Smith fire makes all the difference

Alan Smith would claim, like so many of his predecessors at Leeds United, that he is just misunderstood.

In football it is always easier getting a bad name than losing one, and this spiky young striker will tell you he is not proud of his reputation. But two moments will live in the memory about his contribution to an afternoon when Leeds's opening-day nerves eventually made way for an ultimately humdrum victory.

The first, a display of consummate talent, was the game's one and only outstanding moment. Harry Kewell slipped a ball through the middle and Smith was off and running. The drag-back to wrong-foot Dean Richards was stunning in its audacity, and the side-footed finish a lesson in composure.

"I was running in, thinking there might be a rebound," said Lee Bowyer. "But it was Smithy - I should have known better." The second, an insight into Smith's devilish personality, occurred as the two sides warmed up. A stray ball from Southampton's half drifted into his path. Smith made as if to pass it back to the chasing Taher El Khalej but instead, quite intentionally, guided it beyond him. The visiting player looked bemused. Smith shrugged and jogged away. How to make friends and influence people.

Smith, by his own admission, was disappointed after discovering he did not merit a place in David O'Leary's starting line-up, the clearest indication yet the manager regards Robbie Keane and Mark Viduka as his most potent strike force.

Perhaps O'Leary will have to reconsider, for Keane's confidence does not seem to have been lifted by a bucket-load of goals in pre-season. The Irishman was replaced by Smith, and the change was instant.

"Until he came on we were totally comfortable," said Richards. "The crowd had gone, they were totally exasperated. But he just gives them something extra. His mere presence lifted the fans and that lifted the team."

Within two minutes Lee Bowyer had driven an emphatic left-foot shot through a congested penalty area for the opening goal and by the time Smith's ingenuity doubled the lead 10 minutes from time, Southampton had lost all their early their buoyancy.

"Being on the bench hurt," said Smith. "I had been waiting all summer for this moment. Paying for England has been a massive step, but for me, this is what matters. Leeds are my hometown club and I want to play every week. "

Whether he has done enough to oust Keane for Leeds's match at Arsenal tomorrow remains to be seen, but O'Leary will be demanding a significant improvement from his side.

A disappointing day for Stuart Gray, Southampton's manager, was sealed when Claus Lundekvam caught Kewell's trailing leg and was sent off for a professional foul.

But worse, perhaps, was to come an hour or so after the final whistle. "I have a lot of respect for Glenn Hoddle," Richards said of Tottenham's interest. "I am an ambitious person and if the two clubs can agree a fee I would have to consider it."

LEEDS: Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Bowyer, Dacourt, Batty (Bakke 61), Kewell, Keane (Smith 65), Viduka. Subs Not Used: Kelly, Woodgate, Milosevic. Booked: Bowyer. Goals: Bowyer 67, Smith 81.

SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Delap, Lundekvam, Richards, Bridge, Davies, Oakley, Marsden (Tessem 80), Svensson, Rosler (Benali 84), Pahars (Beattie 72). Subs Not Used: Moss, El Khalej. Sent Off: Lundekvam (90). Booked: Davies, Marsden.

Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucester).