City Make Hard Work of It

FA Youth Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg

NUFC Youth 2 - 3 MCFC Youth

City should have had this tie wrapped up after forty minutes with City dominating the opening proceedings. Indeed it took our goalkeeper, Lawrence Matthewson ten minutes to even touch the ball, and that was for a free kick for an off-side. City's goals came from top scorer Kelvin Etuhu, man of the match Ashley Williams and Captain Michael Johnson.

City faced a Newcastle team that had one game plan; the long ball over the top and to try to kick every City player that moved. To be fair to Newcastle that game plan worked quite well as more than twice City's back four were caught flat and could have scored more than their two goals as the game wore on and they grew in confidence at City's ability to convert the many chances that they were able to create.

City's first goal came when Ashley Williams closed down Newcastle's Nicky Deverdics and dispossessed him and slip a neat ball towards the box for Kelvin to run onto and finish neatly past Fraser Forster in goal from just inside the area.

City continued to dominate and Karl Moore was unlucky to see his fine run and shot saved well by Forster. The resulting corner saw centre half, Gary Breen's miss hit shot cleared of the line.

So the inevitable happened two minutes before the break when Newcastle's big lumbering forward, Andy Carrol was able to send a ball past Sam Williamson and Breen for Jonathan Godsmark to run onto and Breen could not get a proper tackle in and the ball went past Matthewson and in of the post.

The second half started even better for the home side as they had the gaul to take a two one lead in the fourth minute after the break. The ball came in from Newcastle's right and both Williamson and Shaleum Logan failed to deal with it and Godsmark was there again to nip in around the back and finish at the far post.

City drew deservedly level within two minutes when good work from Kelvin down the left allowed a deep cross that evaded all of the United defence and Williams was on hand to smash a right foot volley into the far left corner of the goal.

Not long after City scored the winning goal, again fine work from Williams, taking the ball out of defence drove infield and slid a ball into the path of Johnson, who beat three on-rushing defenders and slid the ball under Forster.

United became more frustrated and became even more physical and quite rightly the referee finally got his book out to caution Carroll and two minutes after that, booked Captain, Paul Huntington.

United made another substitution which gave them more shape, but City countered that threat by bringing on Ched Evans for the wasteful Daniel Sturridge, and Evan's movement and strength gave City's midfield more options and they were able to see out the ninety minutes as the holders of a goal advantage going into the second leg next thursday at 7:30pm.


United: Forster(GK), Cowan, Deverdics, Huntington(Capt.), Marr, Critchlow, Troisi, Cavener, Carroll, Donninger(Lualua 60), Godsmark(Little 72).

Subs: Cook(GK), Lough, Terrell.


City: Matthewson(GK), Obeng, Logan, Williamson, Breen, Marshall, Williams, Johnson(Capt.), Etuhu, Sturridge(C Evans 78), Moore.

Subs: Vadon(GK), S Evans, McDermott, Mouritsen.

Att: 1707

MotM: Williams - Scored one, had a hand in the other two and