Forthcoming Fixtures

Bury Prove Stern Senior Test(Report)

MCFC Reserves 1 - 0 BFC Reserves

A late second half header from substitute Clayton McDonald secured City's first win in the Senior Cup this season over Bury having previously lost to Oldham Athletic in ninety minutes and Bolton Wanderers on penalties.

Bury had the first chance of the match in the eighth minute when a quick break led to Krishnan Patel having a shot cleared off the line in the eighth minute. City should have been allowed to take the lead in the eleventh minute when Bury's captain and goalkeeper Wayne Brown kicked the ball out that hit the referee on the back of his head and bounced at the feet of Ryan McGivern who instinctively hit the ball back over and into the back of the net but the referee did not award the goal as he had decided to blow his whistle when the ball was in the air heading to goal; instead giving a drop ball where the ball hit the referee.

City's next chance came in the twenty fifth minute when a good cross from the left by Donal McDermott was only half cleared and Paul Marshall picked up the loose ball and sent in a fine driving shot that forced Brown into a decent save. With four minutes remaining of the first half City again had the opportunity to take the lead with McDermott being involved in the build up once more; this time threading a ball through to David Ball to leave him one on one, but he could not get his shot off past the advancing Brown.

I did not get to the reserve game against Manchester United as the first team were playing Copenhagen that evening so I did not get to see how Kelvin Etuhu played for his forty five minutes; but against Bury he played an hour and looked quite decent for someone who has been out of the game for so long as he regularly beat the fullback and put in a few telling crosses. Adrian Cieslewicz came on to replace kelvin and he is perhaps not quite as dynamic.

City had two glorious chances midway through the second half but both efforts were strangely hit straight at Brown. The first effort fell to captain Curtis Obeng when he and Karl Moore had a good interchange on the right edge of the box and Curtis got within six yards when he fired his shot off. The second chance fell to Moore when a good free kick by Marshall on the right to the far post where Matthew Brown head the ball back into the danger area and Moore ran on to the ball straight at Brown and either side of him and it would have been a goal.

As the final fifteen minutes drew close; city made a tactical change by bringing big centre half Clayton McDonald on for Moore and playing him up front as a big man to win any aerial battle and be an extra threat at set pieces and Tom Smith came on to replace Obeng.

Those changes payed dividends as the Bury defence could not deal with Clayton and so in the eighty fourth minute Ball made a good run down the right and sent in a dangerous cross that had to be put behind for a corner. Marshall with his trusty left foot sent in an inswinging cross with pace that Clayton rose up to and headed over Brown and into the back of the goal.

Only a minute later City could have been two goals up when Steve Haslam fouled McDermott and the referee pointed to the spot to award the penalty. Marshall took the responsibility to take it but Brown guessed correctly and made a great save as Marshall struck the ball very well into the far corner.

Bury had a good chance to take the game to penalties two minutes later when substitute Chris Mason was put through but Gunnar Nielsen on his competitive debut for City spread himself well to hold out for a deserved opening clean sheet.

City now face Manchester United on Monday for their fourth match of the senior cup and clearly this will be the match that should help decide who will make the final with Bolton probably as City, Oldham and Manchester United all have a chance of making it this season in this close contest.


City: Nielsen(GK), Obeng(Capt.)(Smith 74), McGivern, Mee, Brown, Kay, Etuhu(Cieslewicz 60), Marshall, Ball, Moore(McDonald 74), McDermott.

Subs: T Johansen(GK), Mitchell.


Bury: Brown(GK)(Capt.), Anane, Pugh, Haslam, Futcher(Thompson 60), Jones, Racchi, Patel, Hurst(Mason 46), Rouse, Dourney.

Subs: Belford(GK), Barrow, Tannahill.

Att: Approx 60.