Guiseley AFC 0 v 2 Leeds United (Pre-Season Friendly)
Nethermoor Park hosted its second Yorkshire derby in seven days as Guiseley AFC welcomed Leeds United and David Hockaday for his first game as Leeds manager on English soil.
Leeds United started with their first eleven including new signings Marco Silvestri, Souleymane Doukara, Tommaso Bianchi and Stuart Taylor along with United youngster Lewis Cook in the centre of midfield for this sold out all ticket match.
The game followed the same pattern as the Bradford City game with the away side having a lot of possession, passing the ball well through midfield from the back four creating chances for the forwards.
The first chance of the afternoon fell to United’s loan signing Souleymane Doukara as the forward used his strength to create the opening but his shot went wide of Steven Drench’s goal.
With Leeds still dominating the game, Steve Morison went close to opening the scoring on thirteen minutes, when he sent a header just wide of Drench’s right-hand post. Just five minutes later Tommaso Bianchi went close, when his curling effort from outside the box was palmed wide by Steve Drench in the Guiseley goal.
Around the half hour mark the best chance of the half fell to Michael Tonge following a scramble in the Guiseley penalty area, the ball fell to Tonge who from six yards hit his shot inches over the Guiseley bar with Drench beaten.
Guiseley seemed to come alive in the final ten minutes of the half as they put pressure on the Leeds United goal, on forty minutes Danny Forrest had a shot tipped over the bar by Marco Silvestri, following an excellent run and pass by Wayne Brooksby.
Then two minutes later Forrest was denied by a great tackle from Zac Thompson as he was about to shoot unmarked from the edge of the Leeds penalty area, leaving the half-time score 0-0.
Guiseley started the better of the two sides in the second half and went close to opening the scoring on fifty-six minutes when Jake Lawlor sent a shot just wide of the Leeds goal following a well worked corner.
The game changed on the hour mark as David Hockaday made eleven changes and after that moment United’s second eleven were rarely threatened. Matt Smith and Lewis Walters were United’s strike partnership for the final thirty minutes and both went close during the final quarter of the game.
Leeds had a couple of chances around the seventy minute mark the first fell to Walters who turned and shot for goal but his strike went just wide of the mark. The second fell to Matt Smith who used his strength to create the space, but his shot was outstanding saved by Steven Drench in the Guiseley goal to keep the score at 0-0.
As Leeds United piled on the pressure during the final minutes, Jason Pearce managed to head home an Aidy White corner in the eighty-sixth minute to break Guiseley hearts and give United a 1-0 lead.
On ninety minutes, Sam Byram ran into the Guiseley area before squaring a ball across the six yard box for Matt Smith to shoot low pass Drench in the Guiseley goal, this proved to be the last kick of the game and gave Leeds United a 2-0 victory.
Speaking after the match Guiseley manager Mark Bower said, “I am really pleased with the performance today, we matched Leeds for eighty-six minutes of the game and could have had a couple of goals.
Pre-Season is all about the performance and I can see the performance and fitness levels improving game by game.
We now move onto Monday night when we entertain another Championship team in Huddersfield Town, it’s a game I am looking forward to and it’s another Yorkshire derby the third in just over a week.”
Match Details
Guiseley AFC -Drench, Holdsworth, Parker, Lowe, Hill, Lawlor, Brooksby, Stockdill, Boyes, Forrest, Rothery (Subs) Toulson, Johnson, Porritt, Lee, Harrison, Ible, Crossley, Marshall, Walker, Scott
Leeds United – Silvestri, Thompson, Lees, Killock, Taylor, Cook, Tonge, Blanchi, Norris, Morison, Doukara (Subs) Taylor, Byram, Wootton, Pearce, Warnock, Austin, Murphy, White, Hunt, Walters, Smith
Goals – (Leeds United) Pearce (86), Smith (90)
Attendance – 2,200
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