Frozen pitch irks O'Leary

A frozen pitch left Leeds United hot under the collar in Moscow yesterday. David O'Leary and his players turned up at Dinamo Stadium - scene of today's third-round first-leg tie with Spartak Moscow - only to find the pitch rock hard, despite under-soil heating.

The players managed just 20 minutes training before being recalled by both the club doctor and physio for fear of injuries.

After the aborted programme, Leeds manager O'Leary immediately launched into a scathing attack over the state of the pitch, slamming the ground as "dangerous", "unplayable" and "an absolute disgrace".

A Spartak official amazingly revealed, however, the under-soil heating was switched on yesterday morning, but claims they were "caught out by a cold snap" in the afternoon. Temperatures in the Russian capital have plummeted to around minus 20. The heating was switched on again after the players had finished their shortened training stint.

Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale will attend a UEFA meeting this morning seeking assurances that the pitch will be safe for the game.

Regardless, it means Leeds will head into the most important game of their season so far with just a 90-minute training session at Thorp Arch under their belts in the last three days.

A seething O'Leary blasted: "That pitch is an absolute joke. It's like playing on concrete. It's dangerous and unplayable.

"Our club doctor and physio have both said it's too dangerous, so we've had to take the players off because there is the risk they could become seriously injured. "We've only managed to have a light jog, but it's just not safe. The players are losing their feet and as far as I'm concerned it's all an absolute disgrace.

"As for the game tomorrow, it's in the lap of the Gods and it becomes a game of chance. We will have to see what the referee decides."

Leeds midfielder David Batty said: "It's colder than when I went to Lapland with my kids last year - and I didn't have to play football then!