Charlie Cresswell reveals Elland Road impact after Leeds United Under 23s claim vital victory

Charlie Cresswell was delighted by the impressive crowd of Leeds United fans who came to Elland Road to support the Under 23s for their PL2 clash with Liverpool on Monday night.
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Eight thousand six hundred and fifty six fans flocked to LS11 to watch Mark Jackson's side beat Liverpool 3-0 to pull clear of the PL2 drop zone.

Jack Jenkins gave Leeds a first-half advantage before Crysencio Summerville won two penalties in the final ten minutes to seal three crucial points for the Whites.

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The winger converted the 81st-minute spot-kick after Owen Beck, on a yellow card, was sent off for bringing him down in the box.

Max Dean netted the second penalty to round off a superb display from the academy side, who moved up to 11th place in the Premier League 2 Division 1 table.

The night saw a return to action for Under 23s skipper Charlie Cresswell, who has been out of action for eight weeks after injuring himself in training.

The captain was thrilled to play ninety minutes in front of a vocal home crowd.

Leeds United Under 23s captain Charlie Cresswell. Pic: Lewis Storey.Leeds United Under 23s captain Charlie Cresswell. Pic: Lewis Storey.
Leeds United Under 23s captain Charlie Cresswell. Pic: Lewis Storey.

"In front of the fans today, it was mint," Cresswell said.

"They all got up and started singing, I loved it.

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"I was looking around like that [smiling], I was like 'Charlie, switch on now, come on.' It was really good."

The Whites have struggled to find form this season, having moved up a league after taking the PL2 Division 2 title last April.

Whites fans gather to watch Leeds United Under 23s play at Elland Road. Pic: LUFC.Whites fans gather to watch Leeds United Under 23s play at Elland Road. Pic: LUFC.
Whites fans gather to watch Leeds United Under 23s play at Elland Road. Pic: LUFC.

Cresswell, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since December, was happy to mark his comeback with a win and a strong team performance.

"We've been looking for a win for a while now so it was good today to get a win," the 19-year-old said, "especially in front of all of these [supporters] and to keep a clean sheet was even better.

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"The fans helped us but I thought we did really well from start to finish.

"I was dusting off my rust to start with, the first 30 minutes were a bit rusty.

Leeds United Under 23s head coach Mark Jackson. Pic: Bruce RollinsonLeeds United Under 23s head coach Mark Jackson. Pic: Bruce Rollinson
Leeds United Under 23s head coach Mark Jackson. Pic: Bruce Rollinson

"But apart from that I thought we carried out [our task] throughout the game solid.

"I thought we finished the game, we dug in and it was amazing to do that, getting a win in front of the fans."

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This season, Jackson's side will return to play at Elland Road for fixtures against Manchester United, Manchester City, and Crystal Palace in March and April.

Cresswell described what it meant to bag a crucial win in front of the home crowd in LS11.

"It gives us a massive boost," Cresswell told LUTV.

"We love coming to Elland Road. It gives us a much better feeling than playing at Thorp Arch.

"We love it and we'll always give 100% no matter what or where it is."

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