Leeds United’s pre-season proper began with a 4-0 win over Championship side Blackpool in a friendly at the LNER Community Stadium in York, after a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke City.
The original kick-off time of 7pm was pushed back due to thousands of fans still trying to get into the ground (remember, this was a friendly game that wasn’t even in Leeds) and finally began around 10 minutes late.
It didn’t take long for new signing Marc Roca and the 16-year-old Archie Gray to show their quality together, both making their debuts for the first-team. Roca played a wonderful through-ball to Junior Firpo who squared it to Joe Gelhardt to chip over the keeper, but it was ruled out for offside. 3 minutes, that took.
Marc Roca celebrates after winning the Bundesliga REUTERS/Andreas Gebert
After 10 minutes, the first proper goal had come, from an unlikely source. Jack Harrison played a quick free-kick through to Firpo who again squared the ball into the danger-zone for centre-back Robin Koch to roll into the back of the net, scoring the first goal of the pre-season. Harrison’s thinking was too quick for the defence, with Koch in acres of space when he received the ball.
After a quarter of an hour, Blackpool got past Firpo too easily, frustrating Jesse Marsch, but the resulting cut-back was dealt with by Cody Drameh, making an appearance after a successful loan spell in Cardiff.
All was forgotten on 23 minutes when Harrison’s corner was nodded on by Firpo at the near-post, the ball making its way past the scrambling Maxwell to make it 2-0 to the Whites, wearing blue presumably to allow Blackpool to debut their new home shirt, released the same day in peculiar fashion, which includes white shorts alongside their distinctive neon orange.
On the half-hour mark, another Harrison corner seemed to have broken down, after a fine header away, but Gray somehow managed to launch the ball over his own head and beyond the Blackpool defence: Gelhardt brought the ball down beautifully and managed to lay it into the path of Rodrigo to smash it homw and give Leeds a three-goal cushion which would remain until after half-time.
At half-time, four changes were made, including Leif Davis on for Firpo. The left-back seems to be getting another chance, despite it previously seeming like an exit was inevitable. He immediately impressed, with a nice give-and-go down the touchline.
Six further changes were made just past the hour, with Archie Gray the only surviving starter until he came off 10 minutes later, shortly after receiving a knock to the face. He was a stand-out in the eyes of many, showing quality beyond his years.
Archie Gray during the warm up before the match against Arsenal REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Klaesson didn’t have a lot to do until there were 10 minutes to go, coming off his line well to stop a Shayne Lavery effort.
Mateo Joseph received a sideways pass from Jamie Shackleton with 5 to go and his strike took a heavy deflection before nestling in the back of the net: his first goal for the first-team after signing from Catalan side RCD Espanyol in January.
That’s how it finished: Blackpool were poor but Jesse Marsch got to see plenty of players in action before jetting off to Australia for a tour involving games against Brisbane Roar, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in the inaugural edition of whatever the Queensaland Champions Cup is before welcoming Italian side Cagliari to Elland Road.
Line-ups
Leeds United
Meslier (Klaesson 45′), Firpo (Davis 45′), Koch (Mullen 45′), Struijk (Moore 61′), Drameh (Shackleton 61′), Roca (Bate 61′), Gray (Allen 72′), Greenwood (Forshaw 61′), Harrison (McGurk 61′), Rodrigo (Miller 45′), Gelhardt (Joseph 61′)
Blackpool
1st: Maxwell, Apter, Keogh, Thorniley, Garbutt, Dougall, Carey, Virtue, Bowler, Holmes, Madine
2nd: Grimshaw, Moore, Ekpiteta, Tharme, Apter, Connolly, Dale, Anderson, Hamilton, Lavery, Lubala