PASCAL WANTS TO GO DIRECT ROUTE

FOR Pascal Struijk, it's a no-brainer to admit that Leeds are desperate to go up automatically and avoid the play-offs.

- DAVID ANDERSON

Leeds have an awful play-off record, having failed in all six attempts since their first in 1987, and last season's loss to Southampton was their fourth final defeat.

"You don't have to ask me that," said the Dutch centre-half. "We don't want to play in the play-offs. We all have one target and that's to go up to the Premier League."

Struijk is Leeds's longest-serving player and knows all about the pain of losing in the play-offs, having been on the bench for the semi-final defeat in 2019 and missing out with a groin injury against the Saints last May.

"I was there for the Derby games (2019) and that was my first experience of seeing what it meant to people and how much emotion goes into these types of games," he said.