Leeds United: Ally McCoist can’t believe his eyes as Marc Roca and Patrick Bamford waste Jack Harrison quality vs Leicester
Ally McCoist was stunned to see two “brilliant” Jack Harrison deliveries go begging for Leeds United as Marc Roca then Patrick Bamford missed late on vs Leicester.
Having been pegged back to 1-1 when Jamie Vardy cancelled out Luis Sinisterra’s goal at Elland Road the Whites had two glorious chances to take the points from successive corners in the dying minutes, with the English winger putting two beautiful balls in.
But the first was headed straight into Foxes keeper Daniel Iversen’s face from close range by Roca and cleared off the line, then the Spaniard flicked the second onto his teammate at the back-post who scuffed wide when unmarked to leave McCoist in disbelief.
Reacting live on the BT Sport match commentary on Tuesday night (25 April, 9.49pm) McCoist said: “I just cannot believe Leeds United have not scored in the passage of play, it’s unbelievable.
“Two brilliant deliveries in, I think it’s Roca again with the header to the back post. [Bamford] just doesn’t meet it right at all, he mis-kicks it doesn’t he?
“He’s got to score. Any sort of surface on it at all. Takes up a good position at the back post… oh dear what a chance. What a chance.”
Speaking after the game Michael Owen echoed the sentiments, saying (10pm): “I can’t believe how Leeds didn’t score with that passage of play that ended with the corner.”
Come back to haunt them
Bamford’s face as he stood with his hands on his head after missing that late chance could end up going down as one of the enduring images of this season if Leeds United go down.
He was off balance and it came to him quickly but he will know how much of a difference it would have made, and it could weigh heavily on him in the upcoming matches.
Roca’s chance just moments before will be overshadowed by the English striker missing, but had his header gone virtually anywhere but directly into Iversen’s face from a matter of feet away it would have been a goal.
The Spanish midfielder has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, none more so than when he failed to clear the first man with three consecutive corners right in front of his own furious fans as the Whites were chasing a point at Fulham on Saturday (22 April).
So it was all the more frustrating that Harrison had arguably done the hard part in both cases at Elland Road, putting in deliveries that were begging to be converted.
Both almost were, but ultimately neither hit the net and it is yet another missed opportunity for Javi Gracia’s side, who have gone from seemingly being on the brink of safety after a win over Nottingham Forest on 4 April, to recording just a single point from the ensuing four matches and left in big trouble.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay is baffled by the Willy Gnonto situation as he made a comparison to an unfortunate Marcelo Bielsa-era ace.