Forthcoming Fixtures

Rotherham United 2 Manchester City X1 0

With most of the City fans travelling across the southern Pennines; we and a few others were making a similar journey but onto Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium instead of Barnsley's Oakwell. Rotherham capitalised on two poor defensive errors to win the game two nil despite City creating a few good chances and probably edging overall possession of the ball as well.

City made a couple of changes to their side that had had played the previous pre-season friendlies by drafting in Ben Mee and goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen who had been away with the first team squad in South Africa; but despite that experience, both were culpable for the two goals.

City started sharply by winning a corner in the first minute and Mee having his shot stopped on the line from the resulting dead ball. But that was all academic as in the nineteenth minute Ryan Taylor struck a speculative long range shot that Nielsen got behind but then fumbled the ball to allow it slip behind and roll over the line.

City could have been two down just a couple of minutes later when Rotherham got well down the left before putting the ball into the six yard box and causing panic and mayhem in the City defence which led to Rotherham's shot hitting the post.

Rotherham continued to pile the pressure on and Nielsen redeemed himself slightly when he got his fingers to a great twenty five yard shot and tipped it behind for a corner.

City nearly brought themselves back into the game with just five minutes remaining of the first half with a lovely move that started  with Adam Clayton who sprayed the ball out to the just outside the area on the right to Donal McDermott who sold the defender a dummy and crossed deep to Karl Moore who saw David Ball in space where he cut it back to him but somehow Andy Warrington in the Rotherham goal preventing the ball going in.

The second half could not have started much better for Rotherham as seventy seconds in they had doubled their lead. City allowed an early cross to come in from the left and Ben Mee despite having good sight and time to jump never got himself off the ground and Tom Pope had a free header into the far corner of the goal,

Rotherham did not rest on their laurels as they continued to push forward and they nearly got themselves a third goal with good work down the right with the ball coming into the area but the ball was eventually put behind for a corner.

City did not give up and just over half way through the half when Clayton played a fine cross field pass over the defence to McDermott who powered his way into the area on the left before cutting the ball back to James Poole who had only been on the field for a minute turned and shot but Ian Sharps was able to clear his effort off the line.

The last real action of the game fell to City with substitute Robbie Mak causing trouble for the defence controlling well and running into the area before laying the ball back for Poole again but his shot was deflected wide for a corner.

City will probably be disappointed with the result but they were up against a first team Rotherham squad that are only a week away from the start of their season and as such are ahead of City in their preparation and fitness and were undeniably City's strongest opponents in their pre-season as Rotherham would probably be a league one side now had they not had their points deduction.


Rotherham: Warrington(GK), Lynch, Sharps, Fenton, Green(Joseph 79), Ellison(Liddell 63), Mills(Capt.)(Harrison 76), J Taylor, Law, R Taylor(Warne 78), Pope.

Subs: Tonge, Nicholas, Haggerty, Annerson.


City: Nielsen(GK), Kay, Cunningham, Clayton(Wabara 80), MacDonald(Boyata 55), Mee, Moore, Ibrahim, Ball(Mak 63), Nimley-Tchuimeni(Poole 70), McDermott.

Sub: T Johansen, Smith.

Att: 1219.

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