Neil Kilkenny will be gunning for former club Birmingham next season should Leeds triumph over Doncaster in Sunday's League One play-off final.The Leeds midfielder is also longing for the day to be able to put one over Steve Bruce's Wigan in the Premier League after spending a miserable spell under the former Blues manager at St Andrews.

Kilkenny, a £150,000 January transfer window signing, said: "This time last year I was on my knees. I was very, very down, but luckily I had the opportunity to come and help Leeds get promoted.

"I'll definitely be looking out for the Birmingham fixtures if we go up. But not for the players, not the management team there, I've got nothing against them."

But the 22-year-old does have a gripe with Bruce.

Kilkenny said: "He gave me an opportunity there, but wasn't very good for me. He wouldn't play me, but he wouldn't let me go either.

"I was really, really down, probably the lowest I could ever be and I begged him to let me go out on loan and luckily he let me go to Oldham."

Kilkenny added: "Then Steve Bruce left Birmingham, so I could get out. I asked (current manager) Alex McLeish and he said I could go and I was happy for that.

"I understand if a manager doesn't want to play you, or doesn't rate you as a player, but I don't understand when he wants to stop a young lad progressing in the game.

"Hopefully, in three or four years we'll be in a better position than Wigan too and I'll be here playing football in the Premier League."

The Australia international, who moved to Adelaide from Middlesex with his parents as a young child, soon caught the attention of several clubs at Boundary Park.

Leeds and Sunday's rivals Doncaster were among those who courted the former Arsenal trainee.

Kilkenny added: "I had to make a decision and obviously I picked Leeds, but I could easily have been playing against them on Sunday.

"I had a look round Doncaster and they were good to me. (Director of football) Mickey Walker was very good to me and I'd like to say thank you for that.

"I knew both teams would be close to promotion, but the size of Leeds, it's a big club and hard to turn down and I don't regret that at all."

Doncaster were pipped to automatic promotion by Nottingham Forest after losing at Cheltenham on the final day and midfielder Richie Wellens is hell-bent on making amends.

The 28-year-old, a beaten semi-finalist in last season's League One play-offs against another former club, Blackpool, told said: "Last season was absolutely gutting, but this is totally different.

"This is Leeds United v Doncaster, with a massive prize on offer and I'll do anything I can to make sure it's us that win."

Wellens, who will undergo surgery to resolve a double hernia next week, is doubtful for the Wembley showdown and will be given until the 11th hour to prove his fitness.

He added: "It will be the biggest game of my career. I think we deserve to go up after the football we've played.

"We've messed up once and we don't want to mess up again."

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