'Darlow in just in time to secure promotion'

Every curling ball lofted into the Leeds box this season has caused unease among the fanbase because goalkeeper Illan Meslier's mistakes from flaps, punches and parries have shredded nerves.

So when Karl Darlow reached up into the spring sunshine and caught a couple of crosses on his home league debut on Saturday lunchtime, those catches were celebrated like goals.

For Leeds' new number one, the game couldn't have gone much better.

The Wales international's name was sung, he could not be blamed for Kaine Kesler-Hayden's thunderous strike for Preston and Darlow's team mates rallied around him after his one error.

The goalkeeper's performances in the past two games have been close to flawless and there is a clear boost to the mood of the side. The defenders, who had been visibly affected by former preferred-starter Meslier's form, look far more comfortable now.

In the hundreds of Championship games he has managed, Daniel Farke had never previously changed his starting goalkeeper. Maybe this is why it took so long to make that decision, but it clearly should have been made far earlier.

Five years ago both Meslier and Darlow were getting peppered in the Premier League. But the then Newcastle keeper Darlow outperformed his now team-mate, during the first half of the season with his 71.76 'save percentage' being the best in the English top division among goalkeepers who had faced over 200 shots.

In the metric that measures a goalkeeper's performance against expected goals (post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed), over his career, Darlow has conceded 30 fewer goals than expected against Meslier's record.

With Darlow contracted until summer 2026, it is surely time to move on from Meslier and I expect Leeds will look to replace him whatever happens this season.

In addition to looking like a significant upgrade, it feels like he has replaced Meslier just in time to secure Leeds promotion.