Phil Hay has said that he sympathises with Patrick Bamford after a costly error against Cardiff City.
Leeds United were favourites going into the clash in South Wales but fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat against the resilient Bluebirds.
While it was mistakes from Kavin Phillips and Liam Cooper that led to the decisive goals, one moment that the Whites will regret is a key goalscoring opportunity that got away from them.
Marcelo Bielsa's side could have pulled a goal back as Jack Harrison's effort looked destined to find the net - only to be blocked on the line by Bamford.
The former Middlesbrough man struggled to make an impact against Neil Harris' side, and while Phil Hay admits that it wasn't Bamford's best game, he says it's difficult to put too much blame at his door.
Asked about Bamford's display, Hay told The Athletic: "No, he didn't play well - and minus Augustin, the alternatives on the bench are not vast/largely non-existent.
"I sympathise with that shot which hit him though.
"He got in the right position in the six-yard box for a different cut-back from Roberts and didn't have a lot of time to get out of the way."
GIVEMESPORT'S Phil Spencer says...
Defeat against Cardiff City was a huge missed opportunity for Leeds United.
With Fulham fallling to defeat against Brentford, the opportunity was there for Marcelo Bielsa's side to extend their lead on the third-place side to 10 points.
That would have been massive in their hunt to secure automatic promotion.
Leeds are still in a very strong position to go up automatically, but the clash with Fulham next week is going to be absolutely massive.
A victory will put the Whites in the driving seat, while defeat will make for an incredibly nervy end to the season.