23-07-13: Stevenage (a) 3-0 (HT 0-0) Crowd (2,751)

Neither side could dominate in the early exchanges as defences dominated as both sides gave little away. It was fifteen minutes into the game before the home side created the first opening of the game but as quickly as Luke Freeman created it, Tom Lees closed it with a decisive block and five minutes later the same player was on hand to make a perfect challenge as Oumare Tounkara threatened. It took twenty-two minutes before Paddy Kenny was called into action to make a fine save to deny Jon Ashton. There were thirty minutes on the clock before United threatened when Dominic Poleon played in Paul Green but he was too high for the target. Soon afterwards Aidan White went on a twenty yard dribble in which he beat three men but Dominic Poleon could not get to his cross. In the last play of the first half Michael Brown forced Chris Day to make a great save to keep out his free-kick. United started the second half brightly and more good work from Aidan White saw David Norris shoot narrowly over. United were now starting to get on top and a Zac Thompson through ball found Dominic Poleon, but his shot was saved after ten minutes of the second half. More United pressure saw Luke Varney head narrowly wide. The introduction of Rodolph Austin and Ross McCormack in place of Paul Green and David Norris in the fifty-ninth minute sparked United even more into life. Good play by Zac Thompson saw Rodolph Austin continue the move and cross the ball for Luke Varney to gave United the lead with a header in the seventy-first minute. He doubled his tally five minutes later when he was put through and calmly slotted the ball past Day for United's second. He completed a nine minute hat-trick when he scored from the penalty spot after he had been brought down in the box in the eightieth minute. He left to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Noel Hunt in the eighty-first minute. Luke Murphy replaced Ross McCormack in the eighty-second minute, when he went off after taking a knock. The Leeds Unused Substitutes were: Alex Cairns, Stephen Warnock, Lee Peltier, Michael Tonge and Simon Lenighan. For the home side Jordan Burrow was replaced by Lee Hills in the sixtieth minute, Greg Tansey was replaced by James Dunne eight minutes later and Luke Jones gave way to Roarie Deacon in the seventy-fifth minute. Their Unused Substitutes were: Tony Thompson, Lucas Akins, Matthew Ball, Robin Shroot and Bruno Andrade. The Referee was Mick Russell (Hertfordshire) and the crowd 2,751.

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