Rochdale End Unbeaten Run

MCFC Reserves 0 - 1 RAFC Reservea

City's junior reserves ended their unbeaten start to the season when they were beaten by Rochdale at the athletics arena this afternoon by the odd second half goal.

City started brightly as midfielder Andrew Mitchell had a fine long range strike that struck the crossbar in the second minute. City continued to press as Adrian Cieslewicz and John Guidetti found themselves in good positions but could not find that quality final ball to break the deadlock.

Rochdale came out a far better team in the second half and it was no surprise when they took the lead on sixty minutes when a long ball over the top for Christopher Blakeley to run onto who smashed it straight at Chris Wood who should have pushed it over but let the ball go straight through his hands.

Rochdale's Andrew Brown had a very good chance to double the lead but was thwarted by a half save from Wood and Kingsley Grandison clearing off the line. Rochdale substitute Robert Crank was also unfortunate to see his long range chip cannon off the crossbar. Then moments later Dennis Sherriff headed a great cross from the left that Wood did well to save.

City made some substitutions of their own later on and although they started to play better again with too many players not performing well up the top end of the field they did not have quite enough to get the equalizer.


CITY: Wood(GK), Grandison, Smith, Elabdellaoui, Nicholas(Paldan 74), Tse, Cieslewicz(Capt.), Mitchell, Redshaw, Guidetti(Jukes 59), Frater(Hovath 81)

Subs: E Johansen(GK), Parris.


Rochdale: Spencer(GK), Brizell, Doherty, Bath, C Brown, Mallion, A Brown(Wright 77), Byrne, Blakeley(Crank 63), Sherriff, Reidy(Murray 68).

Subs: Taberner(GK), Ellis.

Stoke Giants Brought Down by City

MCFC U18s 3 - 1 SCFC U18s

City overcame Stoke's very large and physical side thanks to goals from Robbie Mak and a brace from Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni after Stoke had levelled from the spot in the second half.

City made heavy whether of things in the first half as they seemed to be trying too hard and only made the breakthrough a minute before the forty five when the ball came out of the penalty area from the corner and then Chris Chantler put the ball back into the box into the feet of Dedryck Boyata and he turned but was caught by the defender and despite Dedryck's theatrical fall; there was contact and the penalty was duly awarded. Alex took the responsibility to step up and place the ball into the top corner of the goal.

Stoke came out in the second half with purpose and were beginning to cause City a few problems and so when the Stoke player ran into the box on fifty five minutes after City had backed off; Boyata pulled the player back and Stoke were awarded a penalty and Boyata was booked. The stoke player smashed his penalty straight down the middle past Joe Clegg in the City goal.

City went back in front six minutes later when a quick break with Ahmed Benali on the right across to Jack Redshaw who then moved it quickly to Greg Cunningham who drove into the box and flicked the ball through to Alex who turned and fired into the goal.

City wrapped things up with on eighty eight minutes when Kieran Trippier sent a long ball down the right wing and found Benali who held the ball up well before playing the ball into Alex who showed some great skill as he dummied the defender and then drove forward and then crossed perfectly for substitute Robbie Mak who shot into the far corner of the goal.

Mak nearly had a second goal when Stoke's defence was caught napping and he ran onto a lovely long in-swinging pass by Trippier but it was inches in front of him and he could not quite make contact. That is now thirty two goals in nine games and Alex has scored in all but one of those nine games and has scored a total of ten goals.


City: Clegg(GK), Trippier(Capt.), Cunningham, Wabara, Boyata, Tutte, Benali, Ibrahim, Redshaw(Mak 63), Nimley-Tchuimeni, Chantler.

Subs: E Johansen(GK), Smith, Tse, Cieslewicz.


The U16s had to come from behind to draw one all today.

Tranmere Earns a Late Draw

MCFC Reserves 2 - 2 TRFC Reserves

With the main reserves being a hundred miles away at Birmingham's St Andrew ground the usual mainly U17 team was lined up for City. City twice took the lead in both halves through Craig Frater but were twice begged back by Tranmere's Danny Holmes and Gareth Edds. convert those chances.

City certainly rode their luck during the game as Tranmere were able to create more clear cut chances than City but perhaps were not incisive enough as they have been three nil to the good before twenty minutes.

Tranmere's first chance fell in the sixth minute when Josh Macauley ran down the right and struck a decent shot but from a tight angle that goalkeeper Nathan Dean did well to save. Then on the quarter hour mark the Pakistan international Adnan Ahmed struck a fine shot from a half cleared corner that just drifted wide of the post.

The next chance was by the whistle of the referee as a deflected ball was picked up by Dean in the penalty box and the referee ruled that it was a back pass and so he gave Tranmere an in-direct free kick that they hit wide of the post.

