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 Under 12 Congratulations to our Under 12's Junior Star League Winners!
Wednesday 25 April 2007 Wakefield U12 Schools FA 0 v 5 Leeds U12 Schools FA
The last fixture of the 2006/07 season saw Leeds travel to Hemsworth to take on Wakefield needing a victory to be in with a chance of the league title.
A 6.30 kick off brought it's own challenges, and late arrivals impacted on the starting line up. In addition the pitch was hard, and sloped from goalmouth to goalmouth as well as across the width of the pitch.
When Wakefield won the toss and asked to change around, you suspected that they had a cunning plan. However, they failed to take into consideration the superior footballing skills and tenacity of the Leeds team, and it wasn't long before Leeds acclimatised and started to dominate.
It took almost 15 minutes for Leeds to convert pressure into a goal. A shot from outside the box from Tom Malach fell to Jackson Walker in the box. His strike was blocked by a defender, but fell to Tez N'cube who fired home first time from the edge of the six yard box.
Five minutes later, Leeds almost made to two when ,following a corner, Ryan Rowley's dipping shot from 20 yards just cleared the bar with the keeper beaten. However, it was not long before Leeds doubled their lead, and it was Ryan who was again involved.
As Jack Parsley's cross was knocked away, Ryan followed up with a powerful waist-high cross into the Wakefield box. Two defenders made token efforts to head clear, but, with the help of a possible deflection, only succeeded in confusing the keeper with the result that the ball ended up in the back of the net. 2-0 to Leeds, and fully deserved.
Substitutions were made at half time, and with both the slope and the momentum, Leeds took complete control. They were quicker to the ball, sharper in the tackle and both perceptive and practical in their passing.
The third goal was not long in coming. A quick turn and long ball from Tom released Danny Franks whose pace allowed him to get in front of the Wakefield defender. He turned and played the ball square to Max P-C who was able to lift the ball and lob over the Wakefield keeper. 3-0 to Leeds.
30 seconds later it was almost four as a back header from a Wakefield defender forced the keeper into a flying save. As Leeds smelled blood, they did make it four from the resultant corner. As the ball was cleared, it was knocked back into the box by Alex Metcalfe, headed on by Nathan Massey and lifted over the advancing keeper by Jackson.
With 10 minutes to go, Leeds made it five against a very dispirited Wakefield side. A nice one-two between Jackson and Alex McGurk, now playing in the centre of midfield, ended with Jackson's powerful shot from outside the box nesting in the back of the net.
There was still time for many chances to be created and spurned by Leeds and it was feared that these may cost Leeds the title if goal difference was the decider.
However, that proved not to be the case, and the only disappointment was that the boys were unable to celebrate winning the title on the evening of their final game.
That should not detract from what was a terrific season. Only two competitive defeats- both to the same team ( plus ringers ) and both by a solitary goal, cast a small shadow over some fantastic results and performances.
The boys have grown as both players and young men under the tutelage of Steve Wales, and he is to be congratulated on his dedication, application and enthusiasm for the job.
Leeds Under 12s 2006/07 are the Champions......doesn't that sound good !
Saturday 14 April 2007 Bradford Schools FA U12 1 v 0 Leeds Schools FA
It was groundhog day for the Leeds Boys as they lost only their second competitive game of the season at the same ground, to the same opposition by the same score.
Dressing room exchanges between players indicated that the Leeds team were considered such strong opposition to warrant the inclusion of 4 Bradford Academy players in their squad, but whatever our feelings on this policy, we should treat it as a compliment.
Bright sunshine and very warm conditions made viewing a pleasant experience for the travelling army of parents, although it was clear to see that the experience of playing on the full size ( and very wide ) pitch was advantageous to the Bradford players.
The absence of rain for a couple of weeks meant that the pitch was hard, and the bouncy ball made control somewhat difficult.
After an initial period of shadow boxing, Leeds created the first real chance of the game as Alex McGurk burst into the box and fired a shot which was well pushed away by the Bradford keeper.
This gave Leeds confidence, and a lovely passing move from left to right saw Jack Parsley's excellent cross met on the volley by Tom Mallach. Unfortunately, a Bradford foot took the pace off the ball and it was safely collected by the keeper.
Bradford responded with a couple of chances of their own, as, firstly, a shot was ballooned over from 10 yards when it seemed easier to score, and secondly when Yaravin produced an excellent save to keep out a long distance shot from Bradford's number 7 who was their most influential midfield player.
On the balance of play, Leeds deserved to be ahead at half time, but had to be content going in at 0-0 ( A result which would have been taken considering the need for 4 points from their final two games to clinch the league title.)
The second half saw both teams well matched, and it was rather against the run of play when Bradford took the lead after 5 minutes after the restart.
