Seventeen thousand Leeds United fans could be inside Elland Road by 7pm on Friday night and they won’t even be there to watch the first team. As Charlie Cresswell says, there really does seem to be no club like the Whites.
On Tuesday night, ticket sales for the Premier League 2 clash with Manchester City breached 16,000 and with another 72 hours to unfold before kick-off, hopes are high it will be a record-breaking attendance. Everton’s 17,525 of 2017 is the division record.
Cresswell is expected to captain Andrew Taylor’s side in the clash with the current league leaders, but it remains to be seen how many of Jesse Marsch’s younger first-team members are made available.
READ MORE: Leeds United support breaks 16,000 in ticket sales with under-23 record close
The under-23s will not take Friday’s atmosphere for granted, but they have become used to just how fanatical the United supporter base is, home and away, first team or not. Cresswell said: “No one's like Leeds.
“No one brings fans like Leeds. You see, even with the first team, home and away they're always there and even with the 23s. I remember the lads came back from Tottenham away and they were saying the Leeds fans there were just singing away. You're not going to get this anywhere else.
“For us, as a group, we can take it in and just appreciate the support we're getting because I don't think we're going to get it anywhere else.”
The 19-year-old has broken into the senior side for the first team this campaign, making his Premier League debut in front of more than 36,000 when Michail Antonio and West Ham United came to town last September. Four more top-flight outings have followed and he is well versed in big crowds now.
For any footballer aspiring to make it to the highest level, they will have to cross that bridge to big crowd and big pressure. Cresswell says there is no better time than on Friday night for this current crop.
“It's an experience footballers have got to get some point in their career, so if it comes on a 23s game on Friday night then so be it, but I can just help them by guiding them through the game and making that platform from the back and letting the attacking players go and do what they want upfield and l’m sure they'll get the crowd excited,” he said.
With two matches to play, United are third from bottom and four points clear of the drop zone, though Chelsea, one place behind them, have a game in hand. Leeds must play first-placed City and third-placed Arsenal.
Friday is more than just an attendance record attempt, it’s three points the club badly needs if it’s to keep its premier academy side at the top level of youth football in the UK.
Cresswell said: “Obviously, it's a massive game, not just for the 23s, [but] for the whole academy because obviously, we want to stay in that PL2 Division One. So if we can, no matter the performance, get the three points on Friday then job’s done.”
