21-07-07: Slovan Liberec (a) 0-1 (HT 0-0) Crowd (4,000)

Cancelled Dynamo Dresden Programme :

Programme, Teamsheet, Supporters Programme :

United’s next port of call was supposed to be at Dynamo Dresden, but the game was cancelled amid fears of crowd trouble and Liberec the fourth best team in the Czech Republic played hosts to United in a hastily arranged fixture. United gave several players, who had not played in Berlin, valuable playing time as the team started with Hamann; Bayly, Heath, Akloul, Lewis; Carole, Weston, Howson, Westlake; Constantine, Beckford. Marques, Loach, Parker, Richardson, Elliott, Kandol and Delph were on the bench. United gave a trial to French defender Mouloud Akloul and were lacking bite in midfield without the likes of Alan Thompson, Jonathan Douglas, David Prutton and Shaun Derry, so it came as little surprise that they did not have much to offer other than a wall of ten defenders. There were starts for trialists Mouloud Akloul, Curtis Weston, Leon Constantine and Nick Hamann. Hamann was soon in action, getting his first touch in the third minute as Jiri Bilek tried his luck from distance with a low shot that bobbled just in front of the United keeper. He could only watch as a Jan Nezmar header thudded against the bar as the classy hosts soon showed their superiority. It took seven minutes before United could muster an attack and a great ball from Jonathan Howson played in Leon Constantine but the ex Port Vale man pushed his cross too far in front of the arriving Jermaine Beckford. On fifteen minutes Beckford did go agonizingly close when his effort beat Zbynek Hauzr in the Liberec goal but flew narrowly wide. This gave the striker confidence to try his luck from distance but the keeper was equal to the task. United were well pleased with their performance against the crack team in the first thirty minutes and in the thirty-second minute Beckford was again on target after good work from Howson but was denied from close range. However there was little doubting the skill of the home team and Leeds were lucky to keep a clean sheet and it took a fine block by Matt Heath on Jan Nezmar after Hamann had executed a poor clearance to leave the home striker with a good chance. United made four changes at the start of the second half with Scott Loach replacing Nick Hamann, Rui Marques coming on for Matt Heath, Ben Parker for Eddie Lewis and Tresor Kandol for Jermaine Beckford. Leeds created several chances in the second half but the best of them fell to Leon Constantine in the fifty-fifth minute, when after great build up play by Ian Westlake and Curtis Weston, Jonathan Howson's shot could only be parried by the home keeper but the former Port Vale striker put the rebound over the bar. The home side sent on Filip Dort in place of Radek Dejmek after sixty-five minutes and three minutes later Leeds replaced Leon Constantine with Tom Elliott. But it was Liberac that produced the only goal of the game after sixty-nine minutes with a sweeping attack that was finished off by Filip Dort, who had only been on the field for four minutes. United immediately sent on Frazer Richardson for Sebastien Carole. Liberec gave the visiting defence a thorough workout but Leeds were not found wanting at a competitive level. The Liberac coach was pleased with the Leeds performance and rated them slightly above several clubs in the Czech League, and their attitude gave his team a taste of things to come in their own League where the better sides are frustrated by lesser sides adopting negative tactics and playing without ambition. United were organised and compact but never looked dangerous, despite a height advantage up front United could not take advantage and Tresor Kandol failed to take advantage of two good chances in the second half. Liberec made two late substitutions with Jan Broschinsky coming on for Ivan Hodur after eighty-four minutes and in the final minute Pavel Siranec replaced Daniel Pudil Leaving Jan Pysek, Ondrej Smetana, Tomas Janu and goalkeeper Maksims Uvarenko unused for the home team and Fabian Deph for United.