Patrick Bamford's play-off final verdict, Leeds United man praise and squad post-match activity

Patrick Bamford has delivered his Leeds United play-off final verdict with a Whites admission but show of squad unity in defeat.

A knee injury forced Bamford to miss United’s last five games of the Championship season and the Leeds no 9 admits it was “horrible” looking on as his side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Wembley play-off final.

Speaking on the My Mate’s A Footballer podcast, Bamford admitted his side never really looked like scoring until Dan James hit the crossbar in the closing stages and praised the performance of James from the bench.

Bamford, though, felt Leeds dealt with play-off final heartbreak in the right manner, taking the setback on the chin and revealed a squad show of unity back in Leeds on the evening of the defeat.

Asked what it was like looking on injured, Bamford admitted: “It was horrible really. You are sat there like a fan so you are nervous, you are hoping and you are jumping up at everything, always is something going to happen?

"I still felt like, especially going into the game that we were going to win. It just wasn't our turn really.

“We started off really well. I actually think in general, we had all the ball,  I just feel like they had a little bit more knowhow and experience because they defended well, really well.

"They put their bodies on the line, and until DJ hit the bar and stuff, it didn’t look like we were going to score so whilst we had the ball and stuff, they controlled it. They did well to be fair and when it's a final like that, it’s rare that it's going to be more than one goal in it because it's quite a cagey affair. DJ was good."

Pressed on what happened afterwards, what the club did next, Bamford revealed: "Afterwards, I think a lot of the boys just wanted to get off the pitch as soon as possible after we had clapped the fans.

"But I spoke to Coops and the manager and I said we have got to stay and congratulate Southampton, they have won and it's the right thing to do and they were in agreement, they said we will stay and clap them and watch them lift the trophy and then go off.

"You can obviously lose a game but it's worse if you lose and you are a bad sport. It was hard but I think the lads went about it in the right way and obviously a lot of our players were in tears so it was a little bit of like going round and trying to console them and getting their heads back up.

"The changing room when we went was silent really but the manager spoke a little bit but he's an experienced guy and he knew that it didn't matter what he said then, no-one really wanted to hear anything.

"But the one thing we did do, which was kind of nice, it was a quite a strange atmosphere to start with but we all went back to Leeds and people’s families could come and stuff and we all went up to the rooftop bar at the hotel.

"It obviously wasn't a celebration, but it was just seeing off the season together, being all together and just showing that we were together as a group and it was nice. It was a strange atmosphere for the first couple of hours but it was nice.”