Carlisle 0, Leeds United 2 (2-3 agg)
9:23am Friday 16th May 2008
HOMEGROWN hero Jonny Howson struck in stoppage time to send Leeds United to Wembley at Carlisle United last night.
Howson scored his second goal of last night's play-off semi-final, second leg at Brunton Park in the first - and only - minute of injury time signalled by referee Alan Wiley's fourth official to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.
The teenage midfielder, who will turn 20 next Wednesday, had earlier levelled the tie on ten minutes and his dramatic 15-yard winner means Leeds will now meet either Doncaster or Southend - who play tonight - in north London on Sunday, May 25.
That date will represent the first time Leeds have played at the hallowed home of English football since losing 3-0 to Aston Villa in the 1996 League Cup final when Howson was just seven.
Howson's two-goal strike also marked the first brace of his professional career.
He had only found the scoresheet four times prior to last night's match but, along with anchorman Jonathan Douglas and the willing Neil Kilkenny and David Prutton, was part of a vastly improved midfield performance following on from the quartet's disappointing showing in Monday's first leg.
The four players won last night's battle for supremacy in the middle of the park, leaving home striker Danny Graham cutting a lonely figure up front.
Leeds did, however, survive early home shouts for a penalty after a lunging tackle by Lubomir Michalik on Scott Dobie before Howson's first goal levelled the aggregate score.
The midfielder picked out a darting Dougie Freedman run down the left channel before charging into the penalty box to get on the end of the on-loan Crystal Palace striker's cross.
Howson then kept his composure to find Keiran Westwood's bottom left-hand corner with a bouncing eight- yard effort.
On 38 minutes, Freedman almost added to his first-leg goal when he intercepted a weak Evan Horwood header, but Westwood was quick to snuff out the danger.
Carlisle's best spell of the game came on the stroke of half-time with a misjudgement by makeshift left-back Bradley Johnson gifting Marc Bridge-Wilkinson the home side's first on-target effort eight yards out, only for Casper Ankergren to save well with his feet.
The visitors regained control of the game after the break with Jermaine Beckford and Freedman both trying their luck from distance although Bridge-Wilkinson went close with a flashing edge-of-the-box volley on 73 minutes.
But it was a rare opportunity for the jaded home side and, soon afterwards, Westwood was pushing a 25-yard Freedman drive behind and Bradley Johnson's header from a Kilkenny corner then flicked off the outside of a post.
Long-range Douglas and Johnson efforts then threatened a winning goal before Freedman laid the ball off to Howson and the Leeds-born youngster dragged a 15-yard shot into Westwood's bottom left-hand corner.
In doing so, he also fulfilled a forecast of his manager.
On seeing Freedman net on 96 minutes in the first leg, Gary McAllister predicted that the tie would be won in the 180th minute.
How right he was - and what a moment for the ecstatic 1,200 travelling army of Leeds fans, who were still bouncing up and down 15 minutes after the final whistle.
Leeds United: Casper Ankergren, Frazer Richardson, Paul Huntington, Lubomir Michalik, Bradley Johnson, David Prutton, Jonathan Douglas, Jonny Howson, Neil Kilkenny, Jermaine Beckford, Dougie Freedman.
Subs not used: David Lucas, Rui Marques, Seb Carole, Andy Hughes, Tresor Kandol.
Carlisle United: Keiran Westwood, David Raven, Peter Murphy, Danny Livesey, Evan Horwood, Scott Dobie, Chris Lumsdon, Grant Smith, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Simon Hackney, Danny Graham.
Subs not used: Chris Howarth, Paul Thirlwell, Paul Arnison, Cleveland Taylor, Gary Madine.
Referee: Alan Wiley.
Attendance: 12,873.