Forthcoming Fixtures

City's first visit to the Leigh Sports Village Stadium was littered with first team players at Blackburn Rovers new reserve team home after spending a fair few years at Morecambe FC. Despite the quality that City had in their team the domination in the play did not reveal a winning position as Blackburn's early headed goal by Gavin Gunning from a corner was only able to be equalized at the end of the first half from James Poole.

The opening spells produced very little from either side as the only thing of any note was a Blackburn corner that came to nothing. They did not have to wait long however for a corner to make something count as a Martin Olsson corner was played into the near post which City goalkeeper Gunnar Nielson thought he could come and claim but Gunning was there to get in front and head the ball past him and into the back of the goal.

Three minutes later and an Olsson free kick that was sent into the area caused the City defence a few problems as it took a while to be fully cleared.

City's first real effort came when left back Gregory Cunningham had made a forward run and played a decent cross in that was only half cleared and Robbie Mak came in and fired a shot that was blocked just inside the area.

City had settled down and were starting to assert some real pressure on Blackburn when again Cunningham was involved on the left with good link up play with Paul Marshall as Cunningham found Poole in the area and he twisted and turned and beat the defender but despite a deflection could not beat the outside of the post as it went behind for a corner.

City won a succession of corners after Vincent Kompany had worked the ball out on the left and Marshall had crossed in and Poole had headed well that forced Blackburn goalkeeper Frank Fielding to tip over and behind from the corner. The final corner resulted in the ball being just outside the area where Michael Johnson worked the space but his left foot shot was wide of the goal.

A slightly unsavoury challenge by Blackburn's number nine, Julio Santa Cruz and younger brother of Roque, who was late on Kieran Trippier and appeared to be stretchered off but fortunately, he was able to run it off.

It was Trippier who was involved in City's equalizing goal as he played the ball forward to Benjani Mwaruwari who drove into the area before cutting the ball back into the area for Poole to side foot into the far corner of the goal.

The second half City certainly dominated and it did not take long to show that domination as in the fifty first minute City had a really good chance when the experienced Vincent Kompany found Kieran Trippier out on the right and his cross was good but Poole's touch was a little heavy as it took the ball away from him.

City continued to pressurise the Blackburn defence when a number of crosses led to Benjani winning a corner and Dedryck's headed was cleared off the line by Jason Lowe in the sixty second minute.

Just a minute later and City's goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen was called into a save that he gathered at the second attempt.

Halfway through the second half and City showed that little bit of class as Johnson played a great ball into Poole which forced Blackburn into the foul as he was taken down. Marshall stepped up to take the dead ball quickly and Fielding was alert as he denied the on target quick free kick.

The game drifted for a while and it was not until the final minutes that either side really threatened as a succession of corners for City led to the ball coming to Mak who hit a good low shot with the outside of his boot that Fielding got down well to.

Blackburn Rovers:

Fielding, Ramm, Gunning, Jones, Flynn. Lowe, Doran (Marshall 80mins), Olsson, Santa Cruz, Hoilett (Potts 68mins), Rigters, 

Subs: Swann(GK),Hanley, Morris

Manchester City:

Nielsen, Trippier, Cunnigham, Boyata, Mee, Johnson, Mak, Kompany, Poole(Nimely 75mins), Benjani, Marshall,

Subs: Johansen (GK), Garrido, Tutte, Ibrahim 

Attendance:1,115