By Andy Baggott
September 22 2003

I have had to take a day or two to write this, as the piece I would have written straight after the game would have not made good reading. To say Leeds were unfortunate would be the understatement of the centuary... Leeds were robbed of victory in a game decided by the match officials. Leeds were the better side for long periods of the game, but couldn’t find a way passed the impressive Upson at the back for Birmingham. Leeds were inspired by Cameroon midfielder Olembe, who had a great full debut, but with 12 minutes to go, it seemed we were heading for a goaless draw. However, referee Gallagher and the linesman had other ideas. First he awarded a penalty, for a challenge that was a yard outside the box. He made matters worse by sending off Roque Junior, who had a far better match than against Leicester, although there is still room for improvement. Justice seemed to be done as Robinson pulled off a superb save. However, the linesman, in his wisdom, deemed that Robinson moved too early. After watching countless replays, if Robbo was judged to have moved early, no other penalty save in history would stand. It was a ridiculous decision, and one that left the crowd and players stunned. Leeds were incensed, and Robbie Savaged compounded matters by retaking the penalty and scoring. Forsell wrapped things up 5 minutes later, after beating the offside trap, and finishing well. So what now for Leeds? We need a bit of luck really to get things moving. The plus points were Olembe and Sakho who again looked dangerous. Up front however, Viduka is still searching for his best form.