Birthday boy and Elland Road striking legend Mick Jones has paid tribute to club skipper and leading goalscorer Ross McCormack.

The Scot scored his 29th goal of the season at Barnsley last weekend and is just one away from joining an illustrious list of players to score 30 goals in a season.

Jermaine Beckford was the most recent player to achieve the feat – in 2008/09 and 2009/10 – but McCormack has now bagged 28 in the league, and is two away from becoming the first Leeds player since John Charles to score 30 league goals in a season.

“As a Leeds striker, I think you’ve got to compare him with Beckford and I think those two, in recent years and in the division we have played in, are probably the best two there’s been,” Jones told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“And I would put him just in front of Beckford as to get nearly 30 goals is a tremendous achievement no matter what league you are in - but the Premier League is the aiming point where you have to judge a very good striker.

“It’s a big jump from this division, the Championship to the Premier, but all credit to the lad as he can’t do any more than he’s done.”

Mick Jones scored 111 goals in 313 appearances for the club between 1967 and 1973.