United played their first pre-season game with an away fixture with Vanarama National League North side Harrogate Town, on 10th July 2015. There was a near capacity crowd of 3,500 on hand as Gary McAllister opened the new Sterling Motors-sponsored Wetherby Road Stand at the CNG Stadium. Chris Wood and Lee Erwin made their Leeds United debuts, as Leeds lined up: Marco Silvestri; Sam Byram, Scott Wootton, Guiseppe Bellusci, Liam Cooper; Kalvin Phillips, Alex Mowatt, Nicky Ajose; Mirco Antenucci, Lee Erwin, Chris Wood. The home side gave Uwe Rosler's men due notice that they were not just there to make up the numbers, as twice Marco Silvestri was forced into fine saves to deny first Cecil Nyoni, fom close range, and then Joe Colbeck, with a goalbound free-kick, in the opening exchanges. However, Leeds soon started to assert their authority as Lee Erwin, after a mazy run, had an appeal for a penalty turned down, Liam Cooper saw his downward header held by Peter Crook and then Chris Wood had a powerful burst into the home penalty area before shooting into the side-netting. The home side kept Marco Silvestri the busier of the two keepers. He was called upon to save low down at his near post after Jordan Thewlis had broken through and then a header caused him to concede a corner. United for their part kept the game on the boil as Mirco Antenucci forced Peter Crook to a good save low down and, after being played in by Lee Erwin, Chris Wood shot wide. Cecil Nyoni put Harrogate in front in the thirty-second minute, when he was left with a simple task of tapping the ball home, after a free-kick had been deflected into his path, for the lead, which they held until half-time. United replaced all the outfield positions at the start of the second half and lined up: Marco Silvestri; Gaetano Berardi, Souleymane Bamba, Ross Killock, Charlie Taylor; Casper Sloth, Tommaso Bianchi, Lewis Cook; Souleymane Doukara, Steve Morison, Billy Sharp. Steve Morison equalised for Leeds just four minutes into the second half when he flung himself into a diving header from a perfect Casper Sloth cross to beat the keeper from close range. Charlie Horton, who was making his Leeds debut, replaced goalkeeper Marco Silvestri in the seventy-fourth minute and other name substitutes were Lewis Walters, Adam Drury, a trialist from Manchester City, and Lewie Coyle, but they went unused. Billy Sharp was denied by a brilliant acrobatic save by the Harrogate keeper, after he had unleashed a fine half-volley from within the penalty area and Gaetano Berardi was wide with a left foot shot after a good run on the right. While the teams exchanged half-chances there were no more goals and the game finished; Harrogate Town 1 Leeds United 1.
Programme & Teamsheet:
Match Report: Harrogate Town by Tom Feaheny: 10-07-2015
1st Half team: Peter Crook: Joe Colbeck, Lewis Turner; Danny Ellis, Dave McGurk, Richard Pell; Cecil Nyoni, Paul Thirlwell, Paul Clayton, Brendon Daniels, Jordan Thwelis. 2nd half Peter Crook (Off 74'); Lewis Turner, Richard Pell; Paul Thirwell (Off 62'), Harry Coates, Matt Bloomer; Royal Johnson, Lloyd Kerry, Connor Bower, James Cadman, Jake Emmett (On 45' Off 67'). Rob Worrall, On 62', Jake Speight, On 67', Ben Hunter, On 74'. In a packed CNG Stadium Harrogate Town and Leeds United started their pre-season campaigns, with a 1-1 draw. Before the match, Leeds United legend and a regular attendee of Harrogate Town matches Gary McAllister was on hand to officially open the club’s new Sterling Motors stand. On a humid evening an estimated 3,500 fans were treated to an entertaining pre-season match. The hosts nearly took the lead with the first real chance, when Joe Colbeck’s pass found Cecil Nyoni who hit a powerful effort that was well saved by Silvestri. The Italian was made to work again when Colbeck free-kick from 20 yards out was palmed away from goal. Leeds’s first opportunity fell to Liam Cooper who rose highest from a corner but his header was straight at Town keeper Peter Crook, who impressed with a number of good saves. United new boy Chris Wood then showed the strength and pace which Leeds fans will appreciate but his effort from outside the area hit the side netting. The Whites started to grow as the half went on with Antennucci forcing a save and Chris Wood dragging a shot wide, but the likes of new signing Danny Ellis were well disciplined throughout the half. And it was Town who went in front as Nyoni had a tap in after Silvestri saved a well struck Joe Colbeck free-kick, with the hosts playing good football against the Championship side going into half-time. The second half saw both sides change a majority of the team. And it was two Leeds substitutes who combined to equalise with Souleymane Doukara’s pass finding the head of Steve Morison who guided the ball in. Town defended well to deny United going in front with Steve Morison only five yards out when a cross found him in the area but a number of defenders were able to stop him doubling his goal tally. And Town could have won it late on when a Jake Emmett free-kick beat the wall but narrowly went past the post with Leeds United substitute goalkeeper Charlie Horton scrambling to get to the ball. In the end this entertaining match will have been seen as a positive for both sides, neither gained any injuries and this game was certainly enjoyed by the fans present. Simon Weaver was full of praise for his side after drawing 1-1 with Leeds United. He spoke to Tom Feaheny after the result and was happy with how the match was played, he said: ”I think it is a really good starting point, you never want to lose a game, right now it is all about the performance, fitness and organisation is what we are working on and we showed today we are fit enough to work on the plan we had.” With around 3,500 fans in attendance Weaver praised the opponents: “It was a great night for the club, Leeds have stuck to their word provided us with the first team opponent which is great, it’s been mayhem in the ticket office, we have sold ourselves as a club to the people viewing the match tonight, and both sets of fans were tremendous.” Despite this being the first game of the season, Weaver hopes they can use this to their advantage: “This sees us set a marker in terms of performance if I can get the lads fitter, hopefully the performances can improve and then results will follow.” And after a number of impressive performances, Weaver picked out two of his players for praise: “Peter Crook made a spectacular save in the second half which had the Leeds fans cheering, Joe Colbeck is a worker, he’s a James Milner type of player and is very quick, on the back of tonight’s performance we will look at the current squad and work from it.”
