Mark Jackson reveals Leeds United first team message to under-23s and provides injuries update after Derby triumph

Jacksons young Whites approached Monday evening's Premier League Two Division One clash against the Rams sat in the division's relegation zone having not won in the league since September.

But the under-23s put that right on a freezing evening at York City's LNER Community Stadium as a stunning strike from Amari Miller and neat finish from Charlie Allen sealed a 2-0 victory that took Leeds out of the drop zone at Derby's expense.

The triumph followed Friday night's 2-1 win against Wigan Athletic in the Premier League Cup and Jackson said he used the cup game but also the achievements of Marcelo Bielsa's first team in preparation to take on the Rams.

Bielsa's Whites were missing ten players for Sunday's Premier League clash at West Ham yet left the capital with a superb 3-2 victory via Jack Harrison's first senior hat-trick.

Six Whites youngsters who sat on the bench against the Irons were then involved in the under-23s match day squad just over 24 hours later and Jackson said everything had worked together for a notable success.

"It was a really important victory for us," said Jackson.

"The lads are pleased in there.

"We managed to back up the performance and the result on Friday, I know it wasn't in the league, it was in the cup and we hoped it would give us some momentum going into it.

"I used the result from the first team as well and the feeling that they had down there at West Ham because a lot of the players were involved in that squad on the bench.

"I said you have got to capture that feeling you had after the game on Friday and capture the feeling what you experienced which would have been the feeling after the West Ham game and utilise that to go out and give a positive performance and I thought they did."

Rather in keeping with Sunday's victory for the first team, Monday night's triumph for the under-23s was achieved amidst the backdrop of yet more injuries.

Winger Stuart McKinstry was forced off in the early stages after taking a whack on the leg on the right hand touchline, the 19-year-old replaced by 15-year-old Archie Gray who himself then picked up a knock before being substituted during the break.

Asked for an injuries update, Jackson said: "There were a few cramping towards the end because the boys were working really hard, they were cramping towards the end but they are fine.

"Stuart has got a little knock on his leg and I think he had to have maybe a couple of stitches in, it hasn't been confirmed as yet.

"Archie took a bit of a knock on his ankle but some of them players we were going to have them enforced changes anyway.

"They were always down to play a set amount of minutes so hopefully they will recover quickly with them being knocks and things like that and be back in contention for the next game or when needed."

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