Forthcoming Fixtures

Burnley were playing their first reserve game at their home ground of Turf Moor since December 2004 and it was the first time this Millennium that City reserves have played there. On another first Jack Redshaw and Big John Guidetti were making their first premier reserve league starts and if there was ever a contrasts in débuts, this was it; as John went on to score a hat-trick and be a constant threat were as Jack consistently lost the ball.

Being at Turf Moor there was a more than healthy crowd, that would never have made the effort to travel to Accrington had the game been played there. The Burnley team being littered with first teamers will have also boosted the attendance I am sure.

City on the other hand had no one playing who was over the age of twenty; but they were not overawed by facing such a talented and experienced team that Burnley had fielded as they started brightly and only Burnley's captain Graham Alexander looked to be causing City a few problems and he had a shot in the first minute but that  was deflected over the bar. Interesting that Burnley's newly confirmed purchase Richard Eckersley with a starting cost of half a million pounds had said he had left Manchester United because he no longer wanted to play reserve team football; the situation added quite a bit of irony as he lined up in his right back position last night.

Burnley however were the team to take the early advantage when they won a free kick out on the left and the ball was tapped on to Alexander who sent in an out-swinging cross that Tobias Johansen attempted to clear but did not connect fully and the ball was knocked back to the centre of the six yard box where Canadian defender and former Newcastle trainee, David Edgar was on hand to clip the ball into the back of the goal.

That goal seemed to help Burnley more than City as it took them a little while to get themselves back into the game and so City's first real chance fell when they won a corner in the seventeenth minute. Helan swung in a deep cross that Redshaw headed back but Guidetti could not keep his header down as it flew just over the bar.

Guidetti came even closer five minutes later when Tom Smith was fouled and James Poole sent in a cross that John met with pace but his header this time cannoned of the bar and cleared away to safety.

John finally got the breakthrough in the twenty fourth minute when Scott Kay played a long ball that John controlled with his first touch putting the Burnley defence on their heels  and he created half a yard of space for himself before firing a shot that looped over Nicky Weaver into the top corner of the Burnley goal.

With just under ten minutes of the first half left, Reece Wabara sent a long ball out of defence  that allowed Guidetti to get around the Burnley defence with again a very good first touch and he bore down on the goal before firing in shot that Weaver saved but could not hold and John raced onto the rebound and from the tightest of angles fired his shot against the inside of the far post andthe ball spun into the goal.

City continued the pressure until the end of the first half as that second goal seemed to visibly lower Burnley's tempo in the game.

The second half could not have started any better for City as Guidetti was pushed in the back in the penalty area after trying to control a cross from the right and the referee, Mr Wright, who was getting a fair amount of abuse from the home fans immediately pointed to the spot for the penalty.

Most people expected John to step up to take the penalty to register his hat-trick but football is a team game and Andrew Tutte is the nominated penalty taker and as there was only one goal difference, the correct call was  for Andrew to take the responsibility and he confidently converted past Weaver.

City did not rest on their laurels and continued to press forward and forced the Burnley defence on the back foot with Tutte and Kay dominating the midfield; especially after the experienced Alexander was substituted just after the hour mark.

However City's best chance of that good play happened just before Alexander went off when the ever impressive neat footwork of James Poole created space for himself to find John on the edge of the area and he evaded the challenges before releasing Redshaw into the area but his shot was almost a back pass to Weaver.

City wrapped up their scoring with two minutes of normal time remaining when Tutte showed his strength and skill to beat the close attentions of the Burnley players before finding John who flicked the ball over the Burnley defence for Poole to run onto and Weaver came out quickly but Poole had already released the ball across the box as Nicky impeded James and brought him down. Now there is a good case to call that obstruction and call it an indirect free kick; but referee's rarely give those these days as Mr Wright awarded the penalty. This time no one was going to take the ball of John who stepped up and fired a powerful shot that Weaver saved well; but the power allowed the ball to cannon back and John had a simple tap in to make it four for City and a memorable start for John.

This result looks to have virtually secured a top three league finish for City and we wait in anticipation for when City can play a front three of Guidetti, Poole and Ball, who should be a couple of weeks away from fitness.

Teams:

Burnley:

Weaver, Eckersley, Jordan, Duff, Edgar, Alexander(Capt.) (Anderson 65), Kay, Gudjonsson, Nimani (Fletcher 71), Thompson, Olembe (Harvey 46)

Subs: Hoskin, MacDonald

Manchester City:

T Johansen, Smith, Chantler, Kay, Wabara, Mee(Capt.), Poole, Tutte, Redshaw (Benali 82), Guidetti, Helan

Subs: Gonzalez(GK), Tse, Mitchell, Robinson

Attendance:784