Charlton skipper Jason Pearce: We won’t be expecting any favours from promoted Leeds United

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Leeds may have already secured the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League, but Jason Pearce doesn’t expect Marcelo Bielsa’s side to take their foot off the gas when Charlton visit Elland Road on Wednesday evening.

The Addicks travel West Yorkshire knowing they may need a result to secure their Championship safety, depending on how fellow strugglers Wigan, Barnsley and Luton do below them.

Leeds have won seven of their last nine on home soil and have dropped points just once since the return to action after lockdown – a 1-1 draw with Luton at Elland Road at the end of June.

The Whites secured top spot with games to go following losses for West Bromwich Albion and Brentford over the weekend but Pearce, who made over 100 appearances for Leeds during a three-year stint at Elland Road, is not expecting to face a side who have downed tools early.

“I’ve been promoted a couple of times in my career and the manager always wants to finish the season on a high,” explained the Hillingdon-born defender.

“They’ll make sure they’re focused and ready. At the start of the season their aim was to get promoted and they’ve done that now. I just hope we can catch them on a bad day and we’re fully on it.

“We’ll give our best on the day and hopefully get a result. You just never know what their mindset is going to be like. We’ll just hope we catch them on a bad day because they’re a good team.”

Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic at The Valley ensured the South Londoners would enter the final round of fixtures perched outside of the drop-zone – and Pearce, 32, hopes the Addicks can take advantage of the control they have over their own destiny.

He said: “You want it in your own hands. You don’t want to be going to Leeds in the relegation zone and having to get a result. Since we’ve been back, the lads have given their all. To be fair, we’ve been quite unlucky in a few results.

“[Against Wigan], we got a draw and we deserved to win the game, in my opinion. But we didn’t. It’s a massive point and it’s in our own hands. We’ll go there full of confidence and do our best like we’ve been doing all season.

“I’m hoping the people at home can see the lads are giving their all for the club and we’ll continue to do that on Wednesday as well. Sometimes things go against you but we’ll make our own luck and hopefully it will happen and we’ll do alright on Wednesday.”

TOP PHOTO: PAUL EDWARDS