On a cold and windy afternoon in Weetwood, Leeds University’s Men’s football team secured both wins against their competitors in the prestigious Christie Cup.
The 1pm kick-off saw the home side come up against Manchester in a game not short of drama. The visitors started with a 1-4-5 formation, pressing high up the pitch and not caring much about their defensive duties. In truth, they lacked organisation and seemed unable to take the game seriously. Leeds dominated the first half, and it was of no surprise when Jack Hayhurst put them ahead just five minutes in with a cheeky finish that found the bottom-left corner of the net.
Ben Henman was effective on the wing for Leeds, creating a plethora of chances for his team-mates up front. He managed to set up Lusungu Ndoui on 21 minutes, who scored an easy goal from inside the six yard box. With Leeds 2-0 up at half-time, it didn’t seem like Manchester had any hope of finding their way back into the game. Their fate was sealed when Leeds’ Archie Christie scored a sensational goal from the half-way line with the first touch of the second half. It was a phenomenal strike and Christie was mobbed by his teammates.
Manchester pulled one back to make it 3-1, but it proved merely to be a consolation. Leeds finished their demolition with another goal to make the final score 4-1.
However, their next match against Liverpool proved to be slightly more difficult. The visitors were organised in defence and kept the score at 0-0 up until the half way point. The second half kicked off with the away side having the greater attacking threat, but the Gryphons managed to sneak a goal through Ben Beard. He slotted home a shot that squirmed under the ‘keepers body and into the back of the net. With the score at 1-0, Liverpool brought it back to 1-1 with just ten minutes to spare; everything was still to play for. Yohan Kestenbaum put Leeds in the lead with a deflected cross that went straight into the bottom-right corner of the net. Lusungu Ndou, with seconds to spare, put the game to bed for the home side with a well-struck goal from inside the box.
The match finished 3-1 to Leeds, making the afternoon a success for the men’s footballers. With their two victories, they finished top of the table against their Christie Cup rivals.
Sam Oliver
Image courtesy of Tyron Louw