Douglas looks to a brighter future

GILLINGHAM. Southend. Cheltenham. No disrespect to those clubs but they were hardly the type of opposition Jonathan Douglas had in mind when he first hooked up with Leeds United two seasons ago.

Locked in a downward spiral because of their financial difficulties when he initially arrived on loan, the Yorkshire club had been relegated from the Premiership in 2004 but Douglas’ first season promised a return to happier climes.

Defeat to Watford in the Championship play-off final at Cardiff — 24 hours after Munster’s Heineken Cup triumph at the same stadium — put paid to that and the meltdown simply gathered pace.

Last May, the once proud club fell into the English game’s third tier for the first time after another slap on the wrists with a 10-points deduction imposed after they went into voluntary administration.

Just when it appeared they hit rock bottom, they found another ledge to fall off and started this campaign in League One minus 15 points having failed to meet Football League’s rules on insolvency.

“It was difficult because everyone knew that some of the players weren’t getting paid,” said Douglas. “That time was hard because there were big players like David Healy leaving the club but the gaffer (Dennis Wise) has kept a good squad together and I think it is one capable of winning the league.”

Four games in and they are, understandably given the circumstances, still bottom of the league, but four wins have all but eradicated the handicap they started with.

It has been an impressive response to adversity by the club in a division from which other big outfits like Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday have struggled to escape in the past and Douglas puts it down to their work ethic prior to the season’s opening.

“We had a good pre-season. It’s probably the toughest pre-season that I’ve ever done. We’re all fit and we know going into games that we are fitter than any other team. Fitness is a big part of it in the lower divisions.

“We know that, in the last 20 minutes, we can come into the games. We’ve shown that by scoring in the last ten or 15 minutes of most games so far. That’s probably been the biggest part of it.”

They may still be 13 points behind table toppers Leyton Orient and Carlisle who have made the early running but Douglas remains confident that they can win promotion at the first attempt.

He is happy at Elland Road. Rumours of a loan switch to fellow League One club Walsall have been doing the rounds but the first he heard of that was from his father when he reported for Ireland duty earlier this week.

He has 18 months left on his contract and, after the depression that surrounded the club for the entirety of last season, is reveling being part of a side that finally seems to be pointed in the right direction again, at least on the field.

“Winning games breeds confidence. Last year was a difficult season for us. This year was always going to be more difficult after we lost those points but we’ve proven that we have a good team. The manager has brought in some good players and we should do well in the league.”

That said he accepts that League One isn’t the ideal environment for him to be playing in when it comes to furthering his international career, particularly as he of the original 25-man squad plying his trade outside the top two divisions.

“That’s one thing that comes into your head. Going down a division probably doesn’t help me but I’m still the same player that I was last year or the year before. It is a worry in the back of your mind but I can’t think about that. I’ve just got to keep my head down, stay focused and help Leeds climb the table.”

He proved his worth at international level with a composed performance against the Czech Republic in what was his first competitive start in Dublin last October and started again in the first soccer match at Croke Park against the Welsh in March.

The Czech game in particular gave him a lot of confidence in his abilities and he is hoping to feature at some stage again over the next week in central Europe as Ireland go hunting for the points that will keep their European qualification hopes on track.

“Everybody wants to be there. We’re in with a chance of qualifying for a major tournament and I’m looking forward to Saturday and Wednesday and hopefully getting a few minutes on the pitch.”