Leeds United season theme emerges again as Harrogate set example — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 12/1/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United's FA Cup win over Harrogate Town encapsulated the entire theme of the 2024/25 season.

Histon, Sutton and Crawley are names that this club would love to forget but constant reminders of just how badly things can go in the FA Cup. For Daniel Farke and a stronger squad than anyone was expecting him to name, the priority at Elland Road was simply to get the job done. Win and move on. Anything else was largely unthinkable.

With 68 places between the sides, there was considerable room for embarrassment and even with eight changes to the starting XI and two full debuts, the expectation was that Leeds should coast into the next round. That expectation was heightened by the total absence of youngsters on the fringe of the senior squad. Farke's bench was packed with experience and quality. This was the German showing no mercy to the League Two strugglers.

But a 1-0 win for the Whites, in which Harrogate showed no end of character and spirit, was not the one-sided beating that it could and should have been. At times it wasn't pretty or even pretty entertaining.

Leeds had chances and half chances in a first half they dominated. Largie Ramazani's pace troubled his markers when space opened up but his shooting troubled no one but the fans behind the goal in the South Stand. The traffic was not all one way, either. Josh March looped an effort goalward, testing Karl Darlow's concentration early on. Josuha Guilavogui allowed March to get the wrong side of him and a tangle of legs could so easily have prompted referee James Bell to point to the spot.

All over the park Leeds boasted technical and physical superiority. In individual match-ups they could more than reasonably be expected to come out on top nine times out of 10. Italian international Willy Gnonto was up against Warren Burrell, a player Harrogate signed from even further down the pyramid while they were still a non-league club.

But something Burrell's team-mate Jack Muldoon highlighted as a key for Harrogate before the game was evident in abundance. Personality. What they lacked in skill or speed compared with the white shirts running at them they more than made up for with collective and individual personality. They dug in, they threw themselves in the way of shots and crosses and they frustrated an array of attacking talent.

Only Manor Solomon created what could be called big chances for others with his inviting crosses. Mateo Joseph created for himself with a direct run at the defence and a shot that came back off the post. But as the sides went off at the break they were level.

The second half was even more of a slog, because Leeds were not as crisp as they could be on the ball or as canny as they needed to be trying to win it back. Pascal Struijk needed to make a vital challenge on Dean Cornelius, who got in on the right after Ethan Ampadu's pass was picked off.

Solomon continued to shine for Leeds and scorched the crossbar with a fierce, curling shot after he was found in the area by Sam Byram. Harrogate just wouldn't go away. Darlow was called on to make a fine stop to deny March when Ampadu's pass was blocked on the edge of his own area.

Even when Leeds hit the front thanks to Solomon's persistence, the quality of his cross and Ramazani being in the right place to nod home, Harrogate did not know they were beaten. March stole in behind Guilavogui and was thwarted by Darlow's quick reaction. Into the box came long throws, corners and free-kicks won in wide areas. Leeds saw it through, though. They scored once, hit the woodwork twice and avoided embarrassment, something so many have failed to do wearing the colours of this club in this competition.

The game furthered the fitness cause of players who needed minutes, allowed Farke to give Solomon a spin in a more central role and brought Ilia Gruev back into match action far earlier than anyone anticipated.

It was far from perfect. It wasn't even particularly impressive because of course a squad this talented should be winning a game against this kind of opposition. But they got the job done. That is what they must do in the Championship, too. Winning in style, whether it's a cup game or a league title, is always preferable and that is why there will be grumbles along the way - even when Farke is picking up wins or keeping an unbeaten run going. However Leeds simply must get promoted this season. They have to escape this league at the next possible opportunity. That is the be all and end all, for myriad reasons.

Harrogate will take heart and confidence from what they did at Elland Road. Leeds could take a leaf out of their book and show just as much personality in the rest of their season. This performance, outside of Solomon’s relentless desire to make something happen, did not boast a huge amount of that. Sometimes personality means digging in and defending for your life and sometimes it means taking a game or a one-v-one duel by the scruff of the neck. Leeds have players who are more than capable of doing that. And when you compare this squad to so many of those they come up against, it would be unthinkable for the season to end in any other way than a job done.