Leeds United Under-18s sealed their place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-2 win over Accrington Stanley at Thorp Arch. The Whites will now travel to south London next month to take on AFC Wimbledon in the fourth round of the prestigious competition.
Scott Gardner’s side had to come from behind to see off Accrington after going 2-0 down in the contest thanks to goals from Jack Massey and Calvin Harper. However, Max McFadden struck just before half-time to give Leeds a lifeline going into the second half and that gave the hosts the impetus to go on and win the tie.
Marley Wilson equalled the scores early in the second half and a Ben Andreucci penalty in the 90 th minute was enough to seal progression in the cup. Here’s a look at three players who caught the eye on the night.
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Cian Coleman
The midfielder seems to be on the verge of a breakthrough into the Under-21s side at present and on the back of his performance against Accrington, it’s not hard to see why. Coleman skippered the Whites on the night and while he managed to showcase his leadership and temperament, he also underlined the class he possesses in the middle of the park.
Sitting in the pocket, Coleman could be seen picking passes across the field with relative ease. Whether it was a sprayed pass out to a winger, or a perfectly weighted throughball, Coleman had a say in most things Leeds did well on the night and he certainly seemed to enjoy himself alongside Charlie Crew.
He relished the physical side of the game, too, particularly when the game started to heat up in the second half. The 18-year-old has made three appearances for the U21s this season and he’ll be keen to establish himself over the second half of the campaign and take the next step in his career.
Marley Wilson
Wilson had a relatively quiet first half at Thorp Arch, struggling to get involved as the visitors took control of the contest early. However, he sparked into life after the break following a coming together with Jack Massey and a couple of other Accrington players.
That melee seemed to fire him up and he spent the rest of the game terrorising Harvey Monk down the left wing. He worked the keeper on a couple of occasions, cutting in off his flank and stinging the palms of Max Clayton with his efforts.
After forcing a corner in the 55 th minute, Wilson was the man to bag the equalising goal as he nodded McFadden’s set-piece into the back of the net. The 17-year-old has been a key man for the U18s this season and he now has three goals in all competitions.
Max McFadden
The attacker was arguably Leeds’ brightest in the first half against Accrington, attempting to make things happen and creating chances for the likes of Connor Douglas and Ben Andreucci. However, it was his set-piece delivery that stood out most and he found Leeds’ opener with a free-kick on the edge of the area.
The effort took a slight deflection off the wall to beat Clayton, but it was a goal that gave Leeds something to build on in the second half. He nearly set up another moments later as Andreucci directed his free-kick onto the bar.
McFadden, who joined Leeds from Colchester United last summer, then claimed an assist when Wilson nodded home his corner, before winning the penalty that Andreucci would coolly dispatch to seal the win.
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