02-08-14: Dundee United (h) 2-0 (HT 1-0) Crowd (10,115)

United played their final pre-season game with a home fixture with Scottish Premier League side Dundee United, who they had never played before, on 2nd August 2014. There was a healthy following from Dundee of 1,104 in the crowd of 10,115 and Andy Madley of Wakefield was the referee. Marco Silvestri, Tommaso Bianchi and Soulymane Doukara made their Elland Road debut, as Leeds lined up: Marco Silvestri; Sam Byram, Scott Wootton, Jason Pearce, Stephen Warnock; Luke Murphy, Rodolph Austin, Michael Tonge, Tommaso Bianchi; Steve Morison, Souleymane Doukara. The substitutes were: Stuart Taylor, Charlie Taylor, Gaetano Berardi, Lewis Cook, Noel Hunt, Chris Dawson, Dominic Poleon, Matt Smith. United started brightly and were in the lead after only three minutes, when after a good build up in midfield, Michael Tonge advanced into the penalty area and crossed for Steve Morison to stab the ball into the net. United remained the dominant side and in the eleventh minute Rodolph Austin got in a shot from distance which the Dundee United keeper, Radoslaw Cierzniak, was happy to palm over the bar. The Leeds dominance continued in the first half hour, which saw two further chances created. Tommaso Bianchi was unlucky when he saw his shot rebound from the bar and then Jason Pearce saw his header cleared off the line after a corner. It was not until the thirtieth minute that the visitors had their first meaningful attempt on goal and that was Stuart Armstrong's effort was easily saved by Marco Silvestri. United were soon back on the ascendency and Michael Tonge forced Radoslaw Cierzniak to save a shot from outside the box. Souleymane Doukara was impressing and it was he that bamboozled Jaroslaw Fojut and worked his way into the box to set up a chance for Tommaso Bianchi, but the Italian was pressured off the ball. During the half-time break Leeds made two changes with Gaetano Berardi replacing Stephen Warnock and Noel Hunt coming on for Rodolph Austin. The visitors made several substitutions in quick succession with Keith Watson replacing Sean Dillon after fifty-one minutes and then five more three minutes later, with Blair Spittal for Chris Erskine, Ryan Dow for John Rankin, Gary Mackay-Steven for Stuart Armstrong, Mario Bilate for Brian Graham and Charlie Telfer for Nadir Ciftci. The visitors had the better of the opening minutes of the second half and had their best chance of the game in the period up to the one hour mark. Two of the substitutes, Mario Bilate and Charlie Telfer, combined to allow the latter to have a shot on goal but it went into the side-netting. In the sixty-third minute United sent on three Academy products as Lewis Cook replaced Luke Murphy, Chris Dawson replaced Michael Tonge and Dominic Poleon came on for Steve Morison. The final changes were made by Dundee United in the sixty-eighth minute when Scott Smith came on for Paul Paton and by Leeds in the seventy-fourth minute when Charlie Taylor came on for Sam Byram and five minutes later when Matt Smith came on for Souleymane Doukara. In the last ten minutes, Chris Dawson robbed Conor Townsend and almost played in Dominic Poleon for a second Leeds goal. However, an error by Noel Hunt, a former Dundee United player, almost gave the visitors an equaliser but Ryan Dow's effort was saved by Marco Silvestri, for his only real save of the afternoon. Leeds sealed the game in the eighty-sixth minute, when the referee ruled "play on" following a challenge by Matt Smith on Jaroslaw Fojut and Dominic Poleon seized upon the loose ball and rounded keeper Radoslaw Cierzniak to slide the ball into an empty net for Leeds to win 2-0. Stuart Taylor was the only Leeds unused Substitute, while Mark McCallum, Aidan Connolly, Scott Fraser and Darren Petrie remained unused by Dundee United.

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Match Report: Dundee United: 02-08-2014

United’s visit to Elland Road for a first ever ever meeting with Leeds United was the final pre-season fixture for both clubs. Amongst the crowd was former Tannadice full-back Andy Robertson who came hot-foot from his first training session with his new club, Hull City. The Club’s new away black with white trimmings was unveiled, though because of the colour clash, the players wore black, not white shorts, with the new white and black hooped socks. For those looking for pointers for the make up of the side for the opening game of the season, manager Jackie McNamara made three changes from the team that had faced Hibs the previous Sunday. Conor Townsend, signed on a season long loan from Hull City came in at left-back with Sean Dillon switching to the opposite full-back berth, occupied at Easter Road by Blair Spittal who was one of 11 substitutes. Up front Chris Erskine and Brian Graham came in for Ryan Dow and Mario Bilate. Unfortunately, United couldn’t have made a worse start against the Championship side, conceding a goal after just three minutes. Michael Tonge found space on the right before firing in a low cross which Steve Morison swept into the goal. Within a minute, however, United came within inches of levelling when Callum Morris met a Nadir Çiftçi corner from the right to bullet a header fractionally over. But it was the Yorkshire men who continued to make the running and after 12 minutes Rado Cierzniak beat away a sizzling shot from Rudy Austin. Ten minutes later, Tommaso Bianchi crashed in a first time shot that struck top of but fortunately rebounded to safety. Then on 27 minutes, John Rankin was the Tangerines’ saviour, heading a Jason Pearce header from a corner off the line. Just over half an hour had elapsed before United finally got in behind the Leeds defence. Erskine played Stuart Armstrong in but his shot was straight at keeper Marco Silvestri. One of the two substitutes made by Leeds after the break saw the introduction of former Tannadice favourite Noel Hunt. Meanwhile, United had emerged unchanged at the start of the second half, at interval but within two minutes had to make an enforced substitution after Dillon sustained a head knock after an accidental clash. Keith Watson took his place. Soon there was a procession of substitutes with five replacements being made after 54 minutes - Armstrong, Çiftçi, Erskine, Graham and Rankin departing with Bilate, Dow, Mackay-Steven, Spittal and Telfer taking over. Within five minutes, two of them set up United’s best chance so far. Mario Bilate played in Charlie Telfer whose shot came off the base of the near post. Enjoying their best spell of the game, Blair Spittal then set up Bilate but he blazed his shot wide of the target from a good position. Following a foul on Smith by Jarek Fojut, Noel Hunt fired a free-kick over the bar with ten minutes left. And three minutes he later he set up a great chance, but for his former club! His wayward pass sent Ryan Dow clear on goal, but his touch let him down and enabled Silvestri to narrow the angle and block his shot for a corner. Ryan Dow So it was harsh on the side’s efforts to lose a second goal with four left, especially as Fojut appeared to be fouled by Smith when the ball ran lose to Dominic Poleon who rounded Rado to slot the ball into the empty net. Team: Cierzniak, Dillon (Watson 48), Townsend, Fojut, Paton (S Smith 67), Çiftçi (Bilate 54) Rankin (Telfer 54), Graham (Spittal 54), Armstrong (Dow 54), Morris, Erskine (Mackay-Steven 54). Subs not used: McCallum, Connolly, Fraser, Petrie. Referee: Andy Madley. Attendance: 10,115 (1,104 Arabs)

