Former Leeds favourite Neil Kilkenny admitted he thought Elland Road was nowhere near as intimidating as it used to be and he was shocked at the size of Saturday's crowd.

Just 18156 turned up on Saturday to see Kilkenny and Bristol City finish on the losing side yet again and the Australian, who like many of his compatriots is not shy in speaking his mind said: “It is probably not as intimidating because the ground is half empty now.

“That is obviously disappointing for the fans and the players, as players come to Leeds because it is a massive club.

“When I played here, we used to get 30,000 most weeks. But I heard over the PA system that the crowd was 18,000.

“I don’t know what has gone on over the year-and-a-half that I have been away.

“But it is disappointing for the club because they have got a great fan base and it is a great club.”

Kilkenny left Leeds in 2011 having failed to agree a new deal, he scored on his return a year last September and enraged Chairman Ken Bates by blowing kisses in his direction.

Following the reign of belligerent Bates, new owners GFH Capital have gone on the charm offensive by offering cheap ticket deals which the fans so far appear to be slow to take up.

Or maybe it was the weather? Whilst Kilkenny's adopted home town of Brisbane reached 30'c, Elland Road shivered at below zero temperatures.

Photo: Action Images

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