There was a 20-year period between 1987 and 2007 when Leeds only played Huddersfield Town once. Such was the distance in league positions - and the gulf in class - between the two clubs, the fixture was never considered a rivalry by anyone, other than embittered Town fans who would have loved the chance to put one over on their big city neighbours down the road.
These days, they regularly get that chance twice a season, and since Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, clashes with Huddersfield have yielded as many defeats as victories. The record between the two clubs since 2005 reads: 12 games, two draws, five Leeds wins and five Leeds defeats.
Not only have Town earned the right to call themselves Leeds' local rivals, they have also developed a habit of rearing their heads at crucial moments when Leeds could well do without playing against opponents playing with the added incentive of a rivalry.
This weekend's clash between Huddersfield and Leeds at the John Smith's Stadium comes at a crucial time for both clubs, and the match is the pick of Saturday's Championship betting odds.
Town have just sacked manager Chris Powell, who led the club to a disastrous start this season in which they have picked up just three wins. Powell's win ratio of 25 per cent since joining the club in September 2014 was never going to be enough to keep him in the job for long. Indeed, few would argue that the Terriers are relegation candidates at this stage in the Championship season.
Meanwhile, life at Elland Road has been as quiet as ever with little to report. Little, that is, other than the entire fanbase being divided as Massimo Cellino tells a fans consortium he is willing to sell the club, only to announce he has changed his mind again five days later. That follows the club's first home win in eight months.
The turmoil in LS11 is seemingly endless, and the circumstances the club finds itself in ahead of the trip to Huddersfield are not hugely different to the scenario Leeds faced just 20 months ago, when Town were the visitors at Elland Road. Back then, Cellino was in the process of trying to buy his 75 per cent controlling stake in the club. Few Leeds fans will be able to forget the bizarre sequence of events that saw Brian McDermott reportedly sacked, only to be told on the day of the game that he was still the manager.
The match itself was equally unforgettable, as Ross McCormack bagged a superb hat-trick, and goals from the much maligned Jimmy Kebe and Alex Mowatt helped Leeds to a 5-1 win. Elland Road was a cacophony of noise that day, as the fans voiced their support for the beleaguered McDermott.
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Since then, Leeds have beaten Huddersfield twice, most recently courtesy of Billy Sharp's 90th-minute winner on January 31st 2015. That helped Neil Redfearn's Leeds side embark upon their best run of form.How Leeds fans will hope for a similar turn of events on Saturday, as Steve Evans goes in search of the second win of his tenure to bring some consistency to events on the pitch.
