Defender Paul Connolly admits he will do cartwheels when Leeds United next keep a clean sheet.

United have gone ten matches without keeping their goal intact, despite a five-game unbeaten run which has seen them rise into fifth place.

Liverpool-born Connolly, 27, has started the last eight matches and says: "We are desperate to stop conceding goals. The day we keep a clean sheet I will be doing cartwheels.

"Eventually it will happen and we will beat teams by three or four goals but at the moment the goals- against column doesn't make good reading."

Controversial refereeing decisions haven't helped, including the goal Norwich scored to rescue a point at Carrow Road on Saturday when Leeds keeper Kasper Schmeichel was blatantly pushed during the build-up.

Former Derby right back Connolly says the defence has tightened up considerably since the 4-0 thrashing by Cardiff at Elland Road a month ago, and he says: "Partnerships are starting to gel and the team looks more settled now. You can't stop people swerving free-kicks into the top corner, but hopefully things will turn for us and we will start keeping shut-outs.

"We are very pleased to have taken 11 points from the last 15. It is a great return which has significantly moved us up the league.

"Before the game at Scunthorpe we were 16th, so it was important that we won there. We followed that up with more good results and we have to keep performing."

Connolly insists he and his colleagues never lost faith in their ability. "When results were going badly our attitude was that there was no crisis," he said.

"We kept our self belief and stuck together when people outside the club were starting to get on our backs. Now we are looking to keep our unbeaten run going."