Coca Cola FOOTBALL LEAGUE ONE
Sunday People
02:40, 10 Feb 2013Updated 03:14, 10 Feb 2013
Leeds 2
Bournemouth 0
Neil Kilkenny scored his first goal for Leeds as they saw off the struggling Cherries to record their first home win since the start of January.
Former Birmingham midfielder Kilkenny drilled home a precise effort from the edge of the box in the 63rd minute, after Bradley Johnson had capitalised on a defensive mistake to put Leeds in front early on.
The result left Bournemouth 11 points adrift of safety and they wasted a host of efforts throughout, with Sam Vokes and Max-Alain Gradel squandering gilt-edged chances.
Leeds started well with Johnson drilling an effort from 25 yards just wide, while Jermaine Beckford's long-range strike was comfortably gathered by David Forde. The home side took the lead after 11 minutes in bizarre circumstances, as David Prutton played in a hopeful long ball and Neil Young and Forde collided with each other to leave Johnson the easiest of tap-ins.
Bournemouth responded straight away when Vokes got on the end of Gradel's cross, but put his shot wide.
The visitors were restricting Leeds to long-range efforts on goal and Jonathan Howson fired over before Beckford shot wide from 25 yards.
The Cherries were looking dangerous on the counter-attack and should have equalised when Gradel was put through and blazed over with only Casper Ankergren to beat.
Bournemouth came flying out the traps after the restart and both Vokes and Kuffour had shots blocked.
Leeds slowly began to find their rhythm again and Kilkenny's shot was diverted clear, but Bournemouth came close once again with Vokes firing wide.
Just after the hour mark, Leeds made Bournemouth pay for their profligacy when Howson's square ball came to Kilkenny on the edge of the area and he struck a sweet shot past Forde.
That goal rocked the visitors and they struggled to get back into the game with Danny Hollands firing wildly over the bar from long range as Leeds held on for their second successive victory.