Friendly Report: Shamrock Rovers 0 - 3 Leeds United

 

As expected given the close proximity of last night's 3-1 Dublin Derby win over bitter cross-city rivals Bohemians, Stephen Bradley opted to field a largely youthful Rovers starting eleven.

 

Leeds on the other hand fielded a team with no little shortage of experience in a bid to get rid of any remaining rustiness that may be left over from the close season.

 

That gulf in the age profile between the two sides would prove to be a telling factor in determining how this game panned out with the superior physicality of the Elland Road outfit being glaringly obvious throughout.

 

It was Leeds who drew first blood with Marcus Antonsson giving them the lead after just six minutes. Rovers were very much the main contributor to their own downfall in this instance as debutant Aaron Bulger hesitated on the ball just inside his own half and was cheaply dispossessed by Ronald Viera.

 

Viera then drove toward the home side's box and squared for Antonsson who made no mistake in sticking the opener past the hapless Barry Murphy.

 

Less than fifteen minutes later Rovers were almost their own worst enemies again. On this occasion it was goalkeeper Murphy who gifted Leeds a chance with a sloppy clearance that fell into the path of Antonsson who teed up his strike partner Chris Wood inside the area.

 

Wood swiveled and found space to get a shot away but thankfully for Rathfarnham native Murphy, the United number nine's effort cracked off the woodwork.

 

But it wouldn't take long for a second to come for Leeds. With little over half an hour on the clock, Jordan Botaka's blocked shot found its way into the path of Wood who was closely courted by Trevor Clarke. 

 

Unfortunately for the ex-St Kevin's Boys schoolboy, referee Rob Rogers adjudged him to have raised a high foot on Kemar Roofe. New Zealand international Wood was the man entrusted with slotting home the spot-kick and that he duly he did to double the Yorkshire club's advantage.

 

Stephen Bradley's men – who had failed to threaten Garry Monk's side's goal in any real meaningful manner with the exception of a Gareth McCaffrey snapshot which sailed just wide of Rob Green's right-hand post not long after Antonsson opened the scoring – looked deflated after the visitors grabbed their second and could very well of been even further in arrears before the half was out. 

 

One man who was proving to be particularly troublesome for them was United's new acquisition from Oxford United, Roofe. 

 

A mazy run down the left flank saw the 23-year-old pull the ball back for Antonsson who blazed over from close range whilst just two minutes later he nearly finished off the first period by notching a goal of his own. 

 

With just a minute to go before the interval, the former West Brom trainee cut inside and curled the ball toward the far corner but again the frame of the goal came to the hosts' rescue.

 

Leeds started the second-half in similarly dominant fashion and just moments after a Matt Grimes pile driver rattled the Square End crossbar, the Championship side increased their cushion to three with Bamba crossing for Antonsson to head home and complete his brace.

 

Leeds made nine changes for the final thirty minutes and with that – perhaps sensing there may have been a degree of vulnerability in the opposition given their dramatic change of personnel – Bradley's young charges threw caution to the wind in an approach that yielded mixed results. On the one hand they began posing more of a threat whilst in possession than they had been but on the other, they could of well found themselves on the end of an even bigger losing margin.

 

Substitute Hadi Sacko – who proved to be a thorn in Rovers' side following his introduction in place of Roofe – had a triad of clear cut chances but thanks to the heroics of Murphy and his replacement Michael Quinn, the Hoops were saved from enduring what could have been a much heavier drubbing.

 

 

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy (Michael Quinn 74); Shane Hanney (Eoghan Morgan 45), David Webster (Cian Collins 74), Darragh Gibbons (Harry Cornally 74), Trevor Clarke (Eoin Stokes 45); James Doona (Jamie Hamilton 64), Richard Purdy (Richie English 64), Gary McCabe, Aaron Bulger (Sean Callan 64), Gareth McCaffrey (Jamie Aherne 51); Sean Boyd (Dean Dillon 51).

 

Leeds United (First 60 Mins): Rob Green; Alex Purver, Kyle Bartley (Paul McKay 45), Sol Bamba, Charlie Taylor; Jordan Botaka, Matt Grimes, Ronald Viera, Kemar Roofe (Hadi Sacko 45); Marcus Antonsson, Chris Wood.

Leeds United (Final 30 Mins): Ross Turnbull; Lewie Coyle, Paul McKay, Toumani Diagouraga, Tyler Denton, Kalvin Phillips; Hadi Sacko, Luke Murphy, Alex Mowatt; Eoghan Stokes, Souli Doukara.

 

 

Referee: Rob Rogers.

Attendance: 4000 (estimate).

Extratime.ie Player of the Match: Kemar Roofe (Leeds United).