Bamford’s strike nice and early for Bielsa
PATRICK BAMFORD’S early return from injury was spiced up with a goal which ensured it was high five time for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
A knee injury suffered in September was expected to keep the £7million man on the sidelines for four months.
But a midweek hat-trick for the Under-23s convinced Bielsa the striker was ready for Championship action.
And with Leeds – backed by 4,500 fans – dominating possession but carrying little threat Bamford was sent on in the 61st minute.
Within five minutes the gamble had paid off.
Pablo Hernandez carved out a gap in the stubborn Bolton defence and Bamford drilled low past keeper Ben Alnwick for his first league goal for the Yorkshire club.
That made it five straight wins for Leeds – the first time they have achieved this feat since December 2009 in League One.
Bielsa said: “It was a hard win but a deserved one. The goal will give Patrick Bamford more confidence. He can be very important for us in the second half of the season.”
Leeds did make hard work of it against a Bolton side who showed the fighting spirit of Tyson Fury who is booked in for a cabaret evening at the University of Bolton Stadium in February.
By then relegation could be on the undercard for Phil Parkinson’s team who have only picked up three points from their last 12 games.
In a late charge Jack Hobbs saw a header blocked by Jack Clarke while the lively Craig Noone protested that he had been pulled down in the penalty area by Kalvin Phillips.
Parkinson said: “It was a stonewall penalty.
“My players left everything out on the pitch. We just needed that extra bit of quality to hurt Leeds.”
Bolton owner Ken Anderson had to personally stump up the players’ wages for November.
What December holds in store for Parkinson’s squad on the earnings front is up in the air as the club hovers on the brink through their poor finances – which are almost as threadbare as their recent points haul.