Leeds United manager Simon Grayson is standing by skipper Richard Naylor, whose mistake led to the first goal in Saturday’s 2-1 npower Championship win against Swansea.

Naylor conceded an own goal in the 3-1 home win over Millwall on August 21 but responded with the winner at Watford a week later and is set to keep his place in tonight’s Yorkshire derby at Barnsley.

Grayson said: "Richard has dealt with it in his own way. He said in the dressing room after Saturday’s game ‘well done lads for getting me out of trouble again.’

"That is the kind of character he is. He takes the mistakes on board. Unfortunately, it seems at the moment that every time he makes a mistake he gets punished for it.

"You can go through stages of your career like that. The own goal against Millwall was a freak but he rectified it at Watford with a goal, and on Saturday he was punished for mistiming a long ball.

He is certainly keeping himself busy in terms of action at both ends of the pitch!

"Richard responded to Saturday’s mistake like a true captain. He won’t shy away from anything and leads by example, trying to put right what went wrong. He defended ever so well after the mistake and had a hand in Bradley Johnson’s goal."

Grayson expects a following of over 6,000 to make tonight’s game feel like a home fixture.

It is the first of three successive Yorkshire derbies that can sustain or ruin the club’s bright start to life back in the Championship, and Grayson says he is relishing the occasion.

He said: "We will be taking over 6,000 fans with us, and they will create a tremendous atmosphere.

"These are the kind of games you want to be involved in, and this one comes off the back of three straight league wins, so hopefully we can continue the good run.

"We are newcomers in this division, so every time we are away from home we should be the underdogs but it is a game we are relishing.

"We have acquitted ourselves quite well in the Championship so far, though obviously there are things we need to do better to get us to the next stage, where I want us to be."

Grayson’s men feature live on Sky at Doncaster Rovers on Friday night and complete their trio of matches against White Rose clubs against Sheffield United at Elland Road on Saturday, September 25.

Grayson said: "If we win all three, I will be happy that they have all come at once.

"It is a demanding time for the players, facing three successive derbies, because there is an extra tension about these games but the bonus is that we don’t have far to travel."

Tonight’s match comes too soon for Robert Snodgrass and Billy Paynter to make their first-team comebacks.

They were due to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Middlesbrough today at Thorp Arch, along with Amdy Faye and Ramon Nunez and, depending how the quartet come through that game, some or all of them could be considered for Friday’s trip to Doncaster.