IF you offered Leeds United fans 20th place at the end of the season, many would bite your hand off.

That’s where the Whites currently stand in the table after their winless Championship streak was extended to seven by a 1-1 home draw with in-form Birmingham City. Leeds are only three points from safety and are unquestionably in a relegation scrap.

Manager Neil Redfearn has acknowledged that fact, dumping the pass and move diamond system and reverting to back-to-basics football.

That has seen the reintroduction of Steve Morison as a focal point up front and Luke Murphy in midfield.

Both played their part as Leeds came from behind to snatch a vital late point which earned praise from Redfearn.

Redfearn said: “We played well. We deserved to win and got in front of goal enough times to win a couple of games. We looked tentative but the performance, the grit and determination was there. If we’d have scored ten minutes earlier, we’d have won.”

Former York City man Clayton Donaldson, fresh from his hat-trick the previous week, earned Brum the breakthrough after only six minutes when he was brought down by Liam Cooper – Paul Caddis despatching the resulting penalty.

The Blues had lost only two Championship games from ex-Burton boss Gary Rowett’s 11 in charge and they looked confident, adopting a shoot-on-sight policy which tested Marco Silvestri in goal several times.

Murphy was at the heart of everything in the second half as he kept City penned in and was rewarded in the 85th minute when he slammed in a half-volley. It was Leeds’ first goal from open play in 711 minutes.

Redfearn said he wants striker Billy Sharp, understood to be the subject of interest from Ipswich, to stay. Sharp’s Leeds career has never really got off the ground, but he may even get the nod ahead of top scorer Marco Antenucci against leaders Bournemouth tomorrow at Elland Road.