National Results / Table : Match Reports

Click on link to see relevant report

18.02.06 v Leicester SYL

11.02.06 v Bassettlaw SYL 'A' 8-1

04.02 v Hull Yorkshire Cup 2-0

21.01.06 v Barnsley WYL 3-3

28.01.06 v Nottingham

3.12.05 v Bradford 1-3

Wednesday 21 December 2005.

ESFA 7-a-side competition  West Yorkshire section.

Forget the Tom and Jerry Show, this was the Tom and Harry Show, as Tom Malach and Harry Moxon shared 6 goals to see Leeds through to the Northern Finals in the Spring.

Playing on  a small  astroturf pitch with even smaller goals seemed like a step backwards for the boys after coming to terms with the 11 a side game. However, they took to the challenge like ducks to water and produced high quality and high tempo performances to win all their games without conceding a goal.

Game 1 v Spen Valley.

The game started in bizarre fashion as the referee allowed Spen Valley to kick off before the Leeds team were even on the pitch ! This was the first of many decisions during the afternoon from the referee all of which indicated that he was not too keen on Leeds winning the group.

The fact that Spen Valley were unable to score with no opposition gave an indication of their quality, and it was not long before Leeds began to dominate.

However, goals did not come until the second half. An excellent corner from Mark Simpson was bundled into the net by Harry Moxon and as Spen pushed forward for an equaliser, a defence splitting pass from Alex McGurk released Harry who scored after  playing a one-two with the keeper.

Result     Leeds 2    0   Spen Valley

Game 2 v Keighley

After drawing against Bradford in their first game, it was expected that Keighley ,playing on home (astro)turf would provide a tough challange for Leeds.

However, it was Leeds who came out of the traps the quicker and following good closing down from Mark Simpson his shot was beaten away by the keeper into the path of Tom Malach who slipped home.

A couple of minutes later Harry Moxon's powerful run and cross was met by Tom again for his and Leeds' second.

The pattern of the first half continued into the second with Leeds' increased confidence evident in a number of godd passing moves. This culminated in Leeds' third goal with Harry's floated cross being stabbed home by Tom for his hat trick.

Result     Leeds  3    0   Keighley

Game 3  v Bradford.

The final game of the afternoon with Leeds needing only a draw to qualify and Bradford needing a win.

There was therefore plenty of tension amongst the Coaches and the travelling fans.

This was also apparent in the teams themselves as the first half was a little scrappy with only half chances for both sides.

The second half was a little more open as Bradford came forward looking for the equaliser leaving gaps for Leeds to exploit.

Panic ensued amongst the Leeds contingent when it appeared that Bradford had scored, but fortunately the net had only rippled as a result of the ball hitting the side netting. Phew!!!

The agony continued when Harry was unable to convert a chance he had made for himself with great skill. However,  with two minutes remaining and, after great work from Tom Malah down the right hand side, his cross was stabbed home by Harry for the only goal of the game.

Result     Leeds   1    0   Bradford.

Whilst Tom and Harry will grab the headlines for their goalscoring exploits, ths was a real team/squad  performance.....

Bradley and Alex Metcalfe were quick and tenacious in their defensive duties and creative with their distribution

Nathan, Alex Mc, Jackson and Mark provided a mixture of bite,  width and creativity and ran their hearts out for the cause.

Adam did what he had to, when he had to ( which fortunately wasn't very often)

Roll on the Spring, and bring on the rest of the North!!! "

V Bradford - 3rd December West Yorkshire League

Leeds 1 Bradfor 3

The oft used phrase that 'we will play worse and win' was never more apt for Leeds City boys based on this performance. To lose 3-1 in a game that they dominated in terms of possession, territory and chances was a travesty of justice, and extremely frustrating for the players, the coaches and the army of travelling supporters.

The game started brightly for Leeds in the early exchanges with the new diamond formation resulting in a packed midfield, giving Bradford little room to move. A goal looked likely and after 15 minutes it duly arrived. Unfortunatley it was for Bradford as a long, hopeful free kick sailed over the heads of the Leeds defenders allowing the Bradford Number 10 to run in on goal and slip pass Taranjeet.
The Leeds boys reacted positively with a mixture of strength and creativity and it was onlyweak finishing which prevented an equaliser.

