IT’LL BE ELL OF A PARTY Win puts Leeds so close to Prem.. but Bielsa waits to celebrate

EVERYONE but Marcelo Bielsa celebrated.

Shouts of relief and joy. Fierce hugs of celebration and high fives on the pitch from players and staff.

Director of football Victor Orta bellowed out a mighty roar that echoed around the stands.

Leeds United could be a Premier League team again by tonight or tomorrow, ending a 16-year absence.

An ugly, scrappy win, perhaps their worst display of the season, left United needing one more point to guarantee top-flight football at last.

The promotion party could start if West Brom don’t beat Huddersfield or if Brentford drop points against Stoke. Alternatively a point at Derby on Sunday, Spy-gate foes from last season, would seal it.

Asked if he could comprehend that it was job (almost) done, Bielsa was the only man at Elland Road not showing promotion emotion.

He said: “We cannot talk about being promoted until we have resolved the situation, until it is mathematically certain.

“We couldn’t control this match and it was difficult. It is an important win. This is a collective effort. We had to run a lot.”

United have spent 13 years in the Championship with a stint of three years in League One.

Back in May 2004 it was a team packed with veterans of their boombust run to the Champions League semi-final that got relegated.

Mark Viduka, Lucas Radebe, Ian Harte and Gary Kelly were all part of the campaign almost a generation ago that is only now being avenged.

It will be a pity if Leeds’ defining promotion moment is a scrappy own goal on 28 minutes from Barnsley defender Michael Sollbauer. But they won’t care.

Mateusz Klich released Patrick Bamford into the right channel. The striker skipped past a tackle and cut back across the six-yard box, Sollbauer’s tangled feet doing the honours.

Barnsley bossed the second half but couldn’t finish and relegation is close to being confirmed.

TRIBUTE Leeds legend Jack Charlton was remembered CLUMSY Michael Sollbauer gets in a tangle and scores in his own net

SLAVEN BILIC has told his West Brom players to make Brentford’s magnificent charge to catch them count for zero. The Bees have put together eight back-to-back wins to put themselves within a point of the second-placed Baggies. The heat is well and truly on but Bilic goes into tonight’s game at Huddersfield insisting his men can keep the blinkers on as they head towards the line. He said: “It’s in our hands. We’re not playing Brentford. We’re playing Huddersfield and they are all we will be thinking about. “If we can beat them and beat QPR. Two games, six points, and there’s nothing anyone else can do about it. “It’s going to be hard but we are relying on ourselves and nobody else. We have to do it now and we’re going to do it.” West Brom, who are likely to have striker Charlie Austin (above) leading the line tonight, have seen themselves pegged back in the race for that money-spinning second automatic spot but Bilic remains unperturbed. He said: “You have to find a balance. We have to burn inside and yet be completely calm. You need intensity without panic but I really think we are in a good zone. “I’m not saying that like I’m just hoping. We are in a really good place as a squad.”