Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Leeds United.

The Opposition

Sutton manager Steve Morison will be well aware of his opponents in the final, having appeared 41 times for Leeds United between 2013 and 2015.

One of the most renowned academies in the country, the Whites have produced and developed exceptional talent from their youth setup, and have notably overseen the starts to a number of international footballers’ careers, including James Milner, Kalvin Phillips and Aaron Lennon, while more recently, they were able to make around £40 million for academy graduate Archie Gray, who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur after two years in their first team.

As for the current crop of young Leeds players, they have enjoyed a successful campaign under manager Scott Gardner, and are set to pose a tough test for the U’s in the inaugural final of the National League Cup.

Under the guidance of their Luxembourg-born manager, the Whites have risen from a 24th place finish in the Premier League 2 last term to a 17th place finish this time out, missing out on the play-offs by just two points but nonetheless adding some crucial development to their ranks.

Leeds have also enjoyed a run to the final in the first ever National League Cup, having finished second in the group stage with two wins from their four games along with one draw and one defeat, and were bettered only by Newcastle United who topped the group on goal difference.

The Whites subsequently overcame Group A winners Aldershot Town to advance into the semi-finals, where goals either side from Diogo Monteiro and Josh McDonald were enough to secure their passage into the final over Altrincham, despite Justin Amaluzor striking with 24 minutes to go to set up a nervy finale to proceedings.

Nonetheless, Leeds managed to get within one win of silverware and will take plenty of confidence into it having lost just two of their last ten games, although they will be keen to return to winning ways after losing out on a play-off spot in the Premier League 2 after losing and drawing their final two games of the season.

Recent Form

Liverpool 1-1 Leeds United

Leeds United 0-2 Middlesbrough

Altrincham 1-2 Leeds United

Leeds United 2-2 Manchester United

Sunderland 3-0 Leeds United

Aldershot Town 1-3 Leeds United

The Manager

Scott Gardner

Luxembourg-born former defender Scott Gardner has taken charge of the Leeds Under-21’s for a number of years now, having previously coached the Under-18 side.

A former Leeds academy product, Gardner enjoyed a short playing career that saw him turn out once for the Whites’ First Team, before departing Elland Road in 2009 for Mansfield Town following brief loan spells at Farsley Celtic. He would spend a year with the Stags, appearing 12 times, but departed for Eastwood Town on loan midway through the campaign, before exiting the One Call Stadium permanently at the end of the season.

The England youth international later returned to Leeds as a coach in 2012, initially coaching the Under-18’s where he oversaw the development of a number of players, who have now progressed into the Under-21s set-up. He later stepped up to the Under-21’s after Michael Skubala was appointed as manager of Lincoln City, and took the reins alongside former England midfielder Stewart Downing, overseeing the Whites’ rise towards the play-off places in the Premier League 2.

One to Watch

Rhys Chadwick

Top scorer Rhys Chadwick has impressed throughout the campaign so far, and was rewarded for his form with his first professional contract with the club at the start of the season.

Chadwick had penned a two-year deal at Elland Road and has continues his development at Thorp Arch, an integral part of Rob Etherington’s Under-18s side that reached the FA Youth Cup final last season, notably grabbing a brace in the quarter-final victory over Liverpool, before again scoring at Elland Road as Leeds overcame Millwall in the final four.

An attacking midfielder by trade, he was subsequently promoted to the Under-21 side despite being just 17 years old at the time, starting a number of matches at the end of their Premier League 2 campaign before taking this form into the current campaign.

He has featured 19 times in the competition this term along with two appearances in the FA Youth Cup, whilst also playing every minute in the Whites’ run to the final of the National League Cup.

With a team-high six goals to his name in the Premier League 2, he has also added four in the National League Cup with goals against Gateshead and FC Halifax Town in the group stage, before notching a brace in the Quarter-Final against Aldershot Town, and will no doubt be a huge threat at the heart of Leeds’ attacking play once more.

Last Time We Met

While the U’s will face off against Leeds’ Under-21’s, they have previously competed twice against the Whites’ First Team in both 1970 and 2017.

The most recent, and perhaps best known, came about eight years ago, with Jamie Collins’ unanswered penalty humbling Leeds to fire non-league Sutton into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

The hosts had seen an early Roarie Deacon goal disallowed before being thwarted by a series of Marco Silvestri saves, with the belated breakthrough being richly deserved at the start of the second half when Silvestre darted off his line to meet Max Biamou, and only succeeded in colliding with a dithering Lewie Coyle to send the Sutton forward to the turf, and resulted in referee Stuart Attwell pointing to the spot.

U’s captain Collins then stepped up and sent Silvestri the wrong way to spark wild celebrations, and with Liam Cooper seeing red for a second yellow card offence on Craig Eastmond towards the latter stages of the match, proved enough to prompt a joyous pitch invasion as Sutton looked ahead to their furthest ever run in England’s oldest competition.

Relive the famous victory here.

Head-to-Head

Sutton United 1-0 Leeds United (29/01/2017)

Sutton United 0-6 Leeds United (24/01/1970)

Played for Both

Simon Walton

Veteran midfielder Simon Walton came through the ranks at Leeds, before going on to enjoy a 17-year playing career that included a season at Sutton towards the end of it.

Born in Serburn-in-Elmet, just a half-an-hour drive from Leeds, Walton began his career with the Whites and came to attention after being sent off in a pre-season friendly against Valencia in 2004, whilst just 16 years of age. He went on to play 34 times for the club’s first team, but departed Elland Road after two years to join Premier League side Charlton Athletic.

In search of regular football in order to aid his development, Walton moved on loan to Ipswich Town and later Cardiff City, scoring several important goals for the former, before exiting The Valley permanently after just a year with the Addicks, moving to Queens Park Rangers, where he again struggled for game time – this time due to a broken leg – and subsequently moved on loan to Hull City midway through his maiden campaign.

A move to Plymouth Argyle then came to fruition in 2008, and he went on to spend four years in Devon in which he made 61 appearances for the club. He would spend time on loan at Blackpool, Crewe Alexandra and Sheffield United during the latter half of his time with the Pilgrims, before returning to Home Park to be named captain following the arrival of Carl Fletcher as caretaker manager.

Despite a successful end to his time at Plymouth, the England youth international opted to depart for personal reasons and joined Hartlepool United, before enjoyed spells at Stevenage, Crawley Town, Garforth Town and Guiseley, prior to a move to Sutton in 2017.

He appeared 28 times during the 2017/18 campaign, contributing to a third place for the U’s in just their second season back in the fifth tier, and was absent as they lost to Boreham Wood in the semi-final.

Following the closure of the season, Walton found himself on the move again, with a brief stint at Billericay Town preceding a loan move to Maidstone United, which was made permanent shortly after. He was later named assistant manager when Tristan Lewis was appointed as caretaker boss, and introduced Walton to a coaching career that he later took to Havant & Waterlooville, joining the club as a player/coach in 2019.

He would remain in the role for two years, but departed in 2021 and subsequently opted to bring his playing career to a close.