Forthcoming Fixtures

Senior Manchester United

MCFC Reserves 0 - 1 MUFC Reserves

City ended their slim chances of making the senior cup final this season when they were beaten by a more experienced Manchester United side last night by a Lee Martin first half goal at Hyde United's Ewen Fields.

City fielded only Joe Hart as a player with first team experience but that did not show in the performance as City more than matched United but playing Karl Moore who's City career has gone backwards in the last two seasons and David Ball who is in a real slump as he just cannot buy a goal was always going to be an up hill struggle.

City's biggest threat probably came from Donal McDermott on the left as he forced a couple of saves from United's Ron Robert Zeiler in goal. It was Lee Martin that was playing through the middle for United was finding space for his runs and forced Hart to come out quickly in the twenty ninth minute. Four minutes later Martin ran through from behind the defence to beat the offside to score a goal but the referee's assistant raised his flag for the offside strangely. Martin wrote his name on the score sheet a couple of minutes later however when Clayton McDonald misplaced a pass at the back and Martin intercepted and ran onto goal and rounded Hart and finished well into the goal.

United nearly made it a more comfortable score line with four minutes remaining of the first half when Rodrigo Possebon had a good shot that went inches wide of the post.

The first part of the second half was very uneventful as neither goalkeeper was tested. So as the half wore on City changed their formation very similar to what they had done against Bury last week by playing big Clayton McDonald up front. This certainly gave United a lot more to think about as Clayton had an effort cleared off the line and David Ball had an effort tipped on to the post by Zeiler.

United however may not have been at their best although they put together some decent moves at times I think it was probably the resiliance of their defnce and City's lack quality where it counted that won them the match.


City: Hart(GK), Obeng(Capt.), McGivern, Mee, McDonald, Kay, Tsiaklis(Smith 78), Clayton, Ball, Moore(Poole 66), McDermott.

Subs: T Johansen(GK), Brown, Cieslewicz.


United: Zeiler(GK), De Laet, Brady, Evans(Capt.), Gill, James, Possebon, Drinkwater, Gibson(Dudgeon 46), Martin, Tosic(Norwood 75)

Subs: Woods(GK), Stewart, Galbraith.


Att: 402.