Match Preview: Leeds United Ladies take on Middlesbrough Women

Leeds United Ladies FC continue their preseason today as they travel to Teeside to take on Middlesbrough Ladies FC at Thornaby FC, Teesdale Park at 2 PM.

Middlesbrough Womens FC play in the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division, which is a level above where the Leeds United Ladies play. This match will be another chance for the Ladies to play against a stronger side and to gain match fitness and provide a challenge to all those who are picked to play in the game.

Of course, most of the focus today will be on the senior squad as they take on Bolton Wanderers at the Macron Stadium, but many Leeds fans are still quite upset at the way that the previous manager of Leeds United, Garry Monk, left the club to take up the same role at Boro. The added bite of a Yorkshire rivalry combined with the recent bad blood between the two clubs will add another layer to the already challenging preseason match this afternoon.

And while we all know that preseason matches mean literally nothing, the Ladies team will be looking to put the split squad defeats in the previous two preseason matches behind them. Both the developmental squad and the senior squad both fell to difficult opponents last time out, with the development squad losing to FC United of Manchester and the senior team losing to Guiseley Vixens.

And while the men’s team at Guiseley play many levels below Leeds United, the Vixens actually play in the same division as the Middlesbrough Women, a division above LULFC. The best thing for LULFC to do is to just go out and play and get some more match time in and to prepare for the upcoming season, as the Ladies will also start their season out on a trip to Bolton. But for right now, wish the Ladies well as they take on the women’s side of that dodgy little club by the river.