There will have been no one prouder of what he saw from Leeds United’s youngsters on Tuesday night than under-23s manager Mark Jackson.
Since his appointment last summer following Carlos Corberán’s exit to Huddersfield Town, he has played a key role in establishing the young Whites as one of the country’s best academy sides.
And that came to fruition yesterday for Leeds, as four of the club’s youngsters played key roles in helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side progress through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup for the first time under his tenure.
Stuart McKinstry and Joe Gelhardt were both handed their first team debuts from the bench, while Crysencio Summerville was making his first start for the club after his brief cameo appearance in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United on Friday night.
Under-23s captain Charlie Cresswell also made his second start for the Whites, and first in almost a year, putting in a performance way beyond his years to help Leeds secure only their second clean sheet of the season.
The contributions didn’t stop there either, as after the two side’s could not be split after 90 minutes of football, the game was sent to penalties.
With the shootout locked at 4-4 after six spot kicks each, it was down to the teenaged duo Gelhardt and McKinstry to step up.
And step up they did. Both players emphatically dispatched their penalties to send Leeds to the next round of the competition, with a helping hand from Illan Meslier who made the decisive save to deny Rodrigo Muniz low to his left.
Following the conclusion of Tuesday night’s events, Jackson could not hide his pride on Twitter at what he had just seen.
He said: “Proud. Together as a whole club we grow.”
Next up for Jackson's under-23s side is a Premier League 2 clash against Blackburn Rovers at York City's stadium on Friday evening.
