Leeds manager Terry Venables said his players "had made an old man very happy" after their 3-0 win over Bolton here on Monday eased the pressure on his job.
Despite the three points Leeds stay in the bottom five but have now drawn to within two points of Aston Villa following their sixth win of the season, achieved with early goals from Danny Mills and fit-again Robbie Fowler and a clincher from Jason Wilcox.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The win moved the Yorkshire side, knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Spain's Malaga last Thursday, five points clear of the drop zone and the gutsy manner in which it was achieved suggested Venables will win sufficient time to turn the ship round.
"It has been difficult but the players have been really good," Venables told Sky Sports. "There has been a lot of sniping ... you always get two or three with a problem but they have kept going when we have had bad result after bad result.
"We've been going down to goals in the 89th minute, in the 91st minute and it has been tough.
"But this is a big, big result for us. They have made an old man very happy tonight."
The former England boss acknowledged that Leeds' road to recovery was just beginning.
"We are in a part of the league where no club wants to be and now we've got to carry it on."
Second-bottom Bolton, bidding to close the gap on West Bromwich Albion began the brighter. Augustine Okocha fired wide in the eighth minute before the Nigerian drove a 25m freekick off target following an Eirik Bakke foul on Henrik Pedersen.
But Leeds went in front on 12 minutes when the combative Mills curled a left foot shot in off the crossbar after playing a neat one-two with Australian forward Harry Kewell.
Mills, having broken his scoring duck for the season, rushed to the bench to celebrate with Venables, who allowed himself a grin -- a collector's item since he took over from David O'Leary in the summer.
Three minutes later Leeds went two goals ahead as Bolton's Finnish keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen allowed an Ian Harte cross from the left bounce up against the crossbar after defender Bruno Ngotty let the ball go over his head.
Kewell headed goalwards only for Jaaskelainen to parry but Fowler, making his first start since a hip injury, poked home the rebound.
Fowler scored a hat trick in the fixture last season and took his personal tally against Bolton to nine goals in six games.
Youri Djorkaeff missed a 23rd-minute penalty.
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