Players past and present have joined countless fans in bidding an emotional farewell to Leeds United legend, Luke Ayling, as he departs the club to join Middlesborough after more than seven long years at Elland Road.
Ayling, who has been a stalwart in the side since 2016, spending some of the best years of his career and the club's recent history as the first-choice right-back, was officially unveiled as a Boro player on Wednesday — but not before a proper goodbye.
Having been part of the side that led Leeds back to the Premier League after their 16-year absence and serving as a trusted deputy to team captain Liam Cooper during his injury setbacks, the fans and those around the club are gutted to see him go.
The club shared a number of fond farewells from Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Archie Gray and Stuart Dallas on Thursday.
Leeds stars say bye to the bloke simply known as 'Bill'.
Making a total of 268 appearances (93 in the top flight) keeping 83 clean sheets and serving as captain 81 times started as captain, not to mention registering 11 goals and 21 assists from full-back, he has been a key cog in how Leeds play for a long time.
Surviving nine different managers across eight whole seasons, experiencing all the highs and the lows, the 32-year-old has seen every side of the Peacocks and things won't be the same without him. His former teammates made that abundantly clear.
Cooper wrote in his own personal tribute post on X: "Think I speak for everyone, there isn’t many who come and get us like Bill. I’d want him in the trenches with me everyday of the week. Enjoyed the highest of highs and dragged each other through the tough times. Gonna miss you pal. Nothing but respect."
Dallas also joined, adding, "A leader both on and off the pitch. An absolute warrior who I would pick to go to war with every day of the week. A club legend that will be remembered forever. It’s been a pleasure my mate." The fan farewells have been even more emotional:
Ayling now joins the fellow Championship side on loan until the end of the season but with his contract expiring at the end of the season, there is the obvious expectation that a move to Michael Carrick's side or otherwise will be made permanent.
The former Arsenal academy graduate hasn't played in the league for the Whites since 3 November but was given a cameo by manager Daniel Farke in the FA Cup win over Peterborough United this past Sunday.
Speaking on his decision to leave, Ayling himself thanked the club for the unwavering support, insisting: "I can't tell you what a great time I've had... I've got no words".
Reeling off the highlights from his time in Yorkshire in a lengthy sign-off, he ended by simply writing, "Thank you for everything, I hope I've done you proud".
Daniel Farke is urging fans to not get ahead of themselves following last night's massive win over Sunderland as Leeds gave their prospects of a Premier League return a massive leg up.
Returning to the top of the table after a last-gap 2-1 victory over the North East side, Leeds United now lead the league on 72 points as promotion back to the top flight is looking increasingly likely.
But we all know how football goes, especially in the Championship...
With that in mind, although Farke confessed it was "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United", he was quick to remind his players, staff and supporters that there's still a lot of work to do.
"I never thought I would ever get a yellow card for celebrating"
Daniel Farke shares his thoughts on getting booked for celebrating Leeds' 95th minute equaliser ? pic.twitter.com/tfLxXjE6AK
Speaking after the full-time whistle and when everyone had just about caught their breath back, the 48-year-old said: "These types of wins are the best kind you can have in football for the supporters and the whole group."
Despite being booked for joining in the celebrations and seeming rather puzzled by the decision, the German head coach went on to describe the victory as "priceless points", and "a great night for everyone connected to Leeds United."
However, being fully aware of how fine the margins were and continue to be, he warned everyone to avoid getting carried away, adding: "We haven't won anything yet."
In case you weren't watching for whatever reason, it was a tense home outing against fellow playoff challengers, who took the lead through Wilson Isidor in the first half.
Nevertheless, a brilliant brace came from a somewhat unlikely yet increasingly less surprising source as Pascal Struijk notched his fourth and fifth goal of the season within just over a quarter of an hour - the fans just had to wait agonisingly until the very last quarter or so.
"This is the best Leeds side I've seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game" ?
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Struijk's stoppage-time winner in the 95th minute understandably sent Elland Road into raptures which, as you can see, have been described as some of the best the league has seen in a while.
As Farke says, there's still a long way to go and Leeds won't want to rely on the bare minimum amount to qualify for the playoffs; with 42 points still up for grabs this campaign and teams on their tail, the next few months are going to be stressful.
You can hear Daniel Farke's post-match interview in full HERE and watch the rest of the highlights from a blockbuster finish and a fantastic start to the week for Whites down below:
Featured Images — Sky Sports/Leeds United (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Northern Superchargers fixtures confirmed for The Hundred 2025
Danny Jones
The fixtures for The Hundred 2025 have officially been revealed and we now have confirmation as to when we can expect to see Northern Superchargersgetting underway.
One of the fastest-growing competitions not only in cricket but sport, in general, this is just the fifth year of The Hundred but it’s promising to be the biggest and most ambitious yet.
Moving back to its traditional summer slot – set to take place throughout the month of August – well over half a million fans are expected to enjoy the action up and down the country.
You can find the full list of Northern Superchargers fixtures for this year’s Hundred schedule here:
Getting their campaign underway with the first double-header against Welsh Fire on Thursday, 7 August at home in Headingley, it's going to be a brilliant day of cricket - hopefully with plenty of sun to boot.
The Superchargers' first away game comes against Nottingham's Trent Rockets on Sunday (10 August) before heading down South the following Wednesday (13 Aug).
2024 alone saw a global women’s cricket attendance record shattered and with the double-header fixtures set to return, more history beckons for the tournament.
If you’ve never been along to The Hundred before, game days feature plenty of pre-match pageantry and fanfare before the women’s teams get the toss first.
Although there’s music, food and drink to be enjoyed throughout the day, one of the best parts about a day at The Hundred is the entertainment, with other games, activities, competitions and live performances before, during and after the break.
"You get fantastic crowds to play in front of at the biggest venues, with great support. I have absolutely loved being a part of the Superchargers", he continued.
"Captaining last year was a great experience, as was working alongside Freddie [Andrew Flintoff]. We have a great group of players that we will hopefully manage to retain for this year’s competition.
"We'll be looking to build on the momentum we have started to gather as a squad over the last few seasons."
You can get ready grab your tickets on pre-sale and found when general admission goes live HERE.
Danny Jones -
11th January 2024 