Leeds failed to clear their own lines following a goal kick and were always on the back foot as the ball was moved into the box and fired past Taranjeet. 1-0 to Bradford.
It was vital that Leeds equalised, and a tactical adjustment saw a 3-5-2 formation employed. This created more space ( and chances ) for Bradford as they counter-attacked, but ultimately gave Leeds more bodies in midfield and in the Bradford half.
Fresh legs came off the bench to enliven the effort, and this almost paid off as Macauley's goal bound shot just cleared the bar.
A couple of minutes later Leeds went even closer as Tom's shot beat the Bradford keeper but flashed inches wide of the post.
It seemed destined not to be Leeds' day as the ball never quite ran or fell to them at the right time. However, there was time for one last ( and the best ) chance, but under pressure from on-rushing defenders Max was unable to hit the target.
With only one remaining league game, Leeds' destiny is not wholly in their own hands, and it was hugely disappointing to come away from this game with nothing to show other than the moral high ground.
Whilst not at the top of their form, many players exhibited real guts, determination and application in the fight for which they should be commended.
Tuesday 10 April Sunderland U12 Academy 2 v 2 Leeds City Boys U12
With their North East tour cancelled, Leeds U12s had to make do with a day trip to Sunderland's Academy of Light and a fixture against the best of the Championship leader's youth.
They were greeted by clear blue skies and a bowling green of a pitch. and hopes were for high for a skillful game. Unfortunately, the north east wind did blow, and whilst it didn't bring snow, it did impact and ultimately spoil the game.
Holidays and other absences meant that the squad was reduced to only 12 players, including both keepers !
However, the midday kick off meant that , for once, the Leeds Boys were awake at the start of the game, and their lively approach brought the first goal after only 5 minutes.
A nice passing move down the left involving Aiden and Jackson saw the ball moved inside to Tom Malach. Tom's perceptive long pass found the pacey Jack Parsley who was able to lift over the advancing keeper. 1-0 to Leeds.
Sunderland responded immediately with a flowing move down the right. As the ball fell to a Sunderland striker on the edge of the box, Taranjeet had to be at his best to keep out a fierce shot.
As both teams battled hard in the middle of the field, there was only one more chance in the first 20 minute period, and once again it was Taranjeet who saved Leeds with a smart stop at his near post.
Leeds started the second period brightly and after a couple of minutes Jackson released Danny Franks who had a clear run on goal. Unfortunately the Sunderland centre back was able to recover with a last ditch tackle.
The teams looked very well matched, although Sunderland had an extra yard of pace and an extra bit of time on the ball resulting from good technique. They were however not good enough to breech the Leeds defence, and the second period ended 0-0 ( 1-0 to Leeds overall )
The third and final period was to prove the most testing for Leeds as legs tired and calls for the oxygen tent were ignored.
Yaravin replaced TJ in goal, with TJ moving upfront to replace a less than fully fit Tom.
Sunderland sensed blood, and equalised a couple of minutes after the restart. An intricate move found an unmarked forward in the box (looking suspiciously offside ) who was able to club the ball high into the net over Yaravin's outstretched hands.
It is testament to the Leeds Boys resilience that they didn't lay down and die. In fact they came back fighting and retook the lead.
Jack's jinking run and low cross from the right was slightly behind stand-in striker Tranjeet, but he was able to swivel and find enough power in his shot to fire past the Sunderland keeper. 2-1 to Leeds. Unfortunately, our usual placid club photographer was too busy screaming and punching the air to capture his son's moment on film !!
For the final 10 minutes it was backs to the wall for Leeds and with only a few minutes remaining, a victory looked likely. Ironically, as Leeds pushed forward from a free kick, Sunderland quickly broke away down the left with a shot going across Yaravin and in off the post. 2-2.
A draw was probably a fair result, but Leeds supporters left with the feeling that, with a full squad and the opportunity to freshen with substitutes, then the game could have been won.
However, once again the lads have proved more than a match for an Academy team, and they should be congratulated for their effort and application.
Saturday 24 March 2007 Centenary Shield 
Newcastle Schools FA U12 1 v 5 Leeds Schools FA U12
After the disappointment of last week's cup semi final defeat
It was howay up to Newcastle for the Leeds Boys where they were competing for the annual Centenary Shield in conjunction with the Under 11s and Under 13s.
With a win for the U11s and defeat for the U13s, the destination of the Shield was dependant on the U12 result.
After nearly two hours on the coach, Leeds started the game as if they were still on the coach, and conceded most of the territory and possession to Newcastle. They also conceded the first goal as a long ball caught out the Leeds defence who had pushed up to the half way line.
The foot race was no contest, and as Yaravin dashed out of his area in an attempt to rescue the situation, the ball was nicked away from him, and slotted into the unguarded net. 1-0 to Newcastle.
