UNITED STUNNED BY THE STAGS

UNITED STUNNED BY THE STAGS

Two Liam Hearn goals send United packing...

MANSFIELD 2 (Hearn 71, 83), UNITED 0.

Mansfield: Trialist, Sutton, Dempster, Riley, Beevers, Murray, Heslop, Trialist, Bell, Palmer, Fisher. Subs. Trialist, Bell, Masrden, McGuire, Clements, Rhead, Hearn, Trialist.

United:

First 60 Minutes:
S Taylor, Byram, Pearce, Wootton, Warnock, Austin, Murphy, White, Hunt (Bianchi 15), Walters (Poleon 25), Smith. Sub. Berardi.

Final 30 Minutes: Silvestri, Thompson, Lees, Killock, C Taylor, Bianchi, Tonge, Cook, Norris, Morison, Doukara.

Referee: Gary Sutton.

Att: 3,493 (Leeds 923)

United head coach David Hockaday opted to play two Leeds XIs once again as his side made the short trip south to face Mansfield Town. Hockaday chose the same two Leeds XIs but the team that finished the game against Guiseley on Saturday started this time around. United also named two substitutes in the form of Dominic Poleon and new signing Gaetano Berardi.

Both teams started the game brightly but there were no real chances on goal during the opening 20 minutes of the match at the One Call Stadium. United were dealt an injury blow after the quarter-hour mark when Noel Hunt was forced to be withdrawn after receiving treatment on his right leg. Tommaso Bianchi replaced the injured striker.

United were dealt a further injury blow 10 minutes later when Lewis Walters dropped to the ground and needed treatment on an injured leg. The striker tried to continue but needed to be replaced and Poleon came on to partner Matt Smith in the United attack. But before Walters left the pitch through injury he sent a header wide of the mark from an Aidy White corner.

It took until the 40th minute of the game for the first meaningful chance on goal when Fergus Bell latched onto a loose ball on the egde of the United box. The midfielder's strike went just wide of Stuart Taylor's right hand post. This was closely followed by the home side having another chance before the break but Alex Fisher put too much on his chipped effort and it went over the crossbar.

Those two chances for the home side sparked United into life during the final minutes of the half and Bianchi went close to getting his first goal in English football. Sam Byram made space on the right-hand side and crossed for the Italian but he turned the ball wide of the upright.

Prior to the 60 minute mark when David Hockaday made the switch in personnel United had a great chance to take the lead. Luke Murphy played a great through-ball for Smith, but the trialist goalkeeper made a good save from the striker's shot to keep the scores level.

United's second Leeds XI of the evening found themselves behind after 11 minutes of football after Marco Silvestri committed a foul in the penalty area. Liam Hearn stepped up for the home side and sent United's new keeper the wrong way to give his side the lead.

United responded well to going behind and following a Zac Thompson cross David Norris sent a header over the crossbar. United threatened minutes later but Michael Tonge's final cross was cut out before it could reach it's intended target.

But in the 83rd minute of the game United were further behind when Hearn grabbed his second of the evening and doubled Mansfield's lead. The striker capitalised on a defensive mix-up at the heart of United's defense and coolly knocked the ball passed the onrushing Silvestri.

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