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Karl Darlow’s Leeds United Return is Huge Boost for Wales’ World Cup Hopes

Karl Darlow of Leeds United. Pic. Alamy

Karl Darlow of Leeds United. Pic. Alamy

Craig Bellamy was in the stands at Elland Road as Leeds United further bolstered their survival hopes with a stylish 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest last Friday night, as Ian Mitchelmore reports.

The Wales manager will have been thrilled to see three of his key Wales players - Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu - start against Sean Dyche's outfit, while there was also the welcome return of Daniel James.

The Wales winger came off the bench in the 78th minute, having been sidelined for more than two months with a hamstring injury.

The quartet's involvement under Leed boss Daniel Farke will come as a huge plus for Bellamy ahead of next month's World Cup play-offs.

READ MORE: Wales Planning World Cup Farewell Party . . . if They Make the Guest List

But the return of Darlow to Leeds' starting line-up will be particularly pleasing.

Wales' goalkeepers have regularly struggled for game time over recent years, but Darlow has now started four successive Premier League matches for Leeds after Farke dropped summer signing Lucas Perri - as he did with Illan Meslier last season.

Darlow has been the man to benefit, and he is repaying the faith shown in him by the German head coach.

READ MORE: Ben Davies Could Still Make World Cup, Insists Wales Boss Craig Bellamy

Upon returning to the team, The Wales No.1 kept a clean sheet as Leeds beat Fulham 1-0, and the Whites have collected seven points from the last four top-flight games in which the 35-year-old has started.

In all, Darlow has now started nine Premier League matches this season for Leeds and will move in to double figures if he plays against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

By the time the Bosnia game arrives on March 26, the keeper who looked at risk of being rusty a few weeks ago, could well have another six Premier League appearances under his belt.

READ MORE: Ben Davies Could Still Make World Cup, Insists Wales Boss Craig Bellamy

Bellamy also has the added bonus of fit-again Danny Ward being available for selection.

The 32-year-old has been sidelined since late August due to an elbow injury but was listed among the substitutes for Wrexham's 2-0 loss to play-off rivals Millwall last time out.

Darlow started all eight of Wales' World Cup qualifying matches last year and has established himself as first choice under Bellamy, but his lack of minutes at Leeds could well have presented the Wales boss with a dilemma.

If Ward manages to oust Arthur Okonkwo and regain a starting berth at Wrexham, then the doubts over Darlow’s readiness for that crunch clash with Bosnia in March would only have intensified had he not been between the sticks of late at Elland Road.

But it never felt like there was cause for concern in west Yorkshire.

When Darlow deputised for the injured Perri earlier on in the campaign, Farke spoke glowingly of the Wales shot-stopper.

“You have to look at the career and what a goalkeeper does with consistency,” Farke said in September. 
“How Karl kept his nerve and his calm, how he performed at the end of last season during the crunch-time period, I think that was outstanding. 

“In pre-season he looked unbelievably sharp, top fitness level, and also the games for his national team – many clean sheets in the last games."

He added: "We all trust Karl. He has all our confidence. He’s an experienced goalkeeper, he knows the Premier League inside and out, and he’s not a guy that cracks under pressure."

Former Leeds goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has been impressed with what he's seen from Darlow since the ex-Newcastle United man regained his spot in the team.

"Sometimes, you've got to make these tough decisions. But I think that at this moment in time, he's proven it's the right decision," Kenny told The Yorkshire Post of Farke's decision to swap goalkeepers.

Many tipped Leeds - who won the Championship with 100 points last term - for the drop this season, but their Welsh contingent are continuing to play major roles in ensuring they remain above the drop zone.

Bellamy will be keeping his fingers crossed that the four can remain fit, because, put simply, having Darlow, Rodon, Ampadu and James firing on all cylinders at Leeds will only bolster Wales' hopes of doing the business in Cardiff next month.

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