Tough test for under-23s against league leaders
Following last week’s disappointing defeat at Bournemouth in the Premier League Cup, it’s a return to league action this afternoon and what looks set to be a tough game for our under-23s against current northern group leaders Leeds United.
After eight games this season, Leeds have a two point lead at the top having lost only once. That defeat came two and a half weeks ago at Bolton, but they’ve won five of their games with those victories coming against Coventry, Millwall, Cardiff, Bristol City and Nottingham Forest.
Since the defeat at Bolton, they’ve beaten Nottingham Forest at home but last Friday fell to a 2-0 defeat at Southampton in the Premier League Cup.
Our start to the season could be described as average; we’ve won four and lost four of our eight league games. Only two of those games have been played away from home, at Coventry and QPR and both have ended in defeat after we’d gone 2-0 up.
Goals from Nahki Wells and Christian N’Guessan took us two goals clear at Coventry before we fell to a 4-2 defeat and we lost 3-2 at QPR after we’d gone 2-0 up with goals from Ali Koiki and Rob Harker.
Christian N’Guessan and Ali Koiki are both available again today having served three match bans brought about by the red cards they received in the 2-0 win against Bolton at Curzon Ashton. Koiki, I expect, will feature but N’Guessan might not be ready having received his red card as he was stretchered off with an ankle injury that, thankfully, was not as bad as feared.
This fixture last season was played at Leeds’ Thorp Arch training ground and ended in a 2-1 defeat with Dan Agyei (pictured) scoring our goal in his first appearance having returned from a loan at Walsall.
Today’s game, however, which kicks off at 1 p.m., will be played at Elland Road.
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