By Joe Baker
Birmingham 1-1 Leeds United: Young stars on show as Leeds forge comeback
Leeds United made a second-half comeback as Caretaker manager Neil Redfearn earned a point in his second match in charge.
The hosts Birmingham largely dominated the opening 45 minutes and took the lead through Wes Thomas after a neat interchange down the left.
There was a delay to the restart however, as Thomas’s shot broke the net and forced thegrounds men on to repair it. There was 9 subsequent minutes added time, and it was Thomas again who had a shot blocked, as the hosts attempted to build momentum going into the break.
Leeds were much improved in the second half with Mowatt and Cook leading the charge from midfield. Redfearn made two substitutions, bringing off Sloth and the peripheral Sharp, for Austin and Doukara respectively.
It was Mowatt who equalised for Leeds finding space inside the box before slotting home a well-placed shot. The match opened up from then on and Birmingham brought on youngster Gray who immediately set the game alight producing a shot. He then went on a mazy run, using his pace before going down inside the penalty area, but the referee deemed it to be a dive and he was booked.
It was the young stars who made an impact on this match, with Cook and Mowatt looking composed, along with Birmingham’s Gray who looks to be a hot prospect for the future. Both managers will be satisfied with a point, with Redfearn ever the more so after a poor first half.