Scoreline flatters as Leeds pick up away win

Leeds united left the Keepmoat stadium unscathed in a match that was marred by the controversy of a disallowed Doncaster goal. Smith, McCormack and Austin all score to thrust Leeds into sixth place.

Doncaster manager Paul Dickov.
                                                         Picture from http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

When Paddy Kenny was beaten by Theo Robinson's 67th minute finish after he latched onto Richie Wellens' through ball, the outcome of the match looked daunting for the Whites but the assistant referee flagged late, ruling out the goal. Doncaster manager Dickov was baffled by the decision, he told the BBC in the post-match interview: "I've had the benefit of replaying the incident about 20 times on the video and Theo is clearly a yard on side." The Scot failed to fathom why the assistant seemed to change his mind after initially not raising his flag. "It's a massive decision because we were all over them at that stage and had we got a goal it could have changed the course of the game."

And Dickov seemed to have a case. The decision to reverse the goal during that stage in the game was a huge call in the fiery Yorkshire derby. Leeds largely dominated the first half and Alex Mowatt's free-kick delivery proved dangerous again, as it was met by striker Matt Smith who headed home after 19 minutes, putting Doncaster under pressure. Smith's goal came just minutes after McCormack headed over the bar with a chance that could have easily been a goal. Rovers didn't lie down for long though, ending the half strong with chances for Richie Wellens and Theo Robinson but both players failed convert their efforts.

Leeds Alex Mowatt provided the assist for Matt Smith's opener
                                                     Picture from http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

Despite a difficult first half, Doncaster came out after the interval fighting. Matt smith went close with another header for Leeds but Rovers began to put Leeds under the cosh at the Keepmoat. Wellens could have had a brace had he taken his two opportunities and when Robinson ran onto the former's pass, it looked as though the home side could go on and win the tie but their luck ran out and the goal was controversially disallowed.

Desperately chasing the equaliser, Doncaster threw bodies forward and Leeds caught them exposed. On 76 minutes, McCormack burst into Rovers' penalty area and from a tight angle, he slid the ball past Turnbull and left the Keepmoat in shock. The goal took the championship top scorer's tally to 16 for the season, 4 goals ahead of Burnley's Danny Ings, as he continues his average of a goal a game - a stat that Leeds boss Brian McDermott is all too aware of, he told the YEP: “You have to find a way to win in these situations and it helps when you have a player like Ross McCormack who can’t stop scoring and took his goal really well. That gave us some breathing space and I always thought we would see the game out after that.”

McCormack gave energetic midfielder Rodolph Austin an early Christmas present when he fizzed a cross into the Jamaican international's path and Austin buried a volley into Turnbull's net after 87 minutes. The heavily one-sided score line flatters Leeds, who struggled for periods of the game against Doncaster. Nevertheless, United come home with a vital away win and now look to establish themselves as solid play-off promotion candidates ahead of hosting the championships' bottom-placed side Barnsley, in another Yorkshire derby on Saturday.