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Leeds United Reserves	1 - 0	Newcastle United Reserves
Half time:	0 - 0
Score Sheet:
McMaster (2)
	Teams
Paul Robinson Frazer Richardson Tom Newey Olivier Dacourt Michael Duberry Lucas Radebe Stephen McPhail Jacob Burns Craig Farrell Jamie McMaster Harpal Singh		Adam Collin Ryan McGuffie Wayne Quinn David Cowan Peter Ramage Jamie McClen James Coppinger Stuart Green Carl Cort Michael Chopra Bradley Orr
Substitutes:
Simon Johnson for Dacourt (68) Paul Keegan for Farrell (68)		Andy Ferrell for Coppinger (60) Richard Offiong for Green (71)
Subs not used:
Shane Candsell-Sherriff Danny Milosevic Matthew Killgallon Martin Cramer Larry Farren		Carl Bell
Bookings:
Referee:  CN Harwood
Attendance: est. 1,300.

2 mins Disaster after just 100 seconds. Ryan McGuffie was beaten by Singh on the left, his low cross was missed by both Adam Collin and Peter Ramage and Jamie McMaster knocked in from close range. 0-1

Half time: Leeds 1 Newcastle Reserves 0 

Full time: Leeds 1 Newcastle Reserves 0 

Tommy Craig commented:

" We let ourselves down."

"It was a flat performance, we never really got started - we never got hold of the game at any time.

"We gave away a very bad goal and there's an overall feeling of disappointment. In 23 league games we've been a match for almost everybody yet last night we never got hold of the game.

"I'm not that angry, I'm more disappointed. We have shown ourselves to be as good as anybody but last night we were second best. It's difficult to come up with an explanation as only one side had a chance of winning something."

"Unfortunately their experience won the day for them - I thought Olivier Dacourt ran the show in midfield.

"We never got control of the game and it's the only time this season I've said that. I'm just disappointed we've not made Manchester United work for the title, we've just handed it to them.

"We looked like giving goals away in the first-half and we never looked like scoring. If you add those two together you get what you deserve, a defeat. They've been magnificent all season but last night I felt we let ourselves down."

Midfielder Stuart Green spoke:

"We didn't perform on the night - I don't know why as all the lads wanted to win the title. It was a disappointing way to end the season."

Newcastle blew their title hopes on a chilly night at Elland Road, as they conceded an early goal and never remotely looked like making a game of it in the following 88 minutes.

Indeed, while Paul Robinson was a virtual spectator in the home goal, at the other end U17 keeper Adam Collin was called into action frequently as Leeds sought to press home their advantage, making five decent stops in the first half.

by contrast Robinson touched a Green effort from distance away for a corner and watched Chopra screw his shot wide when well placed on the right side of the area.

Tommy Craig was denied the services of Steve Caldwell and Brian Kerr, who were both away at a Scotland training camp, and although Cort and Elliott were drafted into bolster the side, the latter took ill before the squad left Tyneside and didn't travel.

Also missing were alleged injury victims Griffin and Marcelino, while the threatened runout for fit-again Karelse didn't happen, our nominal U17 keeper Collin deservedly keeping his place.

All in all very disappointing, as was the cub reporter sent by the Journal who was incapable of spotting that Robbie Elliott didn't play and wasn't even at Elland Road.

Of course Teamsquawk were happy to steal the same incorrect team for their shambles of a report. Most baffling of all, the official Leeds website even cribbed our post-match summary for their own effort.

We therefore must content ourselves with second place in what has been an entertaining season, even taking account the frequent inclement weather at Kingston Park that dogged supporters and players alike.

Manchester United take the title with one game remaining (at home to Leeds), and Tommy Craig is left to reflect on what might have been. A golden opportunity was thrown away in the previous game at Villa when we couldn't score and fell to a late sucker punch, but if anything cost us glory it was dropped points at home.

Despite having an uninspired season, Leeds beat us home and away thanks to goals from McMaster, while the meek surrender to both the mackems and smoggies on home soil was only partly avenged by victories on their middens.

On a personal note, having just completed a second full season of watching the lads home and away, this has been far more enjoyable than the previous campaign. Right from early season jaunts to unfamiliar grounds at Morecambe and Southport, through to frost-bitten visits to the Reebok and a much-celebrated victory on Wearside, it's been a good laugh. And then there was the glorious futility of the away game in Huelva....    

Highlight of the season: the home victory over Liverpool - for a good team performance enjoyed by a large (4,000) crowd. Played at St.James', the rightful home of the reserves. 

This just beats the away game against Liverpool when we came back from 0-2 down to 2-2, before conceding a heartbreaking late winner. Although we got nothing from a game played in a downpour, the level of skill and commitment was seldom if ever seen at this level of football.

PS - cheers to everyone who has come up and said hello at the games, as well as those who sent in reports etc. Thanks also to those journalists who assisted with info and transport etc. and Mr and Mrs Greaves for late night lifts from the station.

Biffa 

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