City took the lead in the thirty fourth minute when Adrian Cieslewicz drove forward and put a pass through to the trialist who played against us for Liverpool last week, Medi Abalimba, but he slipped and missed the ball and Ahmed Benali picked it up and carried on his run and slipped the ball to Frater who forced his way into the left side of the area and drove a fine shot into the far corner of the goal.

City's lead only lasted four minutes as Tranmere's right back drove forward and sent in a deep speculative cross that swirled in the wind and looped over the rather small Dean.

City started the second half in fine style by scoring their second goal in thirty five seconds when Curtis Obeng drove down the right flank and sent in a deep cross that Frater stormed into and fired into the opposite corner of the net.

Tranmere then for most of the half put City on the back foot. Their first good chance fell in the sixty second minute when Macauley was put through and Dean did well to come off his line and smother the attack.

Six minutes later Dave Wilson drove into the right side of the penalty area and drove a low cross cum shot that Obeng cleared from the line.On seventy six minutes the feat was almost replicated from the left by substitute Ryan Fraughan but no one got to it and it went across the line and skimmed the outside of the post.

Contrary to the official site the equalizer came in the eighty sixth minute when a Wilson corner was only headed on by a City player that fell into the path of Edds who finished from two yards out at the far post.

Despite not playing their best City still walked away from this game with a point and remain unbeaten after their earlier one hundred per cent start and are still only two points behind Tranmere at the top of the table.

After watching the trialist for both City and Liverpool I do not think the lad has enough to make it here at City and I would be very surprised if we see him again.


City: Dean(GK), Obeng, Cunningham, Benali, Tse, Wabara, Cieslewicz, Mitchell(Redshaw 69), Guidetti, Abalimba, Frater(Ibrahim 69)

Subs: Wood(GK), Grandison, Hovarth.


Tranmere: Achterberg(GK), Holmes, Cresswell, Denson, Taylor(Henry 21), O'Callaghan(Fraughan 62), Barnett, Ahmed, Josh Macauley, Edds, Wilson.

Subs: Kennedy(GK), Corrigan, Mackreth.


Att: Approx. 100.

West Brom Take City to Brink

MCFC U18s 2 - 1 WBAFC U18s

Two late goals from City and a late sending off for West Brom saw City gain an undeserved three points and go two points clear at the top of academy group C with twenty points from eight games after Liverpool were beaten by Blackburn today.

West Brom took a deserved lead in the twenty seventh minute when a long ball down the middle was not dealt with and the West Brom player was able to fire past Joe Clegg in the City goal.

City made a change at half time and that seemed to give them some more impetus and they forced West Brom's goalkeeper in to a couple of very good reaction saves but could not find a breakthrough and it looked like it was going to be one of those games as West Brom worked very hard and created some good chances of their own.

City finally took the lead in the eighty second minute when good work by Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni down the right allowed him to evade two defenders and send in a deep cross that Sean Tse rose well to head a fine looping header into the far corner of the goal.

Minutes from the end of the game the West Brom number seven fouled Abdisalam Ibrahim in the box, for what was a clear penalty, he was booked for the initial foul and his following questioning of the referees decision saw him receive a second yellow card and saw his side reduced to ten men.

Nimely-Tchuimeni took the resulting penalty and sent the keeper the wrong way.

Deep into added time City pressed forward again and Nimely's through ball found John Guidetti; and with the Swedish forward through on goal his shot went beyond the keeper and just as it appeared to nestle in the back of the net the West Brom number five appeared to clear the effort off the line.

City are home to Stoke City next week with an eleven o'clock morning kick off at Platt Lane.


City: Clegg(GK), Smith, Cunningham, Wabara, Tse, Tutte(Capt.), Benali(Cieslewicz 46), Ibrahim, Redshaw(Guidetti 71), Nimley-Tchuimeni, Chantler(Frater 71).

Subs: Dean(GK), Mitchell.


The U16s had a good result as they went four nil up and only allowed West Brom to score two second half goals.

Liverpool Prove a Decent Test

MCFC Reserves 1 - 0 LFC Reserves

After both teams have done the double over each other over the past two seasons; City got their chance to continue that alternate with their first ever Premier Reserve League match at the City of Manchester Stadium resulting in a one nil victory for the blues with a Daniel Sturridge goal.

The game saw the chance for City fans to get a first look at one of their new Brazilian signings Glauber Berti as he played centre back alongside youth cup winning captain Ben Mee. City fans would not have been disappointed as he put in a very assured display.

