Leeds Utd 2 Gillingham 1Leeds United were given a taste of what their future might hold last night, but it was not the expected one of rebellion and acrimony. What Leeds experienced was mediocrity and, if the club continues to sell its best players, they can look forward to more of the same.
Leeds have made it through to visit the winner of tonight's replay between Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the fifth round, but they did so in front of the smallest crowd of the season here, 29,355, which was 10,000 down on Leeds's last home attendance. Well, Peter Ridsdale did say 10,000 fans versus £9 million was no contest.
Sadly nor was this game. A goal from Mark Viduka early on and an Eirik Bakke header near the hour brought the win, but it was against a desperate Gillingham team that rallied far too late for Guy Ipoua's 86th-minute lob to matter. That was out of keeping with an evening that lacked any sense of drama. Leeds may be grateful for that.
None of the anticipated protests happened and neither did the Leeds injury crisis manifest itself. The story that Lucas Radebe damaged his knee when putting out the bins at his house turned out to be load of rubbish, and Dominic Matteo's injury also cleared up. But the missing thousands included Harry Kewell and Alan Smith.
Recalling with gusto the elbow of Viduka on Andy Hessenthaler which saw the Australian sent off, Gillingham's 3,000 fans baited Viduka from the first whistle. That explained the exuberant nature of Viduka's celebrations in front of them when he lashed in the opener after only 10 minutes.
It was a crisply-taken goal by Viduka, only his eighth this season. Ian Harte, back in the side, had a shot with his right foot from the edge of the area. Leon Johnson, the Gillingham centre-half, cleared it but Viduka collected it and volleyed it through the arms of Jason Brown.
Then, on the half-hour, the Leeds fans found someone to boo. When another Leeds attack broke down, a loose ball bouncing near the half-way line had Radebe and Mamady Sidibe running at it. Sidibe got there a split second before Radebe, who collided heavily with the striker. But Radebe came off worse and had to be withdrawn for Michael Duberry.
Gillingham also lost out, though. Sidibe had passed, badly admittedly, to his partner Rod Wallace but Wallace, a former Leeds player, saw Radebe poleaxed and kicked the ball out. It was Gillingham's most threatening moment of the first half, too.
Leeds did have a couple more, Leon Johnson almost scoring an own-goal and Bakke nearly exploiting another slip-up by Johnson.
And after the interval Leeds continued to dominate, though in that dry, Paul Okon kind of way. The emphasis was on retaining possession and then hoping Viduka would get on the end of a Harte cross.
Sure enough, Leeds's second came from a Harte free-kick. Out on the right Harte whipped an inswinger across the box. Bakke, a fine header of the ball, demonstrated his ability by glancing the ball past Brown.
Now Gillingham responded. In the 66th minute Paul Robinson made his first save. The lively Kevin James swung in a centre from the right and Sidibe met it with power. Robinson was moving right across his goalline but stretched back and clawed the ball away.
As the match came belatedly to life Brown made an equally acrobatic stop from a sprightly Viduka header and followed that with a flying tip-over from Seth Johnson.
Guardian Service
LEEDS: Robinson, Mills, Radebe (Duberry 32), Matteo (Milner 76), Harte, Kelly, Okon, Seth Johnson, Wilcox, Viduka, Bakke. Subs Not Used: Martyn, Burns, Simon Johnson. Goals: Viduka 11, Bakke 58.
GILLINGHAM: Brown, Nosworthy, Leon Johnson, Hope, Edge, James, Hessenthaler, Southall, Perpetuini (Ipoua 71), Wallace (Tommy Johnson 71), Sidibe. Subs Not Used: Bartram, Spiller, Awuah. Booked: Southall, Tommy Johnson. Goals: Ipoua 86.
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
