Manchester City U18's 0 Crystal Palace U18's 1

Saturday 29th August 2009

 

The visting sides only real attack of the game, saw them score with a speculative long range effort from their number 8 on 32 minutes.

 

The Palace keeper pulled off a number of smart saves whilst City also contrived to miss chance after chance, with Jack Redshaw the main culprit.

 

You have to go back to April 2008 the last time that City lost an academy league game and failed to score as well. The game was a real smash and grab for Palace as City's goalkeeper, Loris Karius, only had to pick the ball out of the net and rush out at an attempted attack for Palace's two only meaningful attacks during a very one sided game.

 

City again fielded a couple of over age players in Chris Chantler and Jack Redshaw but their experience did not help that much as Redshaw missed a lot of decent chances to score. Jack also came up against a goalkeeper that put his body in the way time and again and made a great save from himself in the sixty first minute when Jack's strike partner John Guidetti forced his way into space where he released Jack; but his low hard shot was well tipped around the post for a corner.

 

City's pass and movement was really good at times and in the first half they had more than fifteen passes before the ball came to Ahmed Benali who had a fine twenty plus yard shot well saved.

 

Palace's goal came in the thirty second minute when their midfielder pushed on from the half way line and our midfield and defence backed off and invited the shot and he gladly took up the invitation with a twenty yard strike right into the top right corner of the goal.

 

The Palace goal led another charmed life when again their goalkeeper had to adjust himself late and tip the ball over and behind the crossbar from a direct cross from a corner by Chantler in the second minute of the second half.

 

Chantler and left winger Jeremy Helan put some great balls in from open play and dead ball free kick situations but no one was really making the gamble and getting themselves on the end of these great crosses and so all in all City were made to pay and will have to be a bit more ambitious if they are not to have a disappointing season by their standards.

 

Team: Karius, Smith, Chantler, Wabara, Veseli, Elabedallaoui, Mitchell, Benali(Grandison 90), Guidetti, Redshaw, Helan

 

Subs: Dean(GK), Kapsalapodas, Paris

 

 

The U16s do not start their season till next weekend.