Yorkshire clubs are in thick of best Championship run-in ever
IT was legendary commentator John Helm who uttered those famous words back in April 1990.
After then Leeds United captain Gordon Strachan scored a late winner for the ages in a huge late-season Division Two game against Leicester City, Helm captured the Elland Road mood perfectly with a succinct and immortal line.
“Have you ever seen a better goal?’ It went down in United folklore.
It just so happens that Leeds and Leicester will be two of the chief protagonists in another end-of-season run home which is tantalising in potential at the business end of the table.
At the foot of the division, there is also intrigue and spice aplenty. To paraphrase Helm, ‘has there ever been a better end to a Championship season?’
Back in 1989-90, Leeds were pitted in a three-way fight for two automatic promotion places alongside Sheffield United and Newcastle United and there were champagne scenes in West and South Yorkshire come early May.
Three-into-two also wouldn’t go during crunch time in 2018-19 with Leeds, the Blades and Norwich City, then managed by Daniel Farke no less, battling it out. The Whites were the fall guys, ultimately.
In this most extraordinary of seasons, four teams are in the mix for top automatic promotion places. Leeds, currently in top spot on goal difference, have Leicester, Ipswich Town and Southampton for company.
Adding to the tension are some high-profile square-offs within that. On Easter Monday, Ipswich welcome Saints, while the first Saturday of April sees the Town visit Norwich City for an ‘Old Farm’ East Anglian derby of major significance.
Norwich are in the mix for the final play-offs place with Hull City. But that’s another story.
Saints have two games in hand on Leeds and Ipswich and one on Leicester. The argument that points on the board is preferable to extra games is perhaps reinforced by a cursory glance at their run-in.
Alongside visiting Portman Road, Southampton must also head to the King Power Stadium on April 23 and Elland Road on the final day of May 4. On the flip side, they do have three successive home games at St Mary’s in the first half of April.
The suspense at the top is added to by the fact that sides can put ‘scoreboard pressure’ on rivals by doing the equivalent of ‘going into bat’ first during certain rounds of fixtures.
On Good Friday, all four of the top-two candidates play at separate kick-off times with Leeds playing last, at Watford. As they do on Monday against Hull.
They must also follow the rest with a Monday night game at Middlesbrough later on in April.
Hull might just also have a say in the top-two picture. Alongside facing Leeds, they host Ipswich on the penultimate Saturday of the season on April 27.
A massive game in the context of their campaign arrives at rivals Coventry three days earlier.
With Hull also facing three sides at the relegation picture in Stoke – on Good Friday – QPR and Plymouth, on the last day, they will be guaranteed plenty of support from rival Yorkshire clubs Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday.
With eight games to go, the state of play at the bottom of the table is every bit as fascinating as the top in fairness.
Just five points currently separate eight clubs, from second-from-bottom Owls, up to 16th-placed Millwall. Easter could well drag a couple more clubs into the equation in fairness.
The worry beads were out among Town followers after a disappointing draw at League One boundRotherham just before the break.
Looking at their run-in, a positive haul of points in three six-pointers against Stoke, on Easter Monday and at home to Millwall five days later and Birmingham City in their final home game of the season on April 27 looks to be imperative to their survival hopes.
On paper, Town’s run-in does not look as daunting as some and neither does Wednesday’s.
The Owls have copped some big defeats this term, including a 6-0 beating last time out at Ipswich.
But their ability to hit back with wins has been key under Danny Rohl and Easter does not look too hazardous on paper either.
A home game with Swansea, still looking over their shoulders, is followed by a trip to a Middlesbrough side who have lost home eight games this term.
It is the calm before the storm. Rohl’s side face fixtures of seminal importance against relegation rivals QPR, Stoke and Blackburn next month.
Speaking of Blackburn, their runin is the toughest of the lot. Rovers face all of the top four before season’s end, alongside Coventry.
Plymouth’s run-in looks sticky too with Argyle still to face Norwich, Leicester and Hull. Wherever you look, tension is not hard to find, in truth.