Noel Whelan reacts to Leeds penalty row involving Bamford and Roberts

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Patrick Bamford, Tyler Roberts and Pablo Hernandez all wanted to take Leeds United’s penalty on Saturday.

Noel Whelan has told BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast on 23/2 from 17:00) that it looked a little shambolic when three Leeds players argued over who would take the penalty during their 2-1 win against Bolton on Saturday.

The Whites were handed the chance to break the deadlock from 12 yards during the first-half after Tyler Roberts was brought down as he made a bursting run into the box. Unsurprisingly, the Wales international was keen to be the one that took the spot-kick with usual penalty taker Kemar Roofe out injured.

However, Patrick Bamford quickly got his hands on the ball, and Pablo Hernandez also seemed to stake his case to take the kick. In the end, Bamford managed to see off all challenges and found the bottom corner for his fourth goal of the campaign.

Whelan admitted after the game that he could take positives and negatives from the incident, insisting that it was good to see so many players want the chance before adding that it was an issue that should have been addressed before the game.

“On the good side, you’ve got three players there that feel confident enough to take the penalty that want to do it under pressure, because it is a pressurised game now,” he told BBC Radio Leeds. “You’re at that stage at the season where you need calm heads. On the other hand, it does look a little shambolic and it can put people off while you’re out there. I’d like to see a designated penalty taker before the game.”

“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.”

Marcelo Bielsa’s men may not have produced the kind of performance against the Trotters that led to them blowing the likes of Stoke, Derby and Norwich away earlier in the campaign, but the result is all that matters at this stage of the season.

There are 13 points separating the top six, but Leeds, Middlesbrough and Bristol City all have games in hand over the other sides in the promotion hunt, so that gap could potentially close to just eight points if all of those games in hand are won.

So while it is going to make for very nervy viewing, Leeds are probably going to have to produce several more wins like the one on Saturday if they hope to be one of those who make it across the line.