Ethan Ampadu's 'halfway' message to Leeds United as die-hards play vital role

There will be 35,000 Leeds United fans inside Wembley Stadium next Sunday when Ethan Ampadu leads the Whites out. It will sound like an awful lot more.

The Whites on-field skipper may be just 23 years old, but he has plenty of experience under his belt. And the Wales international is under no illusion over how important those fans will be if they are to win their place in the Premier League next season.

The noise at Elland Road on Thursday night as Leeds booked their place in Sunday's showpiece, was incredible. Ampadu, a veteran of Welsh international games and key Premier League battles with Chelsea, was blown away by the atmosphere and has thanked fans for their backing.

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But he knows the job is only half-done. Leeds must beat Southampton at Wembley on Sunday to return to the top flight at the first time of asking, but the defender is confident with the support of the Whites faithful behind them.

“We achieved the objective of getting to the play-off final and we know that we are only halfway in this end of season competition, and we still have a final to play against a team who will make it very hard," he said ahead of this weekend's crunch game. "For sure, we will enjoy this feeling with the fans and then prepare for Wembley. The fans were massive. Before the game, I don’t want to say we expected it because we know what the fans can be like when they are behind us, but we were really looking forward to it because we knew they were going to give us a massive push.

“I think that showed in our performance. We started on the front foot and they started on the front foot. The atmosphere was amazing. It might be a bit cliché but they were behind us and we really felt that, so maybe that was an added help. We are thankful for that and now they can have an enjoyable night."

While Leeds' attacking performance caught the eye, Ampadu was delighted to keep a second consecutive clean sheet, even if goalkeeper Illan Meslier had to bail him out after a rare slip allowed Josh Sargent Norwich's only chance of the game.

“I think everyone was firing," he added. "We were on the front foot, the front four looked like they played with enjoyment and freedom. When they are clinical and on it, they are a match for anyone. They make it difficult for a lot of opponents. They probably make our jobs a little bit easier so we are thankful to them!

“For us defenders getting a clean sheet, it is massive. I’d say thanks to Illan in the first half for digging me out of a bit of a hole too!”