NO MATTER that Leeds barely deserved one point much less three, this result was a triumph for Dennis Wise’s gritty approach and takes them out of the bottom three for the first time since November 25 last year. For Barry Hayles and David Norris, the best footballers on the field, the result must have been particularly galling.

As frenetically as Leeds began, it was Plymouth who were quickest to threaten with first Peter Halmosi’s shot being saved by Lubomir Michalik and then Norris testing out Casper Ankergren with a low shot.

Playing before a sizeable crowd at last, Leeds were keen to dampen the ardour of a side that was desperate to put last Tuesday’s drubbing at Burnley behind them. For Leeds, the problem has been the gulf that exists between a nervous defence and a willing frontline. As a consequence, set pieces and lengthy clearances remain their preferred striking options.

It was 25 minutes before Luke McCormick’s goal was pressured and then David Healy was distinctly ordinary as he lifted his shot over the bar.

An opportunistic free kick from Robbie Blake released Jonathan Douglas but his cross was too far ahead of Richard Cresswell and United’s best chance thus far went begging. Meanwhile Norris was showing real flair down the right flank and was denied a penalty when felled in the area.

An increasingly restless home crowd was stunned in the 36th minute when Barry Hayles put the ball on a plate for Halmosi. With no defender in sight, the midfielder slotted the ball past Ankergren.

Just before the break, Healy exploited a mix-up in the Plymouth ranks and made half-time a pause for reflection rather than a roasting. After the break Alan Thompson brought a superb save from McCormick with a trademark free kick as Leeds sought to sharpen the mix by ordering Cresswell wide and pushing Michalik higher up the field. Thompson then put a sweet ball through to Healy but he scuffed it wide of the upright.

Hayles and Norris continued to ply their trade thoughtfully and conjure up telling responses to United’s big-boot offensive. Within the same minute a Norris volley brought Ankergren to his knees and then set up Krisztian Timar but the Hungarian lifted his shot into the stand.

Defender Michael Gray was sacrificed for Rui Marques as Wise put the accent on attack, but in truth his side were very much on the defensive at this point.

Full marks to Wise for positivity, however, as Thompson produced his second classic free kick of the game and found Michalik’s head. McCormick almost succeeded in clawing the ball to safety but the post intervened for what may prove to be Leeds’s most important goal of the season.

Star man: David Norris (Plymouth)
Player ratings. Leeds United: Ankergren 6, Douglas 6, Kishishev 7, Healy 6, Gray 7 (Rui Marques 80min), Lewis 6, Richardson 5 (Thompson 38min, 7), Heath 5, Cresswell 5, Michalik 7, Blake 7 (Moore 65min)

Plymouth Argyle: McCormick 6, Nalis 7, Timar 7, Norris 8, Ebanks-Blake 7 (Fallon 86min), Hayles 8, Halmosi 7, Sawyer 6, Seip 5, Connolly 6, Djordjic 6 (Sinclair 74min, 6)

Scorers: Leeds United: Healy 45, Michalik 87 Plymouth Argyle: Halmosi 36

Referee: S Mathieson Attendance: 30,034

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