FORMER York City striker Richard Cresswell blew his chance of becoming an instant Elland Road scoring hero as Leeds United crashed 2-0 at home to Ipswich Town.
Fresh from his two-goal haul which knocked Rotherham out of the League Cup and set up United's third round visit to Blackburn, Cresswell oozed confidence on his full home debut.
Clever footwork, intelligent running and sheer hard graft earned him plenty of applause. He looked hungry for a goal and when Shaun Derry went down in the Tractor Boys' box two minutes before half-time Cresswell was quick to seize the ball and plonk it on the spot.
But he blasted his penalty against the bar and Ipswich were able to reach the break clinging on to their precious 1-0 lead.
The miss was symptomatic of United's afternoon. They played some decent football without any reward.
They dominated from start to finish but missed a string of chances with Eddie Lewis and Rob Hulse being the main culprits to leave Kevin Blackwell deeply frustrated.
The Leeds boss said: "You can be critical about the finishing, but it just wouldn't seem to drop.
"And then when it did the goalkeeper made a great save or the bar and the post were in the way. But we've played well and put Ipswich under a lot of pressure.
"Despite all the effort and endeavour, the lads have got nothing to show for it. It's a cruel game. There's no doubt the team played well and on another day we would have won."
However, Blackwell needs to address the soft centre in the heart of his defence.
Once again they were exposed to pace with Dean Bowditch getting behind the Leeds backline in Ipswich's first attack to supply an excellent cross for Sam Parkin to head in at the far post.
Then the Leeds defence vanished as Parkin was able to burst through 20 minutes from the end to complete the mugging.
Blackwell's opposite number Joe Royle reckons Elland Road is a happy hunting-ground for him.
"I came here with Oldham many, many times and I can't remember losing too often, so it's always been a lucky ground for me."
Drawn away to Premiership Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup third round, Leeds were today checking whether on-loan midfielder Jonathan Douglas will be allowed to play after initially being given permission by Rovers for him to feature for the Elland Road club in the competition. The tie will be on October 25 or 26.
Coca-Cola Championship
Leeds Utd 0, Ipswich Town 2
(at Elland Road)
Leeds Utd: Sullivan, Kelly (Blake 72), Butler, Gregan, Crainey, Douglas, Einarsson (Richardson 59), Derry, Lewis, Hulse (Moore 80) , Cresswell. Subs not used: Bennett, Kilgallon.
Ipswich Town: Price, Castro, De Vos, Naylor, McEvely, Magilton, Horlock, Garvan, Currie, Bowditch, Parkin. Subs (not used): Wilnis, McDonald, Supple. Goals: Parkin 29, 70.
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
Attendance: 21,676.
Updated: 11:12 Monday, September 26, 2005
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article