Byram sits out as Austin gears up for first run-out
YEP 12/7/13
by Phil Hay
Rodolph Austin will make his first pre-season appearance for Leeds United on Saturday – but Sam Byram’s return to action looks set to be delayed again.
Austin has been pencilled in for a 30-minute outing against FC Domzale, ending a period of recuperation enforced by Brian McDermott after the midfielder’s run of international appearances last month.
Jamaica’s national coach used Austin repeatedly during the first fortnight of June, days before Leeds were due to start pre-season training, and McDermott was anxious to protect a player whose first season at Elland Road was affected by injury.
Austin arrived at Leeds last summer in a £300,000 transfer from SK Brann, moving to England in the middle of the Norwegian season and playing on without a concerted break.
He suffered a cracked ankle bone during a 6-1 defeat to Watford in November but returned just five weeks later, despite initial fears that his recovery would run deep into the second half of the term.
Austin ended the campaign with a three-match suspension – two games of which will be carried into the new season – but was promptly called up by Jamaica for a series of World Cup qualifiers.
The 28-year-old attended last Saturday’s match at Farsley and flew to Slovenia with United’s squad on Monday morning but McDermott declined to use him at Throstle Nest and also left him out of Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Pomurje in Murska Sobota.
But Leeds contest the second match of their foreign tour tomorrow evening, playing top-flight side Domzale at the Domzale Sports Park, and McDermott said: “Rudy will play a part in the game.
“We’ve been protecting him because he has had a lot on this summer and I did tell him that he might play five or 10 minutes on Wednesday but I’ll probably play him for half an hour tomorrow.
“I’ll play one team for an hour, the other for 30 minutes. Then we’ll change it around for the following game.”
Byram is still receiving treatment on a hip injury and is more likely to feature in next Tuesday’s match against Hungarian side Ferencvaros, another game which takes place at the Fazanerija Stadium in Murska Sobota. Goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown is a confirmed absentee for the clash with Domzale.
McDermott, however, was pleased to see new signing Luke Murphy complete his first concerted pre-season outing during Wednesday’s win over Pomurje.
Murphy featured in a dominant first half, contributing to a one-sided contest in which Matt Smith, Noel Hunt and Dominic Poleon all scored for Leeds.
McDermott said: “You could see that he’s a good player.
“He spreads the ball around, he can see a pass and when we start getting him forward as well he’ll score goals. He’s a good acquisition.”
by Phil Hay
Rodolph Austin will make his first pre-season appearance for Leeds United on Saturday – but Sam Byram’s return to action looks set to be delayed again.
Austin has been pencilled in for a 30-minute outing against FC Domzale, ending a period of recuperation enforced by Brian McDermott after the midfielder’s run of international appearances last month.
Jamaica’s national coach used Austin repeatedly during the first fortnight of June, days before Leeds were due to start pre-season training, and McDermott was anxious to protect a player whose first season at Elland Road was affected by injury.
Austin arrived at Leeds last summer in a £300,000 transfer from SK Brann, moving to England in the middle of the Norwegian season and playing on without a concerted break.
He suffered a cracked ankle bone during a 6-1 defeat to Watford in November but returned just five weeks later, despite initial fears that his recovery would run deep into the second half of the term.
Austin ended the campaign with a three-match suspension – two games of which will be carried into the new season – but was promptly called up by Jamaica for a series of World Cup qualifiers.
The 28-year-old attended last Saturday’s match at Farsley and flew to Slovenia with United’s squad on Monday morning but McDermott declined to use him at Throstle Nest and also left him out of Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Pomurje in Murska Sobota.
But Leeds contest the second match of their foreign tour tomorrow evening, playing top-flight side Domzale at the Domzale Sports Park, and McDermott said: “Rudy will play a part in the game.
“We’ve been protecting him because he has had a lot on this summer and I did tell him that he might play five or 10 minutes on Wednesday but I’ll probably play him for half an hour tomorrow.
“I’ll play one team for an hour, the other for 30 minutes. Then we’ll change it around for the following game.”
Byram is still receiving treatment on a hip injury and is more likely to feature in next Tuesday’s match against Hungarian side Ferencvaros, another game which takes place at the Fazanerija Stadium in Murska Sobota. Goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown is a confirmed absentee for the clash with Domzale.
McDermott, however, was pleased to see new signing Luke Murphy complete his first concerted pre-season outing during Wednesday’s win over Pomurje.
Murphy featured in a dominant first half, contributing to a one-sided contest in which Matt Smith, Noel Hunt and Dominic Poleon all scored for Leeds.
McDermott said: “You could see that he’s a good player.
“He spreads the ball around, he can see a pass and when we start getting him forward as well he’ll score goals. He’s a good acquisition.”
