11th January 2025. FA Cup Third Round
I expected this game to be tight (I predicted 3 - 2), not least because I’m sure the current Leeds squad is well aware of the demons we’ve suffered in recent years at this stage of the FA Cup and they would inevitably be nervous of a repeat. Once again, on the face of it we ought to have had far too much artillery for little Harrogate but, knowing we would rest many players and hence field a side largely unused to playing together, there was still scope for this to be yet another 3rd round embarrassment! Thankfully we avoided that.
Until recently, Harrogate had been having a decent run in the league too, albeit four defeats in their last half dozen games had seen them slip down the table. Nevertheless, they gave a performance, certainly defensively, that suggested they ought to now climb back to mid-table or better and they made it a tough evening for the Championship leaders.
The first half was mainly played in the Harrogate half in front of the South Stand but a well organised back-line dealt with most of what we threw at them. A weaving run and shot from Mateo Joseph was as close as Leeds would come in the first 45 minutes to breaking the deadlock, the Sulphurites’ keeper being beaten but the woodwork denying Joseph his glory moment. I remain sceptical that Mateo Joseph is going to cut it for Leeds, I’m just not sure he is either good enough or lucky enough. Harrogate had just one moment in the first half; early on Josh March got behind Josuah Guilavogui and, after a tangle of legs, March went to ground appealing for a penalty. It was denied but worth a shout but it perhaps showed that Josuah is probably not a likely starter again at centre back any time soon!
In the second half it was much the same, Leeds bossing the possession and firing in shots but most being blocked by the resolute visiting defence or narrowly missing the target. Numerous Leeds corners (11 in total) also failed to provide any real chances and it remains a concern that we can’t make more use of that weapon.
Manor Solomon, my Man of the Match, ought to have scored when he found himself free in the box after excellent work by Sam Byram on the left byline. Sam forced his way through a tackle, stopped the ball on the byline and touched it back to Solomon. Manor struck a fierce shot at goal only to see it rise and just graze the top of the crossbar. Then Harrogate had another rare sight of goal as James Daly charged down an attempted Ethan Ampadu clearance much like a prop forward might launch himself at a fullback’s kick for touch! The ball broke to Josh March and his first time shot was well saved by Karl Darlow low down to his right. Darlow didn’t have much to do today but looked confident and solid when he was called into action. It seems academic though as Daniel Farke has made it clear Illan Meslier remains his number one choice despite his recent rickets.
The breakthrough came in the 59th minute and again Manor Solomon was key to it. He went around the outside of the Harrogate back-line on the left, clipped the ball across and, for once the Sulphurites’ defence did look a little ‘League Two’ as they failed to track the tiny figure of Largie Ramazani who found space and time to plant a firm header past Belshaw in the visitors’ net. Leeds had a couple more sights of goal late on and looked far more likely to extend the lead when Dan James came on in the 78th minute, but it finished 1 – 0 with late minutes for Junior Firpo, Ao Tanaka, Joe Rodon and, most encouragingly, Ilia Gruev, back after his long injury absence.
Leeds did what they needed to do in progressing to the next round this evening and Daniel Farke will be pleased to have had the chance to get minutes into the likes of Guilavogui and Isaac Schmidt who both got senior debuts and several other players who have not been regular starters – Willy Gnonto, Largie Ramazani, Mateo Joseph and Karl Darlow in particular. I have to say that none of the fringe players really took the opportunity to persuade Farke that maybe they should be starting in the Championship and I think we could all now name the XI most likely to start when everyone is fit, give or take the conundrum as to which midfield pairing is our best option. Personally I’d not mess with the Tanaka/Rothwell combination which has got us to the top of the table but, my suspicion is, Farke will do everything possible to ensure Ethan Ampadu starts most games. Maybe the one exception is that Manor Solomon, often playing a more central role today, could be a better option at ‘10’ than Brenden Aaronson. Having said that Brenden has been improving his contribution game by game so that would be tough on him. Now we have the squad mostly fit – only our regular medical room occupant Patrick Bamford really missing - we do have plenty of options which can only be a good thing and it further suggests we won’t see many, if any, new faces in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window.
In summary, not a stellar performance from a largely second string Leeds starting XI, but job done and back to the real project next Sunday against the Owls.
Emirates FA Cup Third Round
Leeds United 1 (Ramazani 59’)
Harrogate Town 0
Leeds: Darlow (GK), Ampadu (C), Struijk (Rodon 65’), Rothwell (Tanaka 65’), Solomon (James 77’), Ramazani, Joseph, Guilavogui, Byram (Firpo 77’), Gnonto (Gruev 89’), Schmidt. Subs not used: Meslier (GK), Bogle, Aaronson, Wöber.
Harrogate: Belshaw (GK), Moon, Burrell (C), Cornelius (Taylor 72’), Daly (Duke-McKenna 83’), Sims (Asare 83’), O’Connor, Sutton (Dooley 77’), Muldoon (Folarin 71’), March, Morris. Subs not used: Oxley (GK), Daly, E. Solomon, Bray.
Venue: Elland Road
Attendance: 35,584 (3,951)
Referee: James Bell
Booked: Guilavogui (Leeds) Morris, Burrell (Harrogate)