Forthcoming Fixtures

Hyde Show City a Few Home Truths

Hyde United 4 - 2 MCFC Reserves

City’s annual pre-season fixture against Hyde United started brightly for the blues, but ultimately ended in heavy defeat as the Tigers showed much more determination to win the game.
The star of the night was Hyde’s former Bury striker, Gareth Seddon who scored a very impressive hat-trick. Seddon is a player who can no longer play league football as he took an insurance pay out due to injury. That is not to say that he no longer has the ability to play league football as last night’s display of the Tiger’s top scorer who managed thirty seven goals in forty seven appearances last season clearly shows that Hyde have a real talent at their level to fire them up the league next season; they perhaps like City might worry about their leaky defence.
City took the lead as early as the fifth minute when a good solo effort from Karl Moore; playing in the unusual role of striker, cut in from the left to fire a twenty yard shot into the net.
City had doubled their lead within two minutes when a strong run by Javan Vidal down the right gave him room to produce a good deep cross that Adam Clayton did not connect fully with, but somehow got past the former Bury goalkeeper, Craig Dootson. I can only assume he lost the flight of the ball in the evening sun.
The referee, Mr Roberts was allowing the game to flow, possibly more than he should as both sides put tackles in that were not necessarily dirty, but a bit mis-timed.
Hyde pulled a goal back ten minutes after our second when Seddon was given too much space to fire a strong shot from the edge of the area to beat Filip Mentel in the City goal.
Five minutes later Hyde were level, and yet again Seddon was given too much space as he again fired from the edge of the area to beat Mentel.
Hyde took the lead two minutes before the break when a resulting corner brought on from a fine save by Mentel from a long range deflected shot was tipped over the bar. The corner came in from the left and was flicked on to the far post where Dale Johnson was left free to steal in and score.
Both sides played a different line ups as the second half wore on, but it was to be Hyde that got the breakthrough yet again and this time it was Seddon for his hat-trick goal when the ball was not cleared and Gareth was able to run in and score.
Having not seen the game at Stalybridge on Saturday, I cannot compare performances, but last night’s showing struck me that although both talented players in their own right, Paul Marshall and Michael Daly did not gel as a midfield pairing and Garry Breen and Clayton McDonald left far too big gaps at the back.
With this only being the second reserve pre-season friendly of the summer, there is still plenty of time to iron these problems out before the reserve and academy season starts.


Hyde: Dootson, Brass, Scott, Davis, Band, Caldecott, Simm, Warner, Johnson, Seddon, Clee.


Subs: Taylor, Tipton, Pickford, Gedman, Cowan.


City: Mentel, Obeng, Mee, McDonald, Breen, M Daly, Clayton, Moore, Evans, Marshall, Vidal.

Subs: McGivern, Kay, McDermott, Ball, Poole, Mouritsen.