Leeds United Supporters' Trust: Youth talent gives us reasons to be optimistic about the future

The league cup dream may be over but despite the result, the performance of some of our young players is definitely something to celebrate and bodes well for the club’s future.
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The cup has really never suited us under Bielsa, despite all the success we’ve had since the Argentine arrived the League and FA cup have both consistently proven to be a thorn in the side.

This week, we had our EFL Cup run cut short by Arsenal at the Emirates.

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Despite the result, there were some bright sparks in the game as some of our young prospects got a chance to shine.

Cause for optimism: Cody Drameh made his debut against the Gunners. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Cause for optimism: Cody Drameh made his debut against the Gunners. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Cause for optimism: Cody Drameh made his debut against the Gunners. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

Cody Drameh in particular was given the opportunity to make his debut starting at right back, and put in a solid performance.

Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt also featured as with the injuries to our squad opportunities have begun to emerge for our youngsters who are looking to make the big step up to the first team.

Following on from the huge impact Gelhardt made after coming off the bench at the weekend, it’s clear that there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic about our current crop of young players.

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Leading into this weekend, the game against a struggling Norwich side could be exactly what we need to get us back on track.

It’s critical, however, that our squad shows exactly what they’re capable of and start to build momentum as some of our key players begin to return from injury. From the position we currently hold in the table, it only takes stringing a few good results together to feel much more comfortable.

Also this week, an enormous and brave step was taken in the fight for equality in football by Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo came out as gay. The lack of representation for LGBTQ+ people in football is alarming, as the sheer numbers show that it is almost certain that there are more players just like Josh who are, or have been, hiding their identity.

At the Trust we believe passionately that everyone should feel comfortable enjoying football as a fan, a player or otherwise regardless of their background and identity.

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Our friends over at Marching Out Together have been working passionately to combat the stigma surrounding LGBTQ+ identities in football for years now, and have helped to make Elland Road a much more comfortable place for those who identify as such.

We would like to extend our support for Josh, as so many others have done so far, and the courageous decision he has taken which will hopefully help to change the landscape for footballers who might be in a similar situation.

Adding your own voice to the Trust’s work is easy. Visit our new website at www.lufctrust.com and you can become a member for just £10 per year.

Marching on together.

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