After 46 matches and a Sky Bet Championship Play-Off semi-final, it all comes down to Sunday’s visit to Wembley, with the Whites one game away from a return to the Premier League.

We take a look back over the full 2023/24 season, to see what happened along the way, up to this point…

Ahead of the campaign starting, a winning mentality and proven experience was a necessity as the club looked to fill the vacant managerial post. The Whites turned to Daniel Farke as we embarked on a quest to return to the Premier League. Attack-minded, entertaining football and Sky Bet Championship know-how was something the German would bring in, with two league titles under his belt from his successful spell with Norwich City.

After a tough season saw the club relegated last time out, early signs from the summer pointed to the Elland Road outfit turning a corner at just the right time. The hard work was still to come, and a busy transfer window would follow with several players leaving the club following relegation, but incomings were on the horizon.

Wales international Ethan Ampadu would be the first through the door, with the versatile midfielder penning a four-year deal after signing from Chelsea. Equally adept filling in as a defender, the then-22-year-old had featured in the Champions League, Premier League, Serie A and World Cup.

Experienced shot-stopper Karl Darlow followed suit, adding healthy competition to compliment an already strong goalkeeping contingent at Thorp Arch. Ampadu was joined by his international teammate, when compatriot Joe Rodon made a season-long switch from Tottenham. Sam Byram’s return to his boyhood club, seven years after leaving for West Ham United, brought further defensive options as Farke continued building a side capable of challenging towards the top of the league.

Swansea City sharpshooter Joel Piroe’s prolific tally of 46 goals in 96 games for the Swans meant the Dutchman’s signature was in high demand and Leeds won the race, tying the forward down to a long-term deal in West Yorkshire. Duo Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara were brought in from Werder Bremen and Rangers respectively to bolster the midfield ranks, before AFC Bournemouth winger Jaidon Anthony swapped the south coast for a loan to LS11 for the campaign.

Over 36,000 packed into Elland Road for the season’s curtain raiser against Cardiff City and the early signs were positive, as Italian international Wilfried Gnonto volleyed narrowly wide after latching on to Luke Ayling’s deft header. For all the early dominance in the August sunshine, the visitors would go ahead against run of play through Josh Bowler, before forward Ike Ugbo doubled the Bluebirds’ lead before the break. Not to be deterred however, captain Liam Cooper lead from the front heading home to halve the deficit moments after the restart.

With 72 per cent of the ball and 24 shots to their name, United finally reaped the rewards of their pressure and in the most dramatic of styles, when winger Crysencio Summerville slotted into the bottom corner five minutes into injury time to earn his side a well-deserved point. Remember Summerville’s name for now, he pops up more than once throughout…

A late defeat on the road at Birmingham City would follow, but Farke's side showed their fighting spirit once more shortly afterwards, earning a point with West Bromwich Albion after falling behind in the second half. A memorable trip to East Anglia was next up, where first goals in white for Georginio Rutter and Piroe helped United to a thrilling 4-3 victory over early pace setters Ipswich Town to register their first win of the season.

The Whites would pick up two victories from the next four, with notable 3-0 wins over Millwall and Watford seeing Georginio and Piroe shine once more, as Leeds quickly began to move up the table.

Blemishes against Southampton and Stoke City aside, Leeds were quickly becoming a formidable force, scoring for fun and showing that never-say-die attitude supporters demand. Two goals down away at Norwich wouldn't prove a problem for Farke's team on his return to his former employers, with the scintillating Summerville inspiring Leeds to a stunning 3-2 comeback at Carrow Road.

The former Feyenoord youngster was quickly becoming a fan-favourite in West Yorkshire, with the man in the number 10 shirt often leading his side to victory, as the fans bellowed his chant from the terraces. A stern double-header was to come, but neighbours Huddersfield Town proved to be no match as Summerville and Dan James each grabbed a first-half brace enroute to an emphatic 4-1 derby-day success.

A trip to runaway leaders Leicester City was next up, where Kamara's class shone and Georginio's predatory instincts kicked in, bundling home from a corner to send the travelling fans delirious. With the talent the Foxes had at their disposal, a chance was always going to present itself and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall thought he had broken Whites' hearts late on, only for Illan Meslier to produce a magnificent save to claw the midfielder's header off the line in the dying moments of the match.

After a whirlwind start to the campaign both on and off the pitch, United’s upturn in form had seen them rise to third place in the table, with their sights firmly set on hunting down a top two that had shown few signs of faltering. But despite a 4-0 dismantling of Ipswich at Elland Road, over the festive period Leeds struggled for consistency, falling to successive defeats for the first time on trips to Preston North End and West Brom.

