13-07-05: FK Haugesund (a) 0-1 (HT 0-0) Crowd (3,780)

Programme

The game, from a Leeds point of view, was a game of two halves with Kevin Blackwell utilizing all his squad, which numbered twenty-three, and with Simon Walton and Ian Moore on the injured list it meant two different outfield teams in each half and keeper Ian Bennett getting a full game with Neil Sullivan not making the trip. The crowd was officially 3,780 but seemed closer to 5,000 with a large representation from Leeds. Blackwell started with his likely first choice eleven in a game that was treated as anything but a friendly by the home side. Some of their tackles were way over the top and Leeds were lucky to escape with just one injury, when Rob Hulse had to leave the field with an ankle injury in the thirty-seventh minute. He was replaced by Freddie Sandos, the Angolan International triallist, who was full of running and enthuisiasm but was not in the same class as Rob Hulse. Eirik Bakke and Seth Johnson showed up well in midfield and seemed recovered from their long absence due to injury. Ian Bennett made his Leeds debut and Dan Harding and Eddie Lewis made theirs in the second-half. Neither team really looked like scoring in the first half, but the home keeper, Jan Kjell Larsen had to make three saves in quick succession to deny Jermaine Wright, Rob Hulse and David Healy, while at the other end Rune Wilken hit the bar with a header. There were nine changes made by Leeds at half time. Frazer Richardson and Dan Harding replaced Kelly and Crainey at Full-back, Clarke Carlisle and Sean Gregan came on for Butler and Kilgallon in central defence, Matthew Spring took over the wide right role in midfield from Jermaine Wright and Eddie Lewis replaced Pugh on the wide left, with Bakke and Seth Johnson giving way to Shaun Derry and Gylfi Einarsson in the middle of the park, while Michael Ricketts replaced David Healy to partner Freddie Sandos up front. Haugesund sent on eight substitutes in the second half as they used: Stig Krohn Haaland, Steinar Eikje, Ferdinand Krohn Haaland, Espen Skogland, Ronny Warholm, Aanen Espevik Oddenes, Sten Ove Eike and Odin Staveland. The home side took the lead early in the second-half as Leeds conceded a sloppy goal due to poor defending. Substitute Stig Krohn Haaland was allowed to get in a cross from the right and found Rune Wilken totally unmarked at the far post and he had an easy task to head the ball home unopposed. There was a lot of niggly play and both Shaun Derry and Michael Ricketts found themselves involved in separate unsavoury incidents with Haugesund players. There were several good second half performances from Leeds players as Harding and Lewis had fine debuts and the full-back was a constant source of trouble for the home team and had a shot pushed over the bar, while the American provided excellent support but did not get the results his efforts deserved. Matthew Spring watched a fine shot zip past a post and Gylfi Einarsson just failed to get on the end of a ball from Shaun Derry while the home side almost doubled their lead near the end but Ian Bennett was quick off his line to avert the danger.