National League Cup Report: FC Halifax Town 3-0 Leeds United U21 | OneFootball

National League Cup

FC Halifax Town 3 (Devonport 26’, 52’, 80)

Leeds United U21 0

Halifax: Ford (GK), Adetoro, Cooke (C) (Cappello 70’), Mills, Bray (Harris 71’), Warburton, Jenkins, Turner-Cooke (Hugill 57’), Devonport (Hayes-Green 83’), Smith (Tarima 83’), Latty-Fairweather. Subs not used: Johnson (GK), Hmami.

Leeds: Mahady (GK), Firth (Philpott 71’), Lienou, Pickles (Brockie 56’), Howard, Howson, McDonald, Cresswell (C), Render, Douglas, White. Subs not used: Ombang (GK), Dudley, Matykiewicz.

Referee: Matthew McQuillan

Booked: Jenkins, Cappello (Halifax) (Leeds)

Venue: The Shay

Attendance: 524

A youthful Leeds United Under-21s side fell to defeat at the hands of an experienced FC Halifax Town in their third National League Cup group stage fixture.

Ahead of the clash in Calderdale, Scott Gardner made three changes to the team that faced Athletic Club B last time out in European action.

The boss welcomed Rory Mahady and Jayden Lienou back from international duty and handed a start to Logan White after the young attacker’s impressively taken goal against the Basque outfit.

The defending champions went into the encounter having collected three points from their opening two Group D encounters, notably beating Scunthorpe United 3-1 thanks to a Harry Gray hat-trick in Lincolnshire.

The hosts were keen to set the tempo early on as they rain swirled at the Shay with forward Owen Bray dragging a low effort wide of the upright from the edge of the area.

Owen Devonport was next to go close for Halifax, meeting an inventive delivery from the left though the striker was unable to trouble Mahady between the posts, before heading straight at the goalkeeper moments later.

The home side weren’t having it all their own way, however, and Lienou fired a timely reminder as he forced a good save from the retreating Nat Ford with a powerful drive from distance.

A blistering attack down the right flank then resulted in Josh McDonald cutting an inviting ball back for the onrushing full-back who was cruelly denied twice by the woodwork, initially leaving the foot of the post shaking with a low first-time effort before his follow up also cannoned off the upright.

The Shaymen took the lead just before the half-hour mark when Devonport, having squandered two earlier opportunities, glanced an in-swinging corner into the back of the net.

Mahady then had to be at his best to tip Jay Turner-Cooke’s whipped free kick over the bar but the Whites finished the opening period strongly, coming close to restoring parity when McDonald cut in from the right and saw a left-footed shot deflect narrowly wide.

HALF TIME: FC Halifax Town 1-0 Leeds United U21

Determined to find a leveller, United emerged from the interval unchanged and pressed intently from the off against the National League opposition.

That hope was quickly to be extinguished however as Devonport grabbed his second of the evening, heading home from a clever corner kick routine.

First activity from the bench then saw Devon Brockie introduced into the action, replacing Ollie Pickles as Gardner shuffled his midfield pack.

The substitute was immediately involved on the right, combining with Logan White before a dangerous low delivery flashed across the face of goal and away, with appeals for a handball in there waved away by referee Matthew McQuillan.

Moments later, an intricately threaded ball sent Jacob Render away as the attacker raced to latch onto Lienou’s pass. The youngster darted into the area and rounded Ford but, with the angle increasingly narrowing, the striker could only find the side netting.

The Whites then came even closer to halving the deficit as Render picked out Alfie Cresswell in space inside the area who forced a fine intervention from the Shaymen stopper.

Devonport claimed the match ball with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, profiting on a mistake at the back to add a third for the hosts.

Leeds round off their National League Cup group stage campaign with a trip to Tyneside to face Gateshead next month.

FULL TIME: FC Halifax Town 3-0 Leeds United U21