Forthcoming Fixtures

Tuesday 20th October 2009

Manchester City Reserves 1 Burnley Reserves 2

City Goalscorer: Mak 90 mins

After playing their part in a really good game up in Sunderland the other week this was a game all about two teams who finished their chances and had goalkeepers on both sides of the spectrum as City were not clinical and had the original Mr Calamity in their goal where as Burnley finished their chances and had Mr Dependable in their goal. As they secured a two nil position right up to stoppage time at the end of the match where Robbie Mak scored a consolation for City.

City started brightly as a good long range pass by Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni into David Ball on the right hand side of the penalty area and he just had the Peruvian goalkeeper Diego Penny to beat but he very unusually chipped his effort wide.

Then the unusual event in the eighteenth minute when Adam Clayton took a corner and Ben Mee headed it back towards Adam and he layed it back to Greg Cunningham and he sent in a deep cross from the left where it was headed on; but only cleared to Mak who let fly with a thirty yard shot that the goalkeeper could only push away where James Poole ran in; but the defender lifted his boot too high and into Poole's face and the referee awarded the penalty. The ever reliable Ball stepped up to take the penalty and his shot was well saved by Penny; but the referee pointed to the spot again for it to be re-taken; presumably for encroachment. So we all believed ball would make amends for his earlier effort; but we were disappointed again as Ball could not find a way past Penny.

Burnley slightly against the run of play took the lead in the twenty fourth minute when former Newcastle player David Edgar headed the ball down and there was Wesleigh Fletcher to fire past Gunnar Nielsen.

That goal lifted Burnley and they doubled their lead three minutes later when a cross from the left looked like a baby could have claimed it at the near post but Nielsen decided he wanted to play dropsy with it and Cunningham tried to clear it under pressure but there was Fletcher to fire into a near empty goal.

As the final ten minutes of the first half remained City pushed forward on the left and Michael Johnson back heeled the ball into the path of Ball and he crossed the ball; but it was only half cleared to the edge of the area where Poole unleashed a great shot and Penny produced an even better save to deny him.

Burnley started the second half really brightly with a succession of corners where one effort Mee was forced to clear the ball off the line. City continued to try to get themselves back into the came with a chance for Mak when a long ball over the top and Mak beat the offside but Penny again saved as he pushed it wide of the post.

City continued to press up the field but left it too late as a Mak strike in the ninety second minute left no time to gain an equalizer; not that we looked like really doing so past the in form Penny.

Team: Neilsen(GK), Trippier, Cunningham, Boyata, Mee(Capt.), Johnson(Tutte 67mins),Mak, Clayton (Marshall 67 mins),Ball, Nimely (Ibrahim 67 mins), Poole

Subs: T Johansen(GK), Redshaw

Burnley: Penny(GK), Hoskin, Kalvenes(King 68), Harvey(Capt.), Kudiersky, Edgar, Eckersley, Easton, Fletcher, McKee(Knowles 75), Guerrero.

Subs: Lund(GK), Devenney, McEnearney.

Att: 233.