If a Christmas hangover was still present, a New Year's Day demolition of Birmingham would prove to be the perfect remedy, kickstarting a mouth-watering run of form that saw Farke's side go 15 unbeaten in the Sky Bet Championship, winning their next nine. It wasn’t just on league duties where the team excelled, with an Emirates FA Cup Third Round draw pitting the Whites against Peterborough United, away from home of course.

“It only counts as one, so they all count the same I guess. As soon as I brought it down on my chest, I had one thing in my mind really. I am pleased, but it counts the same as a tap in.” Those the words of Patrick Bamford, downplaying a wonder-strike in a 3-0 win that would be voted the club’s Goal of the Season. When Ampadu floated a long pass into the path of the forward, few could have envisaged what was to follow: sublime control on the chest brought the ball down 30-yards from goal, spinning excellently and unleashing a ferocious volley into the top corner. The Puskas Award beckons… in our opinion.

Plymouth Argyle at home followed in the next round, the club's first Elland Road tie in the FA Cup since January 2016, but a trip to Devon would be required as the Whites needed a second leg to eventually overcome the Pilgrims 4-1. Rewarded with a trip to the capital to face Chelsea, it was a tale of the Leeds youngsters outshining the Blues at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League side would cruelly prevail late on, but Archie Gray’s Man of the Match display and a superbly taken brace from Mateo Joseph proved United’s quality on the big stage.

Cup success helped spur on the Whites’ relentless league form, where after a late Piroe penalty in front of the Revie Stand proved to be the difference over Preston, Leeds’ steadfast defence would not concede for the next five matches, leading into a blockbuster return clash with Leicester at Elland Road. Wout Faes had put the Foxes into the lead under the lights, but roared on by a resurgent crowd, January recruit Connor Roberts levelled with 10 minutes left on the clock. Within moments, the Whites were ahead through Gray’s deflected strike before James and Bamford combined for a third deep into stoppage time. Cue absolute bedlam in the stands.

The results kept coming thick and fast for the club, including Yorkshire derby victories over rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. Against the Tigers, late goals from Summerville and James, the Wales international's coming from the halfway line no less, made it another memorable evening in LS11.

Heading into a home tie with Blackburn Rovers, everybody connected with the club was saddened to see Stuart Dallas call time on his illustrious playing career, with the Northern Irish international unable to make a return to the field after sustaining a long-term injury in 2022. Since moving to West Yorkshire in 2015, the versatile winger-turned-midfielder-turned-full-back became an instrumental part of the successful side under Marcelo Bielsa, winning promotion back to the Premier League and going on to be voted Player of the Season the following campaign in the top-flight.

Dallas would receive a hero’s welcome from all four sides of the ground as he thanked the fans at half time in the defeat against Rovers, before Farke's side responded emphatically with a 4-3 win away at Middlesbrough. Fighting from behind at the Riverside, a Summerville brace, a Gnonto strike and a Bamford goal on his return to Teesside meant Leeds headed back down the A1 with three points in the bag.

The race for automatic promotion would go right until the final day, but results elsewhere ensured the Whites would finish their Sky Bet Championship campaign in third place, having picked up a haul of 90 points, to set up a Play-Off semi-final bout with Norwich City.

It was a cagey affair in parts during the first leg, the Whites were held to a goalless draw, with Junior Firpo’s first half effort ruled out by a tight offside call in Norfolk. Half-chances came and went at either end, but the 2,000 travelling fans once more showed their appreciation to the team, singing them off the pitch and sending positivity back to Elland Road.

If the noise in East Anglia was loud, the atmosphere back in West Yorkshire was deafening. Backed by over 36,000, the famous old ground was a sea of white as supporters proudly held their white scarves aloft to welcome their team onto the pitch. Elland Road was electric and the start by Farke’s side followed suit.

“What a time to score your first Leeds United goal!” shouted one commentator, as Gruev’s inventive free kick flew into the back of the net to put United into the lead after just seven minutes. The dream start would continue shortly afterwards when Piroe, picked out superbly by Gnonto’s deep delivery, headed home beyond Angus Gunn in front of the Norman Hunter South Stand.

Georginio and Summerville’s strikes either side of the break completed the rout for the hosts, booking a visit to the national stadium for the first time in 16 years. Southampton are now the only team to stand between Leeds and a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Many a famous moment has been made under Wembley’s iconic arch, with those in white now keen to write their names in the history books.

We’ve been through it all together…