Leeds United booked their place in the Johnstone’s Paint semi-final with a routine 3-1 victory over Grimsby Town at Elland Road.

Two goals just before half-time killed off a spirited Grimsby side who played better than their league position suggests. Jermaine Beckford added a third ten minutes after the break, before former Leeds player Peter Sweeney scored a spectacular consolation goal – not sure where he pulled that from.

It was a decent enough performance from the men in white but we did appear to be going through the motions at times. We gave the ball away far too often and lacked the intensity we have seen in recent weeks – understandable given the small crowd and standard of opposition.

Grimsby gave a good account of themselves but there was only going to be one winner and we can now look forward to a semi-final date with either Accrington Stanley, Carlisle United or Bradford City.

Kilkenny stakes his claim

One man who firmly put himself back into first team contention was Neil Kilkenny. I thought he was superb and looked a class above anyone else on the pitch. He took his goal brilliantly and ran the show in midfield. It will be difficult for Simon Grayson to look past him for our next game at Brighton.

Bradley Johnson did okay alongside Kilkenny with some neat touches and excellent work for Beckford’s goal but I think he is better on the left.

Robert Snodgrass was below par again. I’m not sure what has happened to him this season, he has shown what he can do in patches but seems to be suffering from a loss of confidence.

Max Gradel showed why he might be better suited to an impact role. He did some good things but there was some dross mixed in there too – his final ball let him down at times. There is certainly enough to work with and I would like to see him stay on.

Offside nightmare

The back four didn’t look as solid without Paddy Kisnorbo. They played too high up the pitch and were only saved by some shockingly timed runs from the Grimsby strikers – maybe their wives could go over the offside rule with them.

Andy Hughes showed why he has been a regular under Grayson this season – I thought it was his best game for a while at right-back.

Aidy White looked short of game time, with some lazy passes, but showed why he is so highly thought of.

Sam Vokes does a lot of unselfish work for the team but doesn’t provide much threat in front of goal. I’m hoping to see more from him before his loan ends in January. Beckford put in a good shift and got his customary goal with an excellent finish.

All in all it was a comfortable victory and the players have a bit of time off now to recharge their batteries.

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