Elland Road can make or break footballers, as Leeds United fans know all too well. In many cases over the decades, it has been the latter. It’s a cauldron that emits scorching heat whether you’re wearing white or not. You sink or the gloved third hand body collects the pay.
Cairns’ one competitive appearance for United came almost 13 years ago. On November 2, 2011, he came on in the 59th minute to save Paul Rachubka from what was probably the worst night of his career. The starting goalkeeper scored three of Blackpool’s five goals in a 5-0 thrashing at Elland Road.
In a dressing room even younger than last season, Cairns will need to be one of the voices that steady the ship behind the scenes when the going gets tough. The former Salford City goalkeeper sees Elland Road as a strong asset for the Whites, but his team-mates must learn to understand the supporter base.
“Experience, you can look at it in so many ways,” he told LeedsLive during a recent training camp in Germany. “I played quite a few games and not only that, also when I was at Leeds and what I experienced
“I’ve been number two for a while, I’ve been number three for a while, previously at Leeds. I know what’s expected of the club and I know what’s expected of the fans.
“I know when good times can be good and bad times can be bad. You know how fans can be, but it’s a big advantage because I’ve been in stadiums and arenas where you don’t have that power they can get behind you like this fan base .
“It’s a strong asset and it can make Elland Road teams scary when they come to it and have that experience of understanding that you’re still performing but you know that all those [fans] are paying to watch and all those [fans] want to When you put on the shirt, not a fan, not a manager, not a coach, not a person associated with this football club wants you to get worse results.”
Cairns joined a goalkeeping department with the experienced Karl Darlow, coach Ed Wootten, vice-captain Illan Meslier and youngster Harry Christy. Like Cairns, Darlow is a voice to be heard behind the scenes.
Whether it’s a shout-out to younger heads or a fair jab in the ribs when someone doesn’t leave it all on the field, Cairns wants to be the voice of reason.
“They (the fans) want you to perform at your best,” he said. “If you have that experience and understanding of that, you can pass that on to whoever is taking on that role and praise them, but also talk to them when you think they have a little bit more in them [to give].
“Whether it’s coming from me, whether it’s coming from Karl, whether it’s coming from the manager, the staff or whoever, that I have that, especially the younger guys, a person who either puts their arm around them or just a little” Come on, buddy.” Even if it’s, “Let’s do a little post-drill, you can do it in these positions.”
“All those little things are part of the culture that the club is trying to build and the club is certainly building on and, let’s be honest, last season wasn’t the way they wanted to finish, but it was a successful season. That average of two points a game, no you can do a lot more and it’s fair game to the championship itself, it shows how strong the division is.”
As Cairns sits down for LeedsLive in Germany, a piece of grass flies past his head. Patrick Bamford, still mostly training alone at this point, is the perpetrator. This is a small glimpse into the connections made at these types of camps.
When Daniel Farke calls it quits, there’s a lot of work to be done, but during the sessions the players form friendships that will see them through the heat of the next nine months. Daniel James said in a previous interview that Cairns proved to be a key figure in the group, a good stand-in for dad jokes and an asset off the pitch.
Cairns enjoyed his time on the mainland with his new teammates. Darlow, the only player older than the newest stopper, and Sam Byram, who dates back to his early teenage years at Cairns, also know their dad’s joke, he says.
“These weeks are important, training camp, they’re huge because you spend every minute with each other,” he said. “When you have the opportunity to sit down at the table, you are always together.
“You always try to have fun because the weeks are busy. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is away from their families. Getting some breathing room [is important]. I’m not the only one with dad jokes, by the way.
“Me and Karl, the elder statesman, have got it, but Sam Byram’s one. He throws these little dad jokes in there. It’s good, it keeps morale up.
“I don’t think I’ve heard a guy complain at all about this trip, which says a lot about the facilities and what we’re doing and stuff. That’s a big part of it and just enjoying our time together.
“As I say, if we’re going to do anything this year, we’ve got to be together as a club. We’ve got to enjoy these moments because there’s going to be tough times, tough times and that’s the foundation of it.”
Kristoffer Klaesson was the last goalkeeper to start the season at Leeds as third choice goalkeeper. He would make two appearances throughout the season, and that was because Meslier was suspended and Darlow was injured at the same time.
Cairns refuses to make up numbers, but he’s shrewd enough to know it’s hard to topple both on merit before next May. All he can do is train hard and continue to push them to the limit in training.
But while he waits for that opportunity, is he content with his role as a jokester or a messenger of reason off the pitch?
“I have to play this role,” he said. “I can’t just be someone who came here to get paid and be there. I know, from the outside, things can look that way. I understand that people don’t see it, but it’s a team game.
“We need a good team, we need a big team and we need some people who offer so many different things. I like to think I’m one of those who bring that and a lot of people do.
“It’s brilliant for the group what the manager has put together in terms of the team. Everyone can give something. There is no person who you can say doesn’t do enough for the group.
“I don’t know what it will look like at the end of the transfer window, but it’s a good group and something I’m happy to be involved in. Who knows, if I get games, I’ll represent the club to the best of my ability.
“Of course I want the opportunity, but I understand that I might not get that opportunity. If I don’t get that opportunity and Illan and Karl do their best, I’d like to think that’s partly because of myself, Ed and Harry pushing from inside.”