By support

19th Apr, 2017 | 10:46am

Nigel Clough makes claim about Leeds ahead of Burton showdown

By Amir Mir

Nigel Clough has claimed that Leeds are “ahead of their plan” after a successful first season in charge for Garry Monk.

The Yorkshire outfit are hoping to secure a top six finish at the end of the Championship season but currently find themselves sitting one place outside of the play-offs.

Monk’s side travel to Burton on Saturday afternoon looking to re-ignite their promotion hopes as the season enters its final few matches.

They suffered a damaging 1-0 home defeat against Wolves on Easter Monday which could dent their chances of securing promotion to the Premier League.

Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday are their two nearest challengers, with the duo set to play each other on the last day of the season.

This means if Leeds win their remaining three matches then a top six finish is guaranteed as Albion manager Clough offered his thoughts on his opponents ahead of their showdown.

“Garry Monk has done a great job,” said Clough, as posted by Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Lee Sobot. “[He is] possibly ahead of their plan [and] doing so well in his first season.

Despite opening up a four-point gap on the bottom three, Burton are still looking over their shoulders as they aim to secure safety this season.

They recently beat relegation-threatened Birmingham City away from home and will be hoping to add to three more points to their name at the weekend.

Leeds have not kept a clean sheet on the road since they picked up three points against Wolves in October.

Dropped points for Monk’s team could prove to be extremely damaging if others around them manage to win.

In other Leeds news, manager confirms 27-year-old will miss the Burton clash in what will be a big blow.

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