Wayne Rooney says Plymouth Argyle's Leeds United trip 'no free hit'

WAYNE Rooney has rejected the notion that Plymouth Argyle’s tricky trip to Elland Road today to face Leeds United is a “free hit”.

The Yorkshire outfit are flying again this season having lost in the Championship play-off final last time around and have an especially good home record. But whilst aware of this, Rooney insists the Pilgrims will be looking to take all the three points home themselves. Put to him that it could be almost classed as a free hit, he said: “No. We are representing the football club. We are going to try and win the game.

“We know we are going to suffer at times throughout the game. That is normal. The players know that. It’s a good atmosphere and Leeds are a good team, it is a difficult place to go, so we have to be resilient, we have to dig in, we have to pull together but then, when we get the ball, can we create chances? Can we try and punish Leeds? We are going there of course to try and get a win and we will do everything to do that.”

Asked what they need to do well to get a result, he admitted: “Everything. As I said they are a good team and we have to defend really well, we have to be brave as well because we know it’s a good atmosphere and if you give Leeds encouragement the fans will be right up behind them. We have to manage the game well and be brave and confident with the ball. I think that’s important.

“For us it’s another game. Of course they are a good team, a historic club, a big club but they’re one of the three games we have got this week and it’s a very important week for us. You look forward to it, of course, but the preparation is exactly the same for what we have done in all of the games.

“Are many people expecting us to go to Elland Road and win? Probably not, so from our point of view, we want to surprise teams. I think we are more than capable of going there and competing and getting something from the game. We are not going there thinking ‘oh, let’s just roll over and get ready for Portsmouth on Tuesday.’

“We have to be stubborn. We have to go with a game plan to try and get something out of the game and we have done everything we can to do that. We respect every opposition we play, of course.

“Every team in this league can cause you different problems for different reasons. But we have to do everything we can to get something out of the game. I don’t think we are in a position where we can throw games away. We have to go and try and get something out of every game we play.”