26-07-14: Chesterfield (a) 2-2 (HT 1-0) Crowd (4,048)

The senior squad were next in action when they visited League One side Chesterfield at their Proact Stadium, on Saturday, 26th July 2014. The crowd of 4,048 had a heavy presence of Leeds supporters numbering 1,769 witnessed the encounter, which was refereed by Michael Naylor of Sheffield and former Leeds Academy player Sam Hird was in the home side's starting team. The Leeds starting eleven was: Marco Silvestri; Sam Byram, Scott Wootton, Jason Pearce, Stephen Warnock; Lewis Cook, Rodolph Austin, Luke Murphy, Aidan White, Steve Morison, Matt Smith. While the bench comprised: Stuart Taylor; Charlie Taylor, Gaetano Berardi, Tommaso Bianchi, Michael Tonge, David Norris; Chris Dawson, Souleymane Doukara. With some players unavailable due to injury, Chief Coach David Hockaday announced that he had picked his likely starting eleven for the first League encounter at Millwall which was now only a fortnight away. It only contained one new signing, goalkeeper Marco Silvestri, but there was a place on the bench for four others. Lewis Cook had been included in the starting side and other youngsters, Chris Dawson and Charlie Taylor were on the bench. The home side started the more impressively with Eoin Doyle putting a James O'Shea cross wide of the near post and then Sam Morsy forced Marco Silvestri to make a good save and then on the fifteen minute mark Eoin Doyle had a shot from outside the box turned past the post by the Leeds keeper. United's first shot of note came from a free-kick after Rodolph Austin had been the subject of a late tackle. The Jamaican shot wide with his second attempt after his first had been blocked. Aidan White had a claim for a penalty turned down after he had been brought down in the area. The referee waved play on after he deemed the tackle clean. The Leeds player was soon back, this time his dangerous cross was headed narrowly wide by Luke Murphy. Matt Smith picked up a knock and was replaced by Souleymane Doukara at the half-time break while Chesterfield made two changes with Dan Gardner replacing ex-Leeds Junior, Sam Hird, and Armand Gnanduillet replaced James O'Shea. Leeds were off to a flyer as the second half got underway. After some neat work down the Leeds left wing, Luke Murphy was brought down by Jimmy Ryan as he cut into the penalty area. Rodolph Austin took the spot kick and sent the Chesterfield keeper, Tommy Lee, the wrong way as he gave United the lead one minute into the second half. Their lead did not last ten minutes, which was all the time Sam Morsy needed before Eoin Doyle found him in space on the edge of the Leeds penalty area for him to beat Marco Silvestri with a strong low shot from twenty yards. After sixty-four minutes Aidan White had to leave the field on a stretcher after falling awkwardly on an ankle while making an important tackle back in the Leeds penalty box. Tommaso Bianchi came on to replace him. A minute later the home side took the lead when Sam Morsy got his second after subsistute Armand Gnanduillet headed the ball down into his path which he took on the half-volley to rifle it into the Leeds net. This prompted a string of substitutions with Michael Tonge replacing Lewis Cook and David Norris coming on for Luke Murphy for Leeds in the sixty-seventh minute followed by Gaetano Berardi for Stephen Warnock six minutes later and Chris Dawson for Steve Morison two minutes after that. The home side then sent on Ritchie Humphreys for Sam Morsy on the seventy-six minute mark, trialist Nicky Featherstone for Gary Roberts five minutes later and trialist Curtis Morrisson for Jimmy Ryan two minutes after that. This made the tempo of the game much slower because of the constant interuptions, with Leeds enjoying the majority of possession but neither team creating any clear cut chances. However, with five minutes left on the clock, Leeds drew level. Sam Byram had burst into the Chesterfield penalty area where he was brought down by Daniel Jones. Once more Rodolph Austin took the spot kick and this time beat the diving Tommy Lee into his left hand corner. Chesterfield made a final substitution one minute later bringing on another trialist Derek Daly for Eoin Doyle. Just before the end the trialist substitute Curtis Morrisson had a shot blocked as the teams remained locked at 2-2. The unused Leeds substitutes were Stuart Taylor, Gaetano Berardi, Charlie Taylor and Tom Lees, while Joe Anyon, Charlie Raglan, Michael Onivwigun, Charlie Dawes and Luke Clark did not leave the Chesterfield bench.

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Match Report: Chesterfield AFC: 26-07-2014

A Sam Morsy double brought Chesterfield within five minutes of a pre-season scalp of Leeds United, but two Rodolph Austin penalties saw an entertaining game finish in a 2-2 draw. The Spireites, in their traditional blue shirts and white shorts, went close first after eight minutes when Jay O'Shea whipped in a low cross that Eoin Doyle poked just wide of Marco Silvestri's near post. Rampaging forwards, winger Gary Roberts charged into the box and fed Morsy, who stretched to send the ball goalwards but had his shot well saved by the legs of the Leeds 'keeper. Next Doyle twisted visiting captain Jason Pearce this way and that before forcing a full-length save from Silvestri. Roberts next tried his luck from the halfway line in spectacular fashion. The effort was high but half a yard too handsome, landing on the roof of the net. Leeds' first effort of note came after 22 minutes when Austin hammered a half-cleared freekick back towards but well wide of Tommy Lee's goal. With the game settling down into a more pre-season pace, the visitors' giant striker Matt Smith rose highest to meet a right-wing cross, but not making full contact his header bounced harmlessly wide. Barely had the second half started when Luke Murphy broke into the Chesterfield box and went to ground under Jimmy Ryan's tackle. The referee pointed to the spot and Austin slotted the ball past Lee for the game's opener. The Spireites weren't behind for long however, nine minutes into the second half Doyle played a square pass to Morsy 20 yards out and the midfielder steadied himself before firing home a delightfully-controlled strike. The Spireites were soon turning the screw, pushing forwards and looking the more likely to grab the game's next goal. After 66 minutes the hosts had their lead when a ball over the top was headed down by substitute Armand Gnanduillet and into the path of Morsy. Ahead of his man he drilled home a low half volley and sent the Proact Stadium wild. The visitors were clearly keen to get themselves back level again, but the Chesterfield defence was well marshalled by captain Ian Evatt. With just five minutes remaining on the scoreboard however, full back Daniel Jones brought down Sam Byram in the penalty area and the referee awarded the away side their second penalty of the afternoon. Austin stepped up to take the spot kick again and while Lee dived the right way the midfielder had his second goal. Late on young substitute Curtis Morrisson cut in and had a shot blocked as the Spireites had to be content with a well-fought draw. Chesterfield: Lee (gk) - Darikwa, Evatt (c), Cooper, Jones - Hird (Gardner 45'), Morsy (Humphreys 76'), Ryan (Morrisson 83'), O'Shea (Gnanduillet 45'), Roberts (Featherstone 81')- Doyle (Daly 86') Subs not used: Anyan (gk), Raglan, Onivwigun, Dawes, Clark. Leeds United: Silvestri (gk) - Byram, Pearce (c), Wootton, Warnock (Berardi 74') - Austin, Cook (Tonge 68'), Murphy (Norris 68'), White (Bianchi 64') - Smith (Doukara 45'), Morision (Dawson 76'). Subs not used: Taylor (gk), Berardi, Taylor, Lees. Goals: Chesterfield - Morsy 54', 66' Leeds United - Austin 47' pen, 86' pen