Fans drag down shamed Leeds

The closing minutes were a fitting embodiment of what is rotten about the club. First the conceded a last-gasp equaliser. Then the fans disgraced themselves, piling senselessly on to the pitch to delay the inevitable.

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The way the mood turned from passionate optimism before kick-off to blind defeatism after the Ipswich equaliser was a microcosm of how the supporters' sentiments have soured since the glory days at the San Siro and Nou Camp.

Eddie Gray, former Leeds player and manager and now a radio phonein host, said: "It's so disappointing and the really sad thing was the behaviour of a minority of supporters.

"If you're going to go it would be nice to do so with a bit of dignity and they didn't allow the club to do that.

"Leeds will get back up, I'm sure of that, but you just don't know how long it's going to take them to get back to the top level again."

Former chairman Peter Ridsdale urged the club to stop dwelling in the past. "It is only 12 months since Leeds were in the play-off final and yet people talk today about decisions four or five years ago that are causing their plight," he told Radio Five Live. "Too many people are feeling sorry for themselves."

Having been 1-0 up, Leeds were in pole position to avoid relegation as Hull City were drawing 0-0. Then came news of Dean Windass' winner for Hull at Cardiff and suddenly Leeds could not afford to concede. The pressure proved excessive and when Alan Lee glanced in the late Ipswich goal, the sense of surprise was minimal. Earlier, Richard Cresswell's 12th-minute header had led to a handful of Leeds fans invading the pitch to congratulate him. That was uncomfortable viewing but what followed Lee's goal was shocking.

Hundreds of fans jumped over advertising hoardings, charging towards the Ipswich fans who had baited them with chants of "1-0 to the Hull City".

The Leeds fans were branded "stupid" by Ipswich striker Jon Walters, a former Hull player. The supporters' surge on to the field, now the subject of an FA probe, left Ipswich players fearing for their safety and is likely to incur a heavy punishment.

Birkenhead-born Walters said: "I can see why they're disappointed with the way their team have been this year because on paper they are one of the best teams in the League. I think the majority of the fans were telling them to get off but there's always going to be a few stupid ones.

"Some of our players in the corner might have got caught up in it but I'm glad that we didn't and nobody got hurt. My initial reaction was that we just had to get off the pitch. We couldn't stay on and confront them. There were so many of them."

The match resumed at 5.30pm and the final seconds were completed and Leeds' fate resolved.

Striker Robbie Blake said: "It's all going to sink in now. Obviously, the fans are hurt but the players don't want to go down and it's hard to take, certainly for a club like this."

Forest's struggle with Bristol City and Blackpool to secure League One's second automatic promotion slot is a warning to Leeds that this will not necessarily be the end of the hurt. Like Forest, they will have to forget European finals for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

"Now there need to be an awful lot of changes," said Leeds manager Dennis Wise.

Former Leeds director Adam Pearson, now Hull chairman, believes that the club's value could be as low as £5million.