Hat-tricks and 6-2 routs will not be on the menu every week for Leeds United’s under-21 contingent. Friday evening’s thrashing was a special encounter for all concerned, but it was not without its flaws.
After the game, Patrick Bamford could not resist his inner perfectionist in pointing out they should never have conceded the two late consolations Southampton put on the board. Bamford and the senior faces included in Michael Skubala’s side were dropped into Premier League 2 for valuable pitch time they have sorely lacked this term, but they were more than under-21 tourists stopping by for the week.
Bamford would later admit he got stuck into 18-year-old Darko Gyabi during the game for one oversight the teenager made. The striker gets on well with the former Manchester City youth and it was advice taken well, but underlined the role the senior heads play.
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“I try to help them as much as I can, even if it means I had a go at Darko on the pitch,” Bamford told LUTV. “I get on really well with him in the changing room, so he took it well, but I told him: ‘Sometimes you’ve got to put your foot through it and put a tackle in.’
“As I said, it’s part of the learning curve for all of them. These games, we come down to help them, but hopefully, we can show them what they need to do in some ways.”
The under-21s are next in action on September 30 when they host Stoke City, though it’s two days before the first team play Aston Villa, so senior faces are expected to be at a premium.
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