Shot-Shy Strikers?

Leeds have also failed to find the back of the net in their last three games - a statistic Kevin Blackwell believes is the pivotal factor behind their recent slump.

But doesn't that hit you straight in the face? Do we need to be told 'if you don't score you don't win games'?

The 1-0 defeat at Hull means Blackwell's team are now without a league win in five attempts after Jon Parkin's powerful downward header on 76 minutes earned Peter Taylor's men local bragging rights from a bit of a one-sided Yorkshire derby.

Blackwell: 'It's tight at the top at the moment and it's just one of those things.

'We've lost form in the last third of the field but that can come back as quickly as it goes.

'It is now a severe hurdle but we can't give it up because it is still a surmountable figure.

'If we are going to do it we are going to have to do it the hard way.

'I've not said a lot to the players. They are obviously disappointed because the prize is so great. There are times to be strong and harsh and there are times to stand back and assess it.

'I've got a lot of assessing to do between now and next week. I can't fault the effort and when we knocked the ball around we looked a good side.

'But for all the good positions we got ourselves into we kept either firing blanks or lacking imagination.'

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