As Leeds United continue to struggle for goals in the top flight, Harry Gray sent a reminder of his goalscoring ability to Daniel Farke with another incredible performance for the Leeds Under-21s.
Harry Gray has been a regular member of the Leeds senior squad under Daniel Farke, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Archie Gray, by breaking into the first-team squad.
Leeds’ under-21s side took on senior opposition as they continued their defence of the National League Cup title, travelling to Glanford Park to face Scunthorpe.
The Scunthorpe team features a familiar name, as former Leeds academy man Tyler Denton took to the field against a junior Whites side, which featured Jonny Howson and the impressive Alfie Creswell.
But it was Gray who stole the headlines once again, as he continued his prolific run of form in the under-21s with a brilliant hat-trick which handed Leeds’ young side a win in an entertaining game.
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Harry Gray impresses for Leeds United Under-21s
Gray showed his natural poacher’s instinct as he finished off a flowing Leeds move to hand Scott Gardner’s Academy side the lead against their National League opposition.
Leeds picked up the ball in their own left-back position before scything through the Scunthorpe defence with a flowing passing move. The ball eventually landed at the feet of Rhys Chadwick, who found Gray in space at the back post, and he made no mistake with the finish.
Gray then added a spectacular second midway through the second half. Leeds were awarded a free-kick at an acute angle and, as Scunthorpe prepared for a cross, Gray whipped the ball into the far corner, through the hands of the keeper, to put them back in front.
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The pièce de résistance came in the dying minutes of the game as Gray scored his third. Receiving the ball on halfway, Gray drove at the retreating Scunthorpe defence before shooting into the bottom left corner from 20 yards to complete a brilliant hat-trick.
A hat-trick was a well-deserved reward for a lively all-round performance as he also nearly turned provider for Chadwick in the first half and tirelessly harried the Scunthorpe back line as the Whites claimed a well-deserved 2-1 victory.
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Former Leeds United defender Ben Parker praises Gray
Speaking on the LUTV coverage, former Leeds defender Ben Parker praised the talented forward for his role in Leeds’ opening goal.
Immediately after Gray added his first, Parker said, “It’s some goal, it really is. The patience, the build-up play, starting in the bottom left-hand corner, left-back position, for ourselves.
“We get Chadwick away, and I was just thinking, has he looked to his left? Because Harry Gray was in oceans of space, waiting for that tap-in. He certainly did, did Chadwick, and that’s where you want your number 9 to be. What a team goal.”
When Gray added his second, he added: “When you need your big players in big moments to step up, Harry Gray’s always your guy. It’s another goal for his tally; he keeps racking them up. He’s got that goal-scoring ability, he’s got that touch of class as a number nine, it’s a big goal.”
If Gray continues this red-hot scoring stream, it may be impossible for Farke to ignore his claims for a Premier League debut much longer.