A goal looked likely(again!) before half time and it arrived bang on cue. Unfortunatly once again it was conceded by Leeds!. 2-0 half time.

2nd Half - As the seond half progressed, it became clear that this was not to be Leeds' day .... deflections always went to Bradford, decisions always went to Bradford, and if the ball rebounded or ricocheted it always ended up with a Bradford player.

It is great credit to Leeds' Boys that they never gave up and never stopped trying to play passing football on a surface more accustomed to camouflaging wild animals.

Some hope was given with 10 minutes to go when Jackson Walker pressed forward and hit a piledriver past the extraordinarily tall Bradford keeper.

However, further goals did not come and the boys trudged off disappointed with the reult but justifiably proud of their efforts.

As stated a the start of this report, we will play worse and win. Two consecutive defeats are no reason to panic, and time must be given to the coaches to find the best formation/positions for individuals which will surely bring us some silverware.

Barnsley         3-2 - Cup Match

A good win at Barnsley, just a few weeks ago, suggested good omens for the first round of the cup.  Leeds underestimated their foe though and Barnsley proved to be a much more dangerous opponent than expected.

Leeds were slow to get off the mark and were punished on 5 minutes when a Barnsley break down the right brought a rasping shot that Robert couldn't quite hang on to. Racing in the Barnsley striker finished from six inches.

The A team were stunned and remedial action was demanded.   Fortunately it came quickly when two minutes later they were back on level terms. After good work down the left from George Sweeting, Oliver Bryant was able to play a superb ball onto the path of Harry Moxon whose strong shot easily beat the forlorn Barnsley keeper.

There followed a good spell of Leeds pressure with excellent work down the left from Jackson Walker.  He whipped in a shot on 10 minutes and on 12 minutes his run led to a good pass to Harry whose shot was just tipped over the bar.

The pressure paid off though when Leeds took the lead on 15 minutes.After breaking free of the defence Harry's shot was saved only for Ben Turner to score from a seemingly impossible angle.

Barnsley responded though and being a cup game pressed forward seeking a second of their own. This came on 17 minutes when a break down the right produced a cross that the defence did not deal with. The soft goal that followed should have been avoided.

Disappointed, Leeds were able to counter from the restart and Ben produced a fine shot a couple of minutes later.

Towards the latter stages of the first half, with both defences playing high lines, the play was scrappy and concentrated in the centre of the pitch.  But on the whole, Leeds were the better team and finished the half stronger with a good move down the left seeing Ben's pass steered just wide by Oliver.

At this point, it needs to be said that the referee was guilty of missing two or three clear cut offside decisions and generally had a poor game.  Perhaps he was getting his own back for Leeds keeping him waiting at the start of the game.

The second half started with a bang with Leeds pressing forward and looking more solid after a shuffle of the team.

Jackson, now menacing down the right put in a great cross for Harry to head just wide on 37 minutes. And two minutes later Leeds again took the lead when Ben looped a magnificient ball over the Barnsley defence for Harry to rifle in goal number three.

From then it was all Leeds with man of the match Jackson firing in three superb shots in the space of five minutes.  Barnsley were spent and with full time approaching Leeds were able to mount one last attack with a good shot from Kiara.

The road to - wherever the final is going to be played; Wembley surely not being ready in time - is long and hard.  After a good tussle the boys are on their way.

Bradford          2-2

There is nothing quite like a local derby to get the fans going.  And so the visit of neighbours Bradford was eagerly anticipated.  On the back of a string of wins, the A team were looking to cement their good run of form.  The match that followed turned out to be very much a tale of two halves with honours even at full time.

The A team got off to a flier.  With barely a minute on the clock Hary Moxon was put through to score with a shot into the roof of the net. A great start and the omens were good for another promising performance. Alas it was not to be.

