Chester Le Street - V Leeds A

After a long drive up the A1, the conditions were perfect for a great match between an experimental Leeds side and a Chester le Street side which boasted a number of Academy players.

It was clear from the start that the defensive line up of Sam Armstrong, Aaron Wilcock, Brandon Kavanagh and Alex Barrett would be in for a busy morning.  The three man midfield of Luke Bennett, Scott Smith and Tyler Thompson were immediately put under pressure from a Chester team playing with width and confidence.

Within a few minutes of the start a low drive from one of the Chester strikers found the left hand corner of net.  Leeds responded well and after 5 minutes, Scott put Sheldon Muzvidziwa through to finish with a strike which went in off the post.  Minutes later Dan Resendez pulled off a great double save to keep Leeds in the game.  The pressure was mounting though and Leeds were having to put in a strong defensive performance to keep the Chester side at bay.  Against the run of play, Leeds sprung Chester's defence and Sheldon strode through only to shoot wide with just the keeper to beat.

Sam and Alex made some great defensive tackles in the course of the half. Forays into Chester's half were rare but both Alex, with a long range strike, and Adam Leadsford, from a free kick. went close to scoring.

Chester kept the pressure on through their domination of the midfield, which meant that chances for Tom Schofield to link up with the other forward players were rare.  Eventually their stranglehold was rewarded with a second goal from a free kick just before half time.

The second half got off to an unfortunate start for Leeds as Chester went further ahead from an own goal off an attempted clearance from a Leeds defender. The introduction of Tom Godden and Jake Croft in the second half steadied the ship for a while and both players put in solid performances. However, a great solo effort from one of Chester's strike force saw him beat two defenders on the left flank and then fire a ball that Dan managed to get a hand to but could not keep out.

Leeds were looking tired by this point and succumbed to two further late goals to end the game 6-1. It was a case of welcome to District League football for a Leeds team that are all new to each other and who came up against a fitter and more organised Chester le Street side.