Immediately after winning Leeds United’s penalty last night, Patrick Bamford made it clear he would be taking it.
Bamford went down under a challenge from Ben Pearson inside the area which gave referee Paul Tierney no choice but to point to the spot.
While he did well to get his body in between man and ball to win the penalty, that is where his involvement in the situation should’ve ended, given he had missed his previous two before last night.
As per Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross, Crysencio Summerville staked his claim to take it, having scored in the shootout at Salford City in August, while also boasting a good record for the U23s.
Summerville approached captain Pascal Struijk to see whether he would be able to step up, but according to Cross, Bamford was having none of it.
Struijk missed chance to show authority
Struijk has only just stepped into this new role as captain at Leeds in recent weeks, with both Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper having been reduced to bit-part players under Daniel Farke.
Bamford remains part of the old guard at Leeds and is therefore one of the most senior players in the dressing room, but this was the perfect chance for Struijk to show real authority for the first time with the armband.
As mentioned, Bamford had missed his last two penalties leading up to the one last night, and should’ve been no where near it, with his confidence well and truly on the floor.
Summerville on the other hand, is arguably the most in-form player in the squad after his two-goal haul at Norwich City, and Struijk should’ve acknowledged both of these facts and taken Bamford off it.
Had he done so, for the first time both fans and teammates would’ve looked at him and really seen a player growing into his new role as a captain.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
