The Seasiders saw off a Leeds United Under 21 side in home action on Saturday.
A fantastic crowd of 1,096 supporters packed into the stadium on Saturday afternoon, creating a wonderful atmosphere for a thoroughly entertaining pre-season friendly. It proved to be a great afternoon of football for everyone in attendance, culminating in a brilliant 3-1 victory for Bridlington Town over a highly-rated Leeds United select outfit.
The match was an excellent team effort from front to back, with the Seasiders showing great chemistry early on. After a cagey opening 15 minutes—which saw a Leeds goal ruled out for offside—Bridlington began to assert their dominance. The breakthrough came when the tireless Toby Marriott outmanoeuvred his marker inside the area, drawing a foul and winning a penalty. Up stepped Ahmed Salam, who coolly converted from the spot to give the hosts a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Bridlington grew in confidence following the opener, playing some lovely fluid football. Ben Whelan saw a thumping volley from a Salam corner brilliantly batted away by the United goalkeeper, while Luca Bolino and Marriott continued to harass the Leeds backline with some great attacking combinations before the interval.
Leeds emerged for the second half with renewed intensity and caught the hosts cold just four minutes after the restart, tapping home a sharp, low drive at the near post to level the scores at 1-1. The game opened up dramatically from there as both managers rang the changes, giving plenty of squad players valuable minutes on the pitch. Marriott nearly restored Brid’s lead after out-muscling his marker, only to see his powerful effort denied by an inspired save from Leeds' substitute goalkeeper.
Defensively, Bridlington stood tall, and the referee kept tight control of the match, booking a Leeds winger for simulation after a tumble in the box. Moments later, the Seasiders came agonisingly close to a second when Joe Batty’s looping cross eluded the keeper and rattled off the crossbar, to the collective gasp of the superb 1,096-strong crowd.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 83rd minute with a moment of magic out of nowhere. Destiny collected the ball and unleashed a ferocious, bending strike that flew directly into the top corner.
While the visitors pushed for another equaliser, Bridlington’s teamwork paid off in stoppage time to seal the result. A quick break shattered the Leeds defensive line, allowing the ball to be squared perfectly into the path of Bridlington’s Trialist, who tapped into an empty net to complete the 3-1 scoreline. The final whistle capped off a stellar afternoon of football, leaving both sets of fans thoroughly entertained.
There is no rest for the Seasiders as they look to carry this winning momentum straight into another busy week of pre-season action. The squad goes again this coming Tuesday night with an away trip to face Tadcaster Albion, before returning to the HDM Energies Stadium on Saturday, August 1st, to host a Hartlepool United XI.
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