In fact Bradford responded extremely well to going a goal behind, forcing pressure on the Leeds midfield and defence with neat passing and generally good play. The A team were often second to the ball and they were not allowed by their opponents to strike up any rhythm.

It therefore came as no surprise that Bradford forced an equaliser on 11 minutes after a cleverley worked move. How would the team respond? Not well! Complacency and poor general play followed and Leeds were unable to force any real pressure on the Bradford goal.

Meanwhile, Bradford continued to play good football which was justly rewarded on 24 minutes when a slick move down the left produced a cross which was expertly guided into the net.

Trudging off after a woeful first half display, the 'hairdryer' treatment from Mr Rossiter awaited the boys.

Out for the second half therefore came a team that had much to prove.  And prove they did.  A number of strategic changes at half time, together with a hungrier look about the team, led to a much better performance.  In particular, Tom Mallach and Alex McGurk were outstanding in midfield with good work down the flanks from Ashley Slater and Max Pritchatt-Collins.

With mounting pressure Leeds looked the more likely to score and the goal came on 37 minutes when a cross from the right was volleyed from close range into the goal by Alex McGurk.

From then onwards Leeds were well on top and Declan Flowers and George Pennell both went close with shots on 42 and 50 minutes. As full-time approached, Jackson Walker passed the ball to Ben Turner who crafted a sublime chip through to Danny Wiltshire whose shot just went wide of the post.

On balance, Leeds probably created the better openings and could have come away with all the points.  However, Bradford were a worthy opponent and deserved their draw.  After a couple of easy wins, hopefully the A team will have learned much from this match and in particular about the character and determination required to succeed at this level.

Footnote: as a revision to an earlier report, Tom Mallach should have been credited with one of the goals for the A team in the match against Scarborough.

East Riding  v  Leeds A   Saturday 5 November

Remember, remember the 5th of November. Well, perhaps not if you're one of the Leeds A team or one of the parents!

On a day we hoped for fireworks, we encountered a damp squib against a determined East Riding team.

The day was bright and sunny but after much rain during the week, the pitch was heavy and did not help the boy's desire to adopt a passing game.

The squad had been depleted by illness before the game, and undoubtedly, there were a number of players who were under the weather and struggling with coughs, colds and breathing difficulties.

This may well go to explain the lack of zip which is normally evident in the team.

East Riding took advantage of this and were terrier like in their challenges, never giving the Leeds team any time to settle.

Excellent keeping by Taranjit kept Leeds in the game, but after 20 minutes, a series of missed tackles saw the ball squared across the box where three East Riding players were queueing up to score. 1 : 0 to East Riding.

At this stage in the game the East Riding players were going through the Leeds midfield like a knife through butter, and only some last ditch tackles prevented more chances.

Half Time- East Riding 1   0  Leeds.

After a talking to by Doc (standing in for Mr Tonge) at half time the Leeds boys came out far more determined and started to dominate both territory and possession without really looking dangerous.

The first direct shot on target came from a nice passing move instigated by the combative Alex McGuirk and finished by Jackson Walker although not strongly enough to beat the keeper. However a couple of minutes later Nathan Massey released Kyra in the box whose trickery enticed the East Riding defender into a foul.

Alex McGuirk stepped up but saw his spot kick saved. But wait...........!

The referee saw encroachment and ordered the kick to be retaken.

Nathan took over but once again , the keeper guessed right ( actually left )and saved the penalty.

It looked destined to not be Leeds' day, and as they committed more men forward, East Riding looked dangerous on the break.

Further good keeping by Taranjit and with the help of the woodwork, no further goals were conceded.

With 10 minutes remaining, Leeds were awarded a further penalty following a strong run into the box by Harry Moxon.

Harry stepped up himself to dispatch the ball firmly into the corner for the equaliser. 1 : 1

Despite throwing the kitchen sink at the East Riding goal in the last few minutes, Leeds were unable to grab the winner, and the game ended in a draw.

Leeds definitely did not deserve to lose, but possibly did not do enough to win.

With a fully fit squad, better performances and results will surely follow. However, it was once again pleasing to see their never say die attitude and refusal to accept defeat.