whole was a false start for the 40-year-old. After the confusion and uncertainty of this summer, it was something of an achievement that he was in the dug-out to welcome Southend to Elland Road for a second time. In the darkest hours of administration and the fight for the club's Football League share, it was not always certain to be so.
His loyalty to United, however, has slowly generated affection among the club's supporters, and last weekend's victory over Tranmere Rovers ensured that he was greeted yesterday with arguably more enthusiasm than he was 10 months ago.
The demand for tickets – and United's inability to accept credit card payments, a legacy of administration which is likely to be resolved next week – delayed kick-off by 15 minutes, a motivational tool that Wise will have jumped on in his dressing room.
Even before they exited the tunnel, his players will have anticipated the deafening reception that met them. The attendance at Elland Road crept over 24,000, and that size of crowd will take some beating beneath the Championship. The immediate depression caused by the Football League's penalty seems ever more distant.
Wise made two changes to the line-up fielded at Tranmere, adding David Prutton and Jonathan Douglas to his midfield, while Andrew Hughes' switch to left-back highlighted the imminent departure of Eddie Lewis to Derby County, another remnant of a bygone era.
Referee Neil Swarbrick finally set the fixture in motion at around 3.20pm, and what followed was pure theatre.
Beckford was pulled back in the third minute after dribbling past Peter Clarke, and a free-kick deep inside Southend's half had Alan Thompson's name stamped on it. United's captain sized up the visitors' wall and beat Darryl Flahavan from 30 yards with a curling strike which dipped into the right-hand side of the goalkeeper's net.
Elland Road erupted, and Wise soon left his seat in the stand and headed for the dug-out. Seven days earlier he had done the same, descending to the touchline at Prenton Park to repair the damage of his side's first-half concession to Tranmere. Yesterday, he was able to take his place in the technical area prematurely with a victory already beckoning.
Free-kicks are Thompson's specialty; that is, in part, why Wise recruited him. But defensive skills are less apparent on the midfielder's resume, and his contribution in the third minute was almost negated by a bad error 11 minutes later.
Thompson was dispossessed cheaply by Alan McCormack 10 yards from Casper Ankergren's box, and McCormack beat United's keeper with a vicious shot which crashed against the inside of the post. But the ball bounced across Ankergren's line before dribbling to safety; four months ago it would doubtless have found the corner of the net. Fortune is unquestionably in United's favour.
Southend, however, passed the half-hour mark with the distinct impression that the narrow scoreline was flattering their hosts.
Matt Harold brought an excellent save from Ankergren in the 26th minute after driving Kevin Maher's cross into the ground, and another effort from Harrold two minutes later was inches away from levelling the score.
The striker's shot caught the boot of Frazer Richardson and whistled past Ankergren's right-hand post, crashing into the advertising hoardings with the Danish keeper stranded.
But Leeds threatened in flashes, and should have improved their lead before the interval.
Jermaine Beckford flashed a volley wide from close range after Clarke misjudged Thompson's pass into the box, and Westlake failed to connect with a cross from Beckford which was begging to be finished in the 33rd minute. Flahavan then intervened to tip Douglas' header over the crossbar.
But after a promising half, the second period brought signs of the nervous streak which affected United so badly last season, and Southend produced an equaliser in the 68th minute after a short period of dominance.
McCormack broke free on the left wing and cut a cross into United's box, where Lee Bradbury drove a shot at Ankergren. The keeper repelled the ball with a brilliant parry but Adam Barrett followed up and nodded a header into the empty net.
United's response, however, was urgent and effective. Tresor Kandol had already seen a header cleared off the line when Sebastien Carole's 86th -minute cross rebounded into the path of substitute Flo, who rattled home a powerful volley.
Three minutes later, Marques rose to guide Carole's corner into the far corner of the net, and Beckford completed the win with a low finish in injury-time after breaking clear of Southend's defence. Whisper it quietly, but the bandwagon is rolling.
Leeds United: Ankergren, Richardson, Heath, Marques, Hughes (Parker 72), Prutton (Flo 80), Thompson, Douglas, Westlake (Carole 42), Kandol, Beckford. Subs (not used): Howson, Weston.
Southend United: Flahavan, Gilbert (Richards 82), Clarke, Barrett, Wilson, Campbell-Ryce, McCormack, Bailey, Gower, Bradbury (McDonald 82), Harrold. Subs (not used): Collis, Black, Hooper.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).
Attendance: 24,036
YEP
