Kalvin Phillips and Barry Douglas send messages to Luke Ayling after his goal for Middlesbrough

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Leeds United cult hero Luke Ayling scored his first goal for Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening to snatch a point against Leicester.

The man who made 268 appearances for the Whites rose highest to head home an equaliser in the 96th minute and secure a 1-1 draw for his side, who had gone down to ten men just six minutes earlier.

After Luke Ayling scored a rare goal, his old Leeds teammates Kalvin Phillips and Barry Douglas got in touch with him on Instagram.

Barry Douglas calls Luke Ayling a “bagsman” as Kalvin Phillips sends love

Ayling played 164 and 29 games respectively for Leeds with Phillips and Douglas, and the duo were quick to congratulate him after his effort for Middlesbrough.

The latter called the Boro No.12 a “bagsman” following his header – a term reserved for someone who ‘bags’ goals.

Phillips then sent the 34-year-old a wordless message, consisting of a heart emoji to show his love for a former teammate.

Ayling even pulled out his Robbie Keane celebration after the header, which has not been seen since his dramatic late winner in a 3-2 win at Wolves under Jesse Marsch back in March 2022.

Leeds fans have plenty to worry about right now after a demoralising 3-0 loss at Brighton, but it is nice to see some iconic figures from years gone by catching up on social media.

Leeds could soon reunite with Luke Ayling

The Middlesbrough defender’s late header kept Boro third in the Championship, with Rob Edwards well on track to achieve promotion to the Premier League.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CoventryCoventry	14	9	4	1	39	13	26	31
2	Stoke CityStoke City	14	8	3	3	21	9	12	27
3	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	14	7	5	2	17	12	5	26
4	MillwallMillwall	14	7	3	4	16	19	-3	24

Should that happen and Leeds survive, it could see Ayling – who is desperate for Leeds to stay up – return to Elland Road next season.

Having said that, Middlesbrough would first need to extend the Londoner’s contract, which expires in July, to ensure a Leeds reunion is possible in the 2026/27 campaign.