Leeds United Women v Barnsley – Whites keen to register double over the Tykes

Leeds United Women will battle with Barnsley to progress in the FA Cup tomorrow, and captain Bridie Hannon is expecting a tightly-contested Yorkshire derby.
Leeds United's Cath Hamill has held the fort well in the absence of captain Bridie Hannon. Picture: Steve Riding.Leeds United's Cath Hamill has held the fort well in the absence of captain Bridie Hannon. Picture: Steve Riding.
Leeds United's Cath Hamill has held the fort well in the absence of captain Bridie Hannon. Picture: Steve Riding.

The Whites have the chance to claim their first victory against Barnsley since May 2018 and eliminate the team that knocked them out of last year’s competition at the same stage, when the Tykes advanced with a tidy 3-0 win at Thorp Arch.

“We’re not going to take Barnsley lightly,” insisted Hannon.

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“When we play against them, it’s always quite a close contest. It could go either way.

Leeds United's Holly Findlay got on the scoresheet in the win over Stockport. Picture: Steve Riding.Leeds United's Holly Findlay got on the scoresheet in the win over Stockport. Picture: Steve Riding.
Leeds United's Holly Findlay got on the scoresheet in the win over Stockport. Picture: Steve Riding.

“We’re going to try and play our system. We like to play good football, but if we have to grind out a 1-0 win, I think we’ll take that.”

After missing the opening games with a back injury, the centre-half clocked her first minutes of the season on Sunday at Stockport, where an impressive defensive display and second-half goals from Holly Findlay and Olivia Smart earned the Whites a place in the third qualifying round.

“It was so good to be back in and among the team,” Hannon said of her return, then joked: “In all fairness, we’ve not had many bad results so far, so you almost question yourself – ‘are the team actually missing me?’

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“Cath [Hamill, vice captain] has been holding the fort brilliantly at the back, and we’ve kept two clean sheets on the trot so I thought ‘oh God, watch me come in and concede five!’.

ON TARGET: Leeds United Wome's 
Olivia Smart. Picture: Steve Riding.ON TARGET: Leeds United Wome's 
Olivia Smart. Picture: Steve Riding.
ON TARGET: Leeds United Wome's Olivia Smart. Picture: Steve Riding.

“The fact that we got a really good win against Stockport, who I think are one of the favourites to win the league, is amazing.”

With a host of postponed Division One North fixtures to catch up on, there was little time for Leeds to reflect on the strength of their Cup performance.

On Tuesday night they travelled to Bradford City, where the Bantams scored a late equaliser in boggy conditions to register their second point of the season.

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Tomorrow’s opponents are also struggling for form. Barnsley were averaging 2.7 points per game and set to take the 2019-20 title when the league was voided in March, but it’s been a different story for the Reds since the restart, suffering four defeats in their first five league matches.

The South Yorkshire side looked more convincing in the FA Cup, progressing via a 5-0 rout at tier six side Blyth Town, but tomorrow sees a derby game against a Leeds team who haven’t lost since the season opener back in September.

Whoever comes out on top, the teams will meet again next weekend for a Division One North clash which could see Leeds up to third place if successful.

Hannon said: “The league is more important. If I had to pick a game to lose, it’d be this weekend, and we’d win next weekend. It’d be amazing to get the double over them two weeks on the trot.”

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Leeds United Women face Barnsley tomorrow behind closed doors at Oakwell Academy, kick-off 2pm. The game will be available to stream at live.barnsleywomensfc.co.uk.

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