Match Report: Sian Cowper, Reporter: 10-07-2015
Result: Leeds United held by Harrogate Town in pre-season friendly
Leeds United had to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against non-League side Harrogate Town in a pre-season friendly this evening. Marco Silvestri had to be alert in the opening minutes as Harrogate dominated the early possession, but it was Leeds who had the first real chance when Liam Cooper's header was parried by Peter Crook, before Chris Wood rifled the rebound into the side-netting. Jordan Thewlis made a quick break for the hosts as they continued to create opportunities, but Silvestri was able to pull off a diving save to stop the ball sneaking into the bottom corner. Lee Erwin was soon causing problems for the defenders down the other end as Uwe Rosler's men looked to open the scoring, but Wood was unable to turn his low cross in. It was the home side that broke the deadlock with just over half-an-hour gone, though, as Cecil Nyoni deflected a free kick past Silvestri from close range. Crook was kept busy in the final stages of the first half as Leeds pushed for an equaliser, but Mirco Antenucci was denied twice by the keeper in the space of two minutes. It did not take the Championship side long to get back on level terms after the restart as Steven Morison jumped highest in the box to nod in from a Souleymane Doukara cross. Ross Killock came close to putting the visiting side in front for the first time just after the hour mark as the defender tried to poke the ball in from a corner, but it ended up going behind. Both sides had chances to seal the win from free kicks late on as Charlie Taylor fired just over for Leeds moments after Thewlis had struck over down the other end for Harrogate, ensuring that the sides finished level.
Match Reoirt: Yorkshire Evening Post: Phil Hay: 11-07-2015
Leeds United: Morison’s header earns Whites a draw at Harrogate Town
Leeds United’s group of strikers has increased at some expense this summer but it was left to Steve Morison, the club’s longest-serving forward, to earn a draw in their first friendly at Harrogate Town last night. Morison converted a diving header three minutes into a second-half appearance, averting defeat against a disciplined and adventurous non-league side. New head coach Uwe Rosler, who took charge of Leeds for the first time at Wetherby Road, gave non-competitive debuts to summer recruits Lee Erwin and Chris Wood before half-time but United were a goal adrift at the break and needed Morison’s goal to force a result. Rosler played down the importance of the scoreline before kick-off but called for a performance of “high intensity” and the team used after half-time delivered on that demand after a low-key start to the club’s pre-season programme. Leeds’ German boss, as he said he would, fielded different line-ups at the start of each half, both showing a mixture of experience and prominence.
His side before the interval was loaded with Wood and Erwin and two other forwards in Mirco Antenucci and Nicky Ajose. For the second 45 minutes, Sol Bamba was given the chance to reintegrate himself in a team which also included Billy Sharp. Sharp is the player generating most outside interest at Elland Road and, speaking ahead of the friendly in Harrogate, Rosler did not go so far as confirming that Leeds would keep him for the start of the Championship season but the 29-year-old was part of the plan last night. United were searching for an equaliser by the time Sharp took to the field with Morison. Rosler’s system in the first half relied on a back three and Ajose and Byram as wing-backs, leaving Erwin to tuck in behind Wood and Antenucci, but the better chances and the opening goal fell to Harrogate. Goalkeeper Marco Silvestri pulled off a point-blank parry with his first touch after his defence misjudged a high ball and left Cecil Nyoni clean through and Silvestri reacted well again moments later to beat away a free-kick from Joe Colbeck. Leeds redressed the balance of the game soon enough and pressure from Erwin drew a tackle inside the box which would have earned him a penalty in a more competitive match. Wood then scraped the side-netting after breaking from halfway and beating three Harrogate players but Town forced another two good blocks from Silvestri inside 20 minutes. The hosts survived two near misses of their own as Peter Crook got a hand to an Antenucci shot and Wood dragged a good chance wide as Erwin cut open the right side of Harrogate’s defence but the Conference North club took the lead in the 31st minute. Silvestri was called on again when Paul Clayton’s free-kick flicked off a two-man wall but Nyoni was first to the rebound, completing the simple task of driving the ball into an empty net. Harrogate were worth their advantage at half-time but Rosler’s change-around, moving to a 4-3-3 formation, had an immediate effect. Three minutes after the break, Souleymane Doukara picked out Morison with a curling cross and the striker buried a diving head from six yards out. Morison almost scored again just before the hour when Charlie Taylor’s low cross forced some desperate defending from Harrogate in their six-yard box and Town became trapped behind the halfway line as the friendly edged towards full-time. Sharp was denied by a brilliant reaction when his fierce volley flew at Town’s keeper on 67 minutes and Morison narrowly failed to bury the ricochet. Harrogate almost nicked a late win when Jack Emmett’s free-kick dipped past a post and a block from Bamba prevented last-minute embarrassment but the opportunities were rare breaks in United’s second-half pressure. Leeds’ next friendly takes place away at York City on Wednesday.
United (first half): Silvestri, Byram, Wootton, Bellusci, Cooper, Phillips, Mowatt, Antenucci, Ajose, Wood, Erwin. United (second half): Silvestri (Horton 74), Berardi, Bamba, Killock, Taylor, Sloth, Bianchi, Cook, Doukara, Morison, Sharp.
