Leeds United Under-21s well beaten at Accrington Stanley in EFL Trophy

Leeds United's Under-21s were defeated in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening.
Accrington Stanley. (Getty)Accrington Stanley. (Getty)
Accrington Stanley. (Getty)

A young Leeds United Under-21s side were beaten 7-0 by League One outfit Accrington Stanley in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening.

The Whites sent what was essentially an Under-18s squad to Lancashire for the opening Group G clash of the competition as head coach Mark Jackson led his team out at the Crown Ground.

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Summer signing Charlie Allen was named captain for the encounter with Leeds' starting line-up and bench made up of 15, 16 and 17-year-old's.

United fell behind after just five minutes as a mix-up between Cooper Skerry and Aaron Pilkington allowed Tariq Uwakwe to slide the ball home into an empty net.

The Chelsea loanee - who joined Stanley on Monday - caused Leeds headaches down the left all night as Thorp Arch's youngsters battled hard much to their credit to make it a contest.

Cameron Burgess added a second on 14 minutes with a drilled finish from outside the box as Accrington asserted their dominance.

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United stopper Skerry was then forced off with a groin injury which saw Harry Christie step off the bench as his replacement.

The hosts, though, pressed on as Uwakwe bagged again with a calm finish which cannoned off the inside of the near post.

Dion Charles scored as did Ryan Cassidy, who met a cross with a firm header, to give John Coleman's men a five-goal cushion at the interval.

Despite the difficult circumstances Leeds continued to fight after the break and were unlucky to concede a sixth from a corner.

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Stanley towered over their counterparts as the ball was swung in and a header crashed back off the post with Cassidy in the right place to knock in the rebound unopposed.

Uwakwe rounded off the scoring on the night as he grabbed his hat-trick late on debut with a deflected effort which left Christy no chance.

Accrington Stanley: Savin, Hughes, Burgess, Sykes, Butcher (Sama 46), Allan, Cassidy (Scully 59), Uwakwe, Sangare, Conneely (C), Charles (Spinelli 46). Subs: Isherwood, Maguire, Barclay, Rodgers.

Leeds United Under-21s: Skerry (Christy 17), Galloway, Sutcliffe, Kachosa, Leverett, Moore, Mullen, Bray (Littlewood 78), Pilkington (Hughes 46), Allen (c), Dean. Subs: Chikukwa, Carole, Teale, Coleman.

Booked: Kris Moore (Leeds), Sam Leverett (Leeds), Max Dean (Leeds).

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