Leeds United defender Luke Ayling issued a fond message to former teammate Kyle Bartley as they faced off at the Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion.

The Whites arrived in the New Year top of the table and looking to consolidate that by getting a positive result against the Baggies. The hosts were keen to get back to winning ways after slipping to a 2-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough last time out.

The Whites got off to the worst possible start as Semi Ajayi fired home the opener with little over a minute played. Leeds hit back in the second half when the same man diverted in Patrick Bamford’s header and gave Leeds an equaliser.

The meeting saw Kyle Bartley come up against his former club where he spent a season on loan at under Garry Monk. Bartley was known at Leeds for his great friendship with right-back Luke Ayling as the pair came through the ranks at Arsenal, and this bond remained after Bartley’s loan ended in 2017.

Ayling took to Instagram to reflect on the game and shared a message to his friend and former teammate:

/B60DYSRpsR1/

His message wrote: “Always nice to see the big man… Good point away from home!!!”

Leeds sit top of the table on 51 points and are nine clear of third place as they prepare to face Ayling’s former club Arsenal on Monday night.

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The Verdict

In such a high-pressure match and season, tensions can typically boil over between rivals. However, it’s nice to see that Ayling and Bartley can share a light-hearted moment after a tough game against each other.

Ayling will be hoping that he can help his current side get one over Bartley’s by finishing top of the league come May.