The feel good factor from the first team and need to raise the standard of play was evident last night as their was real desire to win back the ball when it was lost. With plenty of rain during the day the surface was nice and wet which made for a good passing game as both teams kept the ball on the pitch as they moved it around as it made for a very entertaining game and both teams kept it fairly clean in their tackles.

City took the lead and scored the only goal of the game in the fourteenth minute when Shaleum Logan made a strong run down the right and was fouled as he tried to pass the defender. Paul Marshall stepped up to take the free kick with his in-swinging left foot cross that David Ball headed on to the far post where the acrobatic Mee did an overhead bicycle kick that was heading for the far post, but there was Sturridge hanging on the post to poke the ball in the goal and to make sure it went in.

City could have gone further in front in the first half with Sturridge playing his part in both efforts. The first he was provider as he made a strong run down the right and whilst getting close attention from two defenders he was able to evade them and lay the ball back into the area; but Berti was unable to keep his right foot side shot down as it flew a foot over the crossbar. Sturridge's other effort was from afree kick that was thirty yards out that Peter Gulacsi in the Liverpool goal I am sure got a touch to as it skimmed the crossbar.

Liverpool had their own chances and despite some of the Liverpool sections of the crowd thinking the shots had gone past Tobias Johansen in the City goal, they had hit the netting behind and bounced back.

City started the second half brightly when Logan had another strong run down the right and he was able to find Vladimir Weiss who drove into the box and cut the ball back for Sturridge to strike but Liverpool's captain Stephen Darby was positioned well on the goal-line to clear the shot.

Weiss and Logan combined well on seventy two minutes; but this time Weiss found Logan and he drove forward into the box but his strike was just in front of Ball and he could not quite get there to convert the effort.

Five minutes later Sturridge again had an excellent chance to seal the victory when a Ben Morris deep pass was only partially headed by Liverpool's Martin Kelly and that allowed Sturridge to nip in and race through on goal but Danny pushed the ball wide and Gulacsi covered his every angle and blocked his shot behind for a corner. He again denied Danny from the resulting corner as he held on to his shot.

Liverpool had the final chance of the game when the heavens opened and Johansen slipped as he tried to clear a back pass but fortunately when the ball went straight to Jay Spearing but Berti closed him done well to deny him a clear shot at goal.

This result means that City stay top of the reserve league with three wins from four as second placed Everton drew at home to Middlesbrough. City's next game is home to Manchester United at Hyde United's Ewen Fields on Wednesday 22nd October.


City: Johansen(GK), Logan, Williamson(Capt.), Mee, Berti, Tsiaklis, Weiss, Marshall, Ball, Sturridge, Morris.

Subs: Hartley(GK), McDonald, Poole, Obeng, Tutte.


Liverpool: Gulacsi(GK), Darby(Capt.), Insua, Jose Diminguez, Kelly, Plessis, Abalimba(Duran 62), Spearing, Ngog(Bruna 46), Pacheco, Weijl.

Subs: Bouzanis(GK), Irwin, Ayala.


Att: 234.

Bolton Make it Difficult for City

BWFC U18s 1 - 2 MCFC U18s

A well organised Bolton Wanderers side made City work hard for their fourth straight league victory and score their twenty sixth and twenty seventh league goals of the season from the boots of Ahmed Benali and Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni. That after Bolton had equalized with just over ten minutes remaining.

With the conditions having a stark contrast from last week the City players were slipping over quite readily in the first half and just like away to Barnsley two weeks ago the first half did not see the best of City. Probable strong words during the break meant City came out for the second half with much more purpose.

City took the lead in the fiftieth minute when Abdi Ibrahim played a ball through to Benali who drove to the box and fired a shot at goal that the goalkeeper could not hold and Benali ran in to convert the rebound.

Bolton had the fortune of a referee's assistant not being up with play as the ball was played through on the left to the striker who had just drifted offside and he drove to the by-line and cut the ball back for the midfielder to side foot into the far corner of the goal past Joe Clegg in the City net.

City however were back in front within ninety seconds when a fine solo run by Nimley-Tchuimeni on the left hand side where he twisted and turned the defender and then drove into the box and fired a low hard shot into the far post of the goal to give the goalkeeper no chance.

City face West Bromwich Albion in the league at Platt Lane next Saturday morning. With all the other results in the league today it looks like the title will be decided between City and Liverpool; with Liverpool beating Wolves 4-2 at home today.


City: Clegg(GK), Smith, Cunningham, Wabara, Tse, Tutte(Capt.), Benali, Ibrahim, Mak(Guidetti 90), Nimley-Tchuimeni, Chantler(Redshaw 71).

Subs: Johansen(GK), Cieslewicz, Elabdellaoui.