Byram goal lights up Leeds United cup tie

Rodolph Austin and Sam Byram both scored their first goal for the club to give the Whites a 2-0 half-time lead and young defender Tom Lees completed the scoring 15 minutes from time to finally end the hopes of the plucky visitors from League Two.

Leeds boss Neil Warnock took the chance to have a look at several fringe players with six changes from the team that started and beat Peterborough last Saturday. Goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown made his debut while Adam Drury played his first home game for United, Andy Gray started his first match since returning to Elland Road and Patrick Kisnorbo and Michael Brown came in for their first starts of the season.

Young wide players Aidan White and Byram came in on the flanks and it was Byram who really lit up proceedings with a goal of rare quality.

Austin had already fired Leeds ahead with a shot from the edge of the box that proved too hot for keeper Ryan Clarke to handle when Byram took centre stage. The 18-year-old turned past one Oxford defender then pushed the ball past another before beating the goalkeeper with a sublime chip. A classic goal in any game.

Byram almost doubled his tally in the second half when picked out in the area by El Hadji Diouf, but he could not keep his volley down.

Oxford played some decent football in midfield, but only really tested home keeper Ashdown once when James Constable got free in the box.

Leeds always looked likely to add to their two first half goals with Austin rattling the crossbar with a spectacular long range strike and White seeing several efforts either flash wide or bring saves from Clarke.

They finally made it 3-0 on 75 minutes when the increasingly influential Diouf produced a fine cross from the right and defender Lees met it with a well placed header.

The closing stages were comfortable, with teenage striker Dominic Poleon getting a run out and Zac Thompson also coming on as sub for his first taste of first team action this season.

Match facts

Leeds United 3

(Austin 26, Byram 34, Lees 75)

Oxford United 0

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Capital One Cup, round two

Att: 13,798

Leeds: Ashdown, Lees, Kisnorbo, Pearce, Drury, Byram (Peltier 90), Austin (Thompson 83), Brown, White, Diouf (Poleon 76), Gray.

Oxford: Clarke, Batt, Raynes, Wright, McGinty, Rigg (Pittman 81), Heslop, Chapman (Boateng 87), Capaldi, Potter (Marsh 81), Constable.

Referee: Gary Sutton.