MATCH REPORT: Yorkshire Post by Leon Wobschall: 02-08-2014

Goals from Steve Morison and substitute Dominic Poleon saw Leeds United round off pre-season on an encouraging note in a 2-0 win over their Scottish visitors. Morison tucked home the opener in front of a crowd of 10,115 after just three minutes and Poleon was on hand to add a second four minutes from time to put the seal on a decent afternoon for the hosts, who open their Championship campaign at Millwall in seven days time. A presentable attendance, with a noisy following from Dundee having travelled south of the border, saw a first half dominated by the hosts, who carried on from where they left off in a decent mid-week performance in beating Swindon. It was the same line-up who started at the County Ground, minus Stuart Taylor, who took the field with number one Marco Silvestri afforded a nice reception when he lined up in front of the Kop for the first time. In the event, the Italian keeper had next to nothing to do in the first half, with his only save being a routine one on the half-hour to save Stuart Armstrong’s low shot, which was pretty token. United, who played some patient probing football, with Michael Tonge at the heart of it, dovetailing well in the middle of the park with Tommaso Bianchi and Luke Murphy, bossed proceedings and were full value for their lead. It arrived just three minutes in with good play down the right by Tonge saw him send over an inviting low cross following early pressure which was tucked away at the far post from close range by Morison. Soon after, Callum Morris headed over when well placed following Chris Erskine’s corner, but it was a threatening moment in isolation for the visitors. Rudy Austin then stepped forward before unleashing a rasping shot was turned away by Radoslaw Cierzniak as Leeds went close to a second. Tonge, after a bright opening, fired an effort wide in a quest to extend Leeds’ lead on 17 minutes before Sam Byram teed up another who figured prominent in the opening twenty minutes in Bianchi, who saw his stinging shot crash against the woodwork. It was all encouraging stuff from Leeds and appreciated by the fans who braved the rain to turn out in the sole pre-season fixture at Elland Road. After Armstrong shot at Silvestri, Leeds assumed command again with Tonge shooting straight at Cierzniak before a quality move could - and perhaps - should have yielded another home goal. Tonge fed Souleymane Doukara, who totally bamboozled Jarek Fojut down the right, lofting the ball over him before setting up Bianchi in front of goal, but he delayed, allowing Erskine to make a saving block. Chances were at more of a premium on the restart, but United’s efforts to play passing football continued to curry favour with home supporters and despite more pressure and possession from Dundee, they didn’t overly alarm the Leeds rearguard. One decent chance did arrive when the visitors, after a flurry of substitutions, saw replacements Mario Bilate and Charlie Telfer combine with the latter shooting off target when well placed. United made a triple substitution on 62 minutes with Poleon, Chris Dawson and Lewis Cook coming on for Morison, Luke Murphy and Tonge respectively, with Morison handed a good ovation by supporters following a good shift, seven days on from being booed by a section of fans in the draw at Chesterfield. One replacement, Dawson, robbed Connor Townsend and almost set up Poleon for a second before an error in the final ten minutes by former Dundee United player Noel Hunt almost led to a leveller, but Ryan Dow’s effort was turned away by Silvestri, his sole meaningful save of a largely quiet afternoon. Leeds rubber-stamped the win on 86 minutes when an advantage was played by referee Andy Madeley following a challenge by Matt Smith on Fojat, much to the visiting fans’ dismay, with Poleon latching onto the loose ball and rounding Cierzniak before tucking the ball into the empty net. Moments later, Poleon’s low shot was saved, with United able to reflect on a pretty positive afternoon following the final whistle. Leeds United: Silvestri, Byram (C Taylor 74), Wootton, Pearce, Warnock (Berardi 46); Austin (Hunt 46), Bianchi, Murphy (Dawson 62), Tonge (Cook 62); Morison (Poleon 62), Doukara (M Smith 79). Substitutes not used: S Taylor. Dundee United: Cierzniak; Dillon (Watson 51), Fojat, Morris, Townsend; Erskine (Spittal 54), Rankin (Dow 54), Patton (S Smith 68); Armstrong (Mackay-Steven 54); Graham (Bilate 54), Ciftci (Telfer 54). Substitutes not used: McCallum, Connolly, Fraser, Petrie. Referee: Andy Madley. Attendance: 10,115.