Ex-Leeds United man celebrates current club's promotion with Leeds salute after double 2024 anguish
A former Leeds United player indulged in a Leeds salute on the pitch to celebrate his current club's promotion.
Thorp Arch academy graduate Tyler Denton started 39 of 46 National League North games for Scunthorpe United this season as they missed out on the league title by two points. The 29-year-old from Dewsbury started both of their play-off games too, a 4-2 semi-final win over Chorley and a 2-1 win after extra-time in the final against Chester that confirmed the club's return to the National League.
Denton, who left Leeds in 2019, has plied his trade outside the English Football League for the past five seasons with Chesterfield, King's Lynn Town and Scunthorpe. Last season they missed out on promotion glory thanks to a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat in the play-off semi-finals, mirroring Leeds’ own end-of-season anguish at Wembley where they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the Championship play-off final.
This season's success brings a difficult six year period to an end for Scunthorpe United. The Iron were relegated from League One in 2019, narrowly avoided the drop for the next two seasons and then suffered back-to-back relegations to find themselves in National League North.
Last weekend their victory over Chorley saw them make the first step back in the right direction and Leeds United season ticket holder Phil Braithwaite was there with his son Lucas, a budding referee. The Scunthorpe natives support both clubs and at full-time went onto the pitch to join the celebrations. Lucas spied ex-Leeds man Denton and asked for a photo. Just as Denton posed for the photo, the 17-year-old performed a Leeds salute. A grinning Denton, himself a boyhood Whites supporter, replicated the salute for the picture.
"Lucas went in for the salute and I gave a quick 'Leeds, Leeds, Leeds' while pointing the camera," said Phil. "He smiled, asked if we're Leeds fans and we told him we're Leeds season ticket holders.
"If Leeds' promotion is the cake, the title was the icing and this is the cherry on top. Leeds absolutely comes first but it's been a tough time for Scunny and this is needed. They managed to throw away the title in the last few weeks of their normal session, but if they hadn't we'd have missed the moment [they went up]. Very selfishly, knowing it turned out well, the play-offs was a good thing. Next season will be tough for both sides but that's not today's problem. A year ago they both lost in the play-offs, this time they got the job done."