30-07-14: Glenavon (a) 5-0 (HT 1-0) Crowd (3,000)

There was a mixture of youth and experience in the side that went across to Belfast on Wednesday 30th July 2014 to play the evening game with Glenavon at Mourneview Park, Lurgan, in part of the deal that brought Robbie McDaid to Elland Road. The game attracted a capacity 3,000 crowd. There were games for Paddy Kenny, Gaetano Berardi, Alex Mowatt, Matt Smith and Dominic Poleon mostly so they could gain some valuable match practice and the Leeds starting eleven was: Paddy Kenny; Gaetano Berardi, Charlie Taylor; Alex Purver, Ross Killock, Jake Skelton; Kalvin Philips, Dominic Poleon, Matt Smith, Alex Mowatt, Chris Dawson. The subsitutes were: Alex Cairns, Luke Booker, Tyler Denton, Afolabi Coker, George Swan, Lewis Cook and Eoghan Stokes. Matt Smith had an early chance but headed straight at the Glenavon keeper James McGrath. Chris Dawson opened the scoring for Leeds after nineteen minutes when he shot into the bottom corner of the net after picking up the ball from a shaky clearance from Andy Kilmartin. Just afterwards Tiarnan Mulvenna played in David Rainey with a great slide-rule pass but he shot wide from an acute angle. In the twenty-third minute former Leeds and Northern Ireland striker David Healy came on in place of Tiarnan Mulvenna for the home side and forced Paddy Kenny to make a save at the second attempt from a free-kick. Matt Smith had a goal disallowed and so half time came with the score still 1-0 to Leeds. The home side brought on Alan Blayney in goal for James McGrath. It did not take long for Chris Dawson to double his and Leeds tally with a brilliant individual goal just two minutes after the break. Five minutes into the half the home side made several substitutions with Gareth McKeown for Kyle Neill, Eddie McCallion for Conar Dillon, William Murphy for Kris Lindsay, Adam Foley for David Rainey, Philip Lowry for Eoin Bradley. On the hour mark Leeds made two changes with Lewis Cook replacing Gaetano Berardi and Luke Booker coming on for Kalvin Philips. In the sixty-fourth minute Chris Dawson completed his hat-trick to give Leeds a three goal lead when he scored from the spot after Rhys Marshall had brought down Matt Smith in the penalty area. In the sixty-fifth minute Leeds made three more changes when they sent on Troy Denton for Alex Purver, Afolabi Coker for Ross Killock and Eoghan Stokes for Jake Skelton. Three minutes later the home side also concluded their substitutions when they sent on Gary Hamilton for David Healy and Jordan Dane for Kevin Braniff. Matt Smith was involved in both Leeds goals that followed. In the seventy-ninth minute he headed home a cross from Alex Mowatt to make it 4-0 and two minutes later he laid on a pass for Eoghan Stokes to round off the scoring in an emphatic 5-0 victory. Alex Cairns and George Swan remained unused substitutes. Raymond Crangle (Belfast) was the referee

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Match Report: Belfast Telegraph: 31-07-2014

Ruthless Leeds put Glenavon festivities in the shade

Leeds United failed to enter into the party spirit during Glenavon's evening of celebration at Mourneview Park, sweeping their hosts aside in convincing style. Young midfielder Chris Dawson claimed a hat-trick before Matt Smith and Eoghan Stokes got in on the scoring act to underline the English side's supremacy under the Lurgan lights. Incorporated into Glenavon's 125th anniversary festivities, last night's encounter was formally arranged as part of the deal which saw rising star Robbie McDaid move between the clubs this summer. The hotshot striker, who burst onto the Irish League scene when he blasted a deadly 20-minute double in Glenavon's 4-2 victory over Mid-Ulster derby rivals Portadown in February, had been tracked by a host of clubs before opting to put pen to paper with the fallen Yorkshire giants. Unfortunately for his former employers, however, McDaid was not part of Leeds' travelling party as the fixture coincided with his international commitments in the north-west, with the 17-year-old striker receiving a red card for his part in a melee during Northern Ireland's 2-1 win over Mexico in the Elite section of the Dale Farm Milk Cup. Though his absence had frustrated Glenavon boss Gary Hamilton, it was never likely to deter the punters and in excess of 3,000 spectators crammed into a sold-out Mourneview, where a cameo appearance by Northern Ireland's record goalscorer David Healy added further attraction to the occasion for the Lurgan Blues faithful. Leeds' squad comprised a combination of youth and experience, with a host of players afforded an opportunity to further stake their claims for a place in the team for their Championship opener against Millwall next Saturday. One of their most recognised names was in the thick of the action early on, but Matt Smith – linked with a switch to Crystal Palace during the January transfer window – headed straight at goalkeeper James McGrath. A neat move between Guy Bates and Eoin Bradley was snuffed out just minutes before Dawson opened the scoring but any subdued spirits among the Glenavon support were immediately lifted when Healy, who made more than 100 appearances for Leeds between 2004 and 2007, entered the fray in place of Tiarnan Mulvenna. It wasn't long before he went close to getting his name on the scoresheet only for Paddy Kenny to gather his free-kick at the second attempt. The second period was just two minutes old when Dawson got the better of substitute keeper Alan Blayney with an eye-catching individual effort and the 19-year-old completed his hat-trick from the spot shortly afterwards after Rhys Marshall had been penalised for fouling Smith inside the area. And it was Smith who would register the next goal when he nodded home from an Alex Mowatt cross before himself providing the delivery from which Stokes put the seal on an emphatic success. GLENAVON: McGrath, Marshall, Dillon, Lindsay, Neill, Rainey, Bradley, Braniff, Kilmartin, Bates,Mulvenna. Subs: Hamilton, Foley, McCallion, Blayney, Murphy, Dane, Healy, Lowry, McKeown. LEEDS: Kenny, Berardi, Taylor, Purver, Killock, Skelton, Phillips, Poleon, Dawson, Mowatt, Smith. Subs: Cairns, Stokes, Denton, Coker, Cook, Swann.

Match Report: Glenavon FC: 30-07-2014

A talented Leeds side clearly enjoyed the superb playing surface at a packed Mourneview Park as they put five goals past Glenavon in tonight’s glamour friendly. A dubious penalty decision for the third goal, awarded for a foul by Rhys Marshall on Matt Smith, and what looked like a foul on Gareth McKeown which went unpunished leading to the fifth goal helped make the scoreline rather harsh on Glenavon who played their part in an entertaining game. Chris Dawson grabbed a hat trick, completed by that disputed penalty, and Smith powered in a towering header for the fourth before Eoghan Stokes added the 5th. Davy Rainey went closest to a goal for the Lurgan Blues, seeing his cross-shot rolling agonizingly across the goal line after he was played in by Tiarnan Mulvenna. Special guest for the night David Healy saw a firmly struck free kick well held by Paddy Kenny. NI’s all-time leading scorer picked up the Glenavon Man of the Match award from the sponsor Philip Harrison of Craigavon Koi and Aquatics. ‘King’ David then generously presented Philip’s son Mathew with his boots and kindly signed them as well.