A week after making their long-awaited return to Premier League 2 action, Leeds United Under-21s play their first home league game in more than two months on Friday, as they face Stoke City Under-21s at Thorp Arch.
In their first PL2 match since November, Scott Gardner’s side represented themselves well, cruising to a 2-0 victory away to Reading U21s.
The Whites’ goals in that encounter came from Harry Gray and Rhys Chadwick, firing home in the second half to earn a thoroughly deserved three points in Berkshire.
The former’s performance followed a brace in the Whites’ final Vertu Trophy fixture against Accrington Stanley, before Leeds faced Gateshead and Borussia Dortmund II. He has since joined Sky Bet League One side Rotherham United on loan until the end of the season.
United ran out 3-0 victors on Tyneside in the National League Cup thanks to an Ollie Pickles double, before a very experienced BVB outfit proved too strong for a youthful Leeds team on European duties.
Gardner’s side have collected 14 points from their opening nine PL2 fixtures this term to sit 12th in the standings, just two points below 9th place Stoke.
The Potters have only lost once in their campaign and go into Friday’s encounter having beaten the likes of Chelsea and Sunderland.
Last time out, Stoke were forced to settle for a point against Crystal Palace, despite taking a two-goal lead courtesy of finishes from Adriel Walker and Favour Fawunmi.
The teams most recently met back in 2024, with Luca Thomas’ 61st minute penalty earning United a 1-1 draw at the bet365 Stadium.
Action from Thorp Arch gets underway at 1pm.
Victory over the Royals:
Supporter information:
The match is free to supporters wishing to attend at Thorp Arch. Kick-off is at 1pm from Thorp Arch Grange, Walton Road, Wetherby, LS23 7BA.
How to follow:
Subscribers to LUTV can watch the full match live, HERE. Highlights and post-match reaction will also be available after the full-time whistle.
Fans can stay right here on leedsunited.com to follow live blog updates throughout the 90 minutes, with a full match report and highlights available after the game has finished.
