Perfect 10 worth Bamford's struggle

LONDON • Patrick Bamford yesterday had the last laugh over former manager Sean Dyche.

The former Chelsea striker never made the grade at Stamford Bridge, failing to play a single game and spent six years out on loan at teams from MK Dons to Middlesbrough.

Burnley was another one of the clubs he was farmed out to and it was at Turf Moor where he endured one of the most hurtful jibes of his career.

In a recent interview with the British media, Bamford, who unlike most English footballers was privately educated and received an unconditional scholarship offer from Harvard University, said the Burnley boss had sneered at his upper middle-class upbringing.

"I don't really want to get into Sean Dyche again. But one of the things that he said to me was that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I just thought, 'You don't understand'," the Nottingham Forest academy graduate revealed.

That 2016-17 loan spell was cut short after the pair butted heads, but Bamford has come on leaps and bounds since and is defying the critics, who claimed at the start of the season he was Championship-level at best.

The 27-year-old made it 10 Premier League goals for the season after putting away his fifth-minute penalty as Leeds beat Burnley 1-0 at Elland Road yesterday, ending the visitors' four-game unbeaten run.

Despite embarking on his first full Premier League campaign, Bamford, who has yet to receive a maiden call-up to the England national team, is already eyeing the Golden Boot award, such is his confidence this season.

He told Sky Sports: "I practise penalties all the time. I took them last year until I missed. It's a good achievement (10 goals), but I don't stop now and it keeps me in touch with the top."

Bamford, who won the spot kick, yesterday provisionally moved to joint-fifth in the Premier League scoring charts, three behind leader Mohamed Salah before Liverpool faced West Bromwich Albion yesterday.

Having reached the 10-goal mark in 15 top-flight appearances, he is also the joint-third quickest in Leeds history after Mark Viduka and Tony Yeboah.

The hosts temporarily moved up to 11th with a nine-point cushion over the drop zone, although they had luck on their side as Burnley were controversially denied an equaliser by an error from referee Robert Jones.

Their first clean sheet in five games came about after Ashley Barnes thought he had equalised following Illan Meslier's fumble in the box. But the French goalkeeper was inexplicably awarded a free kick despite backing into Ben Mee and Barnes' goal could not be reviewed by the video assistant referee as Jones had blown for the foul before the ball hit the net.

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted his side had "benefited from the decision", which left opposite number Dyche raging.

The Clarets boss, who did not mention Bamford, said: "Football is in an odd place. The one at the other end where we had a goal disallowed, it's not a foul, it can't be a foul. Ben has his eyes on the ball.

"I have no clue where the game is at physically now. The lucky thing is everyone will see it, that's a bizarre incident. That can't be in the game. It should be a penalty for us - you can't run and knee someone in the back. I'm very aggrieved by that, those moments are important."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE