Derby County man turns Leeds United pressure screw with 'free hit' claim after 'gut-wrenching' admission
Leeds United host Derby County on Saturday with pressure on both sides to recover from recent defeats.
Derby County defender Kane Wilson hopes the almost ‘free hit’ nature of Saturday’s trip to Leeds United can help his side get a result without any weight of pressure.
The Rams head to Elland Road off the back of consecutive defeats, the latest being a sickening 2-1 loss at home to Sheffield Wednesday in which they conceded in the 94th minute. Paul Warne’s newly-promoted side enjoyed a decent start to their Championship return but are slowly slipping down into lower mid-table.
But their weekend hosts are not in a perfect moment either and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers - the third of that scoreline this season - brought with it growing frustration among sections of the fanbase. Elland Road can breathe life into Leeds at the best of times but discontent is not well hidden, especially when the Whites are expected to win.
That expectation will certainly be there on Saturday as Leeds try to avoid their own run of back-to-back defeats. And while Derby understand their underdog status, Wilson hopes that can actually help them nick something from West Yorkshire.
“I feel physically sick. It's a horrible feeling,” Wilson told RamsTV following Sunday’s defeat. “It's obviously gut-wrenching to lose in that way. It's probably the first time in my career that I've lost that late on in a game like that.
“I'm looking forward to it [Saturday's game]. It will be a great opportunity to go and try to get a result. Maybe we need it. It's one where we're not expected to get a result by people, so it might be a bit of a free hit. We always go to win, but being the underdogs can help.
"They're up there fighting for promotion. It might be what we need at the moment. We understand we've got a tough run of games. Today was a big one, but we have to pick ourselves up. We can't rest on our laurels."
Defeat at Blackburn saw Leeds fall out of the automatic promotion places but they can just as easily climb back in there this weekend. Daniel Farke’s side are a point off Burnley and three short of Sheffield United, with a superior goal difference on their side.
Burnley host fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough on Friday night while Sheffield United face a tricky Sunday afternoon trip to draw specialists West Brom. Leeds will hope at least one drops points but focus inside the squad will be on fulfilling their end of the bargain.