Leeds 1, Bristol Rovers 0

Leeds go to Hartlepool on Boxing Day hoping luck continues to carry them towards automatic promotion.

On so many occasions this season, the opposition have failed to take their chances and it was a familiar story as Dennis Wise's men were let off the hook by goal-shy Bristol Rovers.

If United do return to the Championship at the first attempt, they cannot expect the same poor finishing by opponents - and they themselves will need to be much more clinical in front of goal.

Jermaine Beckford's goal touch deserted him and Tresor Kandol should have scored twice with second-half headers. The pair tormented Rovers in United's 3-0 win in the away fixture but they couldn't repeat that cutting edge as United had to rely on a scrambled goal six minutes from the end.

It was such an untidy decider that no-one in the press box could be certain who should be credited with the goal. Assis-tant manager Dave Bassett said substitute Seb Carole was claiming it, though Bassett added that Kandol had also laid claim to a touch.

United's public address announcer handed the goal to Jonny Howson, while Rovers manager Paul Trollope admitted the ball went in off defender Steve Elliott's shoulder. An Elliott own-goal seems the likely outcome when the goals committee pass judgement.

With ten wins and a draw from their home league programme so far, United can be proud of a record which also shows 25 goals scored and only five conceded.

Yet it needed a half-time pep talk to iron out some of the flaws in the Leeds performance and Alan Thompson's influence grew as the game progressed.

It was Thompson who set up headed chances in the second half for Beckford and Kandol and the midfielder was involved in the build-up to the goal.

Wise will take credit from the bold double substitution that saw Carole and Tore Andre Flo replace David Prutton and Ian Westlake in the 65th minute, giving United a three-pronged attack until Radostin Kish-ishev replaced Beckford a minute after the goal.

But Bassett confessed: "Sometimes you need a bit of good fortune and we got it with the goal.

"We needed it and were relieved when it came. Bristol came with a set plan and started better than we did but we had a chat at half-time and sorted some things out."

Rovers manager Paul Trollope said: "Leeds sent more players forward in the end and a lucky deflection off Steve Elliott's shoulder brought their goal. Chances don't come too often against quality teams like Leeds and we had two or three but didn't take them."

Rovers lost left back Joe Jacobson to a first-minute clash of heads with Prutton, who needed his wound heavily bandaged so he could continue.