Leeds United head coach Garry Monk has revealed to the BBC the odd ritual he does every time his side has to take a penalty.
The Whites had one of their biggest games of the season at the weekend when they played promotion rivals Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening, with the country watching through Sky Sports. And while many expected the Seagulls to help secure their place in the automatic promotion spots of the Sky Bet Championship, Leeds ended up getting the win thanks to a brace from Chris Wood.
One of the goals that Wood scored was a penalty in the 85th minute, earned when Souleymane Doukara was tripped in the box. With Wood being in great form, it was no surprise to see him step up and convert the spot kick to make it 2-0 and confirm that Leeds would be returning to West Yorkshire with all three points.
But Monk has revealed that when his side take penalties, he is actually too nervous to watch them be taken and actually has a little ritual he does before his player runs up to take the kick.
He said: “I don’t watch penalties – I pick someone in the crowd and focus on them. If they stand up, I know it’s gone in. If they sit down, I know it hasn’t!”
Of course in Saturday’s match, the Leeds fans went into mad celebrations so there was no doubt that they had scored the penalty and claimed a crucial win in their attempt to be promoted.