It was almost two soon after , when Yaravin had to be alert to palm away a shot from outside the box.
The equaliser was, therefore, something of a surprise when it arrived 6 minutes later.
A long free kick from Leeds own half saw the ball flicked on by Tez into the path of Jackson who expertly lobbed the keeper with a first time left foot shot. 1-1 and all to play for.
This was just about Jackson's last contribution as the physical approach of Newcastle started to cross the line with a two footed lunge ruling him out for the rest of the game. However, this seemed to spur the Leeds Boys to greater heights, and they became much more purposeful in their play.
Leeds should have been awarded a penalty in the dying minutes of the first half when Jack Parsley was clearly fouled. Unfortunately the ref applied the Advantage rule ( although this seemed more advantageous to Newcastle than to Leeds !!! )
Half time saw something of a tongue lashing from Mr Wales and a number of substitutions which, with hindsight, was just what the doctor ordered.
In truth, a doctor would have been a useful addition on the sidelines as the tackles flew in and further substitutions were required to replace the walking wounded. But Leeds gave as good as they got, and were certainly not intimidated- especially Tez who gave away a height advantage of at least two foot and coped admirably with pushes and swinging arms.
Max P-C was lively up front and forced the keeper into a good save at the near post after only a couple of minutes of the second half.
Equally, as Leeds punched, so Newcastle counterpunched, and Taranjeet was called upon to push away a cross shot from the right hand side.
Leeds' second goal resulted from an excellent run and deep cross from Jack which found Kyra in the box. As he tried to skip around the last defender, his legs were taken from under him. Penalty was the shout, and this time the referee agreed.
Max P-C strode up confidently to slot the ball home. 2-1 to Leeds.
With 10 minutes remaining Leeds scored their third goal. A free kick from their own half found Max who squared the ball to Tez who then squeezed a delightful ball between centre back and full back for Jack to run onto and slide past the onrushing keeper.
As the Newcastle heads dropped, Leeds oozed class and confidence. It was only a matter of time before more goals, and they duly arrived.
Firstly, a lovely passing move from the back involving Kyra on a number of occasions saw Ryan Hartley's cross cause confusion in the Newcastle box. Max P-C was again Johnny on the spot to crash the ball home.
With a couple of minutes remaining, Max completed his hat trick when he turned on a sixpence following a corner, and fired home to the cheers of the sizable crowd which had built up.
5-1 to Leeds and a real confidence boost going into the last three games of the league season.
With a repeat of the second half performance we should be optimistic that the League Title can be ours.
Saturday, 17th March
Bradford Schools FA U12 1 v 0 Leeds Schools FA U12
On the day that Wembley officially opened, the Leeds Boys dreams of another Cup Final were dashed with a semi-final defeat at the hands of West Yorkshire rivals Bradford.
It was sweet revenge for Bradford who had been beaten in the final by Leeds last year at U11 level.
With different personnel on show from the friendly earlier in the season, it was the Bradford boys who started off the game the quicker.
The game was impacted, and the result probably influenced by the strong Keighley wind which gusted across the pitch from the first whistle.
There was an absence of real goalmouth action, and each team took time to cope with the wind and bobbly ground. The sheer size of the pitch also saw players isolated, and it is fair to say that the game never really flowed.
The only piece of quality in the half came from Bradford as the left winger ran unchallenged from just inside his own half before steering the ball just wide of Taranjeet's left hand post.
0-0 at half time with the conditions being the only winner.
Leeds started the second half slightly the brighter, and a sequence of corners brought half chances as well as a snapshot from Kyra which was smartly saved by the Bradford keeper.
A couple of minutes later a free kick from Tom Malach, from at least 25 yards, forced the keeper into a full length diving save.
The game became increasingly stretched as players tired on the big pitch, and the resultant gaps gave every indication that a goal was on the cards.
Unfortunately for Leeds, this proved to be correct as a series of missed tackles, rebounds and ricochets found an unmarked Bradford player inside the box who was able to place the ball past Taranjeet. 1-0 to Bradford.
Whilst the Leeds heads did not drop, they were unable to break down the Bradford midfield and defence who were tigerish in the tackle, and who visibly grew in confidence after their goal.
As Leeds pushed forward, and shuffled the pack to play three at the back, it was Bradford who looked the more likely to score. In fact they should have had two more, as firstly a shot just passed the post, and secondly a shot actually hit the same post.
One had the feeling that an equaliser would see Leeds go on and win the game, but unfortunately, it was not to be and Bradford held on until the final whistle.
So, no Cup glory this year.
However, the league may be ours for the taking, and it would be rather nice that when we return to Bradford in a few weeks time we can secure the title in our league game against them
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