LUFC Beckford breaks through the ton

Jermaine Beckford marked his 100th start for the club at Brighton since making himself a regular in the squad at the start of the 2007/08 season, with another goal has he continues his remarkable strike rate.

Beckford notched his sixty sixth goal for the club in the 3-0 win and looks well on his way to breaking the twenty goal barrier for the third year in a row at Elland Road.

The 25 year old joined the club in 2006 from Non League Wealdstone for a reported £45,000 but struggled to break into the side under Kevin Blackwell who liked to have about six strikers at the club!

Jermaine had a loan spell at Carlisle in the early parts of the 2006/07 season, scoring one goal in four games.

He eventually made his debut for Leeds under new boss Dennis Wise on Boxing Day against Sunderland in 2006.

His chances were still limited and he again went out on loan to Scunthorpe United in League One and helped them to the title, scoring eight goals in eighteen games.

Beckford was rumoured to be on his way to join Scunthorpe United in the summer of 2007 but they wouldn`t match the value that Leeds had put on their striker.

One of those eight goals at Scunthorpe helped him win the League One goal of the season at the Football League awards.

He also picked up the League One player of the season for his efforts in his first full season at Elland Road when he scored twenty goals.

His exploits in attack helped the club over turn a fifteen point penalty and reach the end of season play offs, where they eventually lost to Doncaster Rovers in the final.

He was linked with a number of clubs during the January transfer window but when asked about his future after a live Sky game at Crewe he replied with 'What shirt am I wearing, bruv? Much to the delight of the Leeds fans.

Beckford continued to find the net at regular intervals in the 2008/09 season and finished the season with thirty four goals, winning him the Puma League One golden boot award.

The tally was even more remarkable by the fact that he only started thirty seven games, it included three hat tricks against Chester City, Northampton Town and Yeovil Town.

When breaking through the thirty goal barrier it made him only the fifth Leeds player to achieve the feat in the clubs history.

Since breaking into the side, he`s won numerous awards including the clubs fans player of the year award in 2007/08 and 2008/09.

He`s also won some of the major Football League awards and was included in the PFA League One team of the year in 2008 and won the 2009 PFA Fans Player of the season.

Beckford whose contract runs out at the end of the season was put on the transfer list in the summer after turning down the offer of a new contract.

Leeds received two bids from unnamed clubs soon after but both were turned down by the club.

Simon Grayson removed him off the transfer list before the start of the new season and said his main goalscorer would be going nowhere this season, and was willing to sacrifice a fee for the player if it meant he helped them gain promotion back to the Championship.

Beckford continues to be linked with a number of clubs and this will obviously intensify once again during the January transfer window.

Despite all the off field problems Beckford hit the ground running when he scored two goals on the opening day of the season against Exeter City.

His goal at Brighton on Saturday takes his tally to twelve for the season in eighteen starts and he`s once again at the top of the League One goalscoring charts.

Leeds fans will be hoping that with the magnificent start to the season that the club have made he will decide to stay at Elland Road and commit his long term future to the club.


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