Forthcoming Fixtures

In their first competitive fixture since November 2010. City brushed aside a very young Rochdale to register their first win in the Manchester Senior Cup.

City welcomed back three players from long term injury, Michael Johnson, Javan Vidal & Donal McDermott but still could only manage to name three subs.

John Guidetti scored twice in his first game back from his loan spell at Burnley but wasted a whole host of other chances as City could have quiet easily registered double figures.

City as you can see fielded a very strong Elite Development squad with many players with first team experience; no more so than Michael Johnson who is in his re-habilitation process from his near three year injury nightmare.

The game itself was very one sided and Guidetti could have scored at least three times the goals that he did. City had too much power, movement and pace at times for Rochdale to cope with and although Rochdale's goalkeeper made a couple of mistakes he was also very decisive and saved them on a few occasions.

City took the lead in the eleventh minute when Johnson took a quick free kick out to Donal McDermott on the left and he left the defender after twisting and turning and crossed the ball in for Guidetti who hit the underside of the bar and with the goalkeeper unable to collect the ball , there was Alex Nimely to poke home the ball into the goal.

City continued to press in the first half but some how could not get that second elusive goal. At the heart of most things was the quality of Johnson's slick passing as he looked a cut above the rest of the players at time and you think if he can get to that next level of fitness again he can surely be a part of City's first team squad.

James Poole replaced Johnson for the second half and so that helped balance things up because Scott Kay was brought back into his natural central midfield role and it was a virtual immediate pay off when City doubled their lead five minutes in when a McDermoot ball from the left came into Poole and he saw his shot come back out and there was Guidetti to loop the ball over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the goal.

City wrapped the result up with the third goal just five minutes later when they surged forward and Guidetti was able to play a neat little ball for Abdisiliam Ibrahim on the edge of the area and he fizzed in a low shot that the goalkeeper was only able to dive over as it went into the back of the goal.

Rochdale forced a decent save from David Gonzalez just a few minutes later when a free kick was touched across by Laurie Bell(an ex City Academy player) and Michael Roche ran in and struck the ball sweetly which forced David to tip the ball over the cross bar.

Guidetti then had a spell when he could have scored three goals with mainly his only creating, but it was probably the one that all the build up play that had little to do with him that was the most spectacular as Reece Wabara played a long ball over the top and it bounced for Guidetti to hit a great volley that  Matty Edwards in the Rochdale goal was just able to tip onto the bar and eventually to safety.

A few minutes later and Guidetti got his brace of goals when great play down the right by Javan Vidal allowed him to cross low and hard and Guidetti was able to slide in at the far post and finish it off.

This was a must win game for City in the Manchester Senior cup but they are still reliant on other teams dropping points and City winning the remainder of their games if they are to make the final of the tournament.

Teams:

Manchester City:

Gonzalez, Vidal, Chantler, M Johnson (Poole 46), Boyata, Wabara, Kay, Ibrahim, Nimely, Guidetti, McDermott (Smith 67)

Sub: Johansen(GK)

Rochdale:

Edwards, Roche, Watson, Bell, Brown, Dale, Allen (Fagbola 89), Minihan (Mehmet 60), Murray (Gilchrist 81), Abadaki, Andre

Subs: Andrews(GK), O'Connor

Attendance: 370