Fleetwood Town completed a comeback on Friday evening as they managed to come from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 at Highbury.
The Whites’ captain Charlie Cresswell opened the scoring in the first half through a header but a second half spree of chances not only brought Fleetwood back into the game, but also put them ahead with goals coming from Shayden Morris and Ged Garner.
The first chance of the game only took three minutes to come as Danny Andrew stood over a free-kick on the right-hand side and curled it towards the top right, but it went just over the crossbar.
Four minutes later, Max Clark played in a free-kick - again from the left – with Tom Clarke rising highest, heading it back across goal. Harrison Biggins did well to collect the ball and feed in Clark, whose shot went high and wide of the target.
Alex Cairns was called into action in the 10th minute as Stuart McKinstry found a yard of space out on the right-wing, pushed the ball to his right and tried his luck, forcing a good save out of the Town goalkeeper.
Ten minutes later, a shaky back pass from the Leeds backline took Dani Van Den Heuvel off guard as his clearance went straight to Clark who tried to clip the ball into an open net, but the keeper managed to get back and stop the shot.
The deadlock was broken soon after as Cresswell jumped highest from a corner and nodded the ball into the ground, eventually beating Cairns at his near post.
Cairns pulled off a brilliant save on the next attack as Crysensio Summerville just managed to keep the ball in play after a James Hill interception, cut inside and strike the ball on goal, with Cairns having pull off a diving save to his left.
Town then went back down the other end just after the half hour mark and won themselves a corner. Clark whipped it into a packed box, but Biggins’ header went just over.
It was end-to-end until the half-time break, with Morris and Brad Halliday having chances for Fleetwood, and McKinstry coming close for Leeds as well.
The Cods had three gilt-edged chances just before the break. The first was started by Callum Morton nicking the ball off Cody Drameh, before playing it across to Halliday, then Biggins, whos struck over from close range. Straight after, Callum Camps was through one-on-one, but his effort went wide of the mark.
Then, Morris stormed down the wing, playing Jordan Rossiter in 10-yards out, whose shot went wide of the mark, with Morton just out of reach of the missed shot.
With the first chance of the second half, Town drew level as Morris chased down a lobbed through ball, which the Leeds goalkeeper thought he had under control, but Morris nicked it off him and calmly finished to make it 1-1.
A crazy set of events happened at the hour mark as Rossiter was brought down in the box, earning Town a penalty, of which substitute Garner stepped and slotted home.
Fleetwood almost made it three just after as Anthony Pilkington found Paddy Lane in the box, who laid it off to Garner in the box, but his acrobatic finish was saved by Van Den Heuvel. Seconds later, Pilkington hit the post with a header, then Garner’s follow-up strike went just wide.
Town XI: Cairns (GK), Halliday (Lane 62’), Andrew, Clarke, Morton (Garner 46’), Camps (Pilkington 62’), Rossiter (C), Morris (Holgate 62’), Hill (Trialist 62’), Biggins, Clark.
Subs not used: Crellin (GK), Johnston, McMillan.
Leeds XI: Van Den Heuvel (GK), Drameh, McCarron, Forshaw (Bate 46’), Cresswell (C) (Moore 58'), Kenneh, Summerville, Jenkins, Dean, McKinstry, Miller (Paveda 46’).
Subs not used: Capile, Allen.