Forthcoming Fixtures

City have played Southport at their Haig Avenue ground a few times during pre-season friendly schedules and given their conference league status offer a fair challenge to the young City reserves. However City's young guns have a real purpose about them and given that most of the more experienced players are either away on loan or on international duty the so called understudy were hardly that as they ran out three nil winners with goals from Ahmad Benali and a brace from James Poole; one being a penalty.

The first half an hour of the match saw both sides create a little bit of offensive play but neither side really tested either team's goalkeeper apart from a little mix up in the third minute when Matty McGinn got a shot off and Loris Karius in the City goal just managed to claw the ball away.

City then had a five or six minute spell where they were camped in Southport's half; but it was from two set pieces that the best chances were created. The first was a long Reece Wabara free kick to the feet of Chris Chantler who crossed in and Alex Nimely headed back but Abdisiliam Ibrahim's swivel and volley went inches over the bar.

The second chance led to the goal when Chantler went up to take his first corner sent in a changed delivery from normal and that probably caught the Sandgrounders unaware and allowed James Poole to nip in near the near post and poke the ball through; there was a defender there to clear but the ball had already crossed the line according to the referee's assistant.

Southport had a late first half rally with penetration inside City's area but Tony Gray's shot when the ball was at his feet was not strong enough to really trouble Karius. The half ended for City with Nimely running after a nothing ball and pulling up holding his hamstring.

Benali replaced the injured Nimely in the second half as City changed their formation slightly. That change certainly helped City control more of the possession of the ball.

That extra time on the ball paid dividends in the fiftieth minute when Benali pushed forward and he passed to Jeremy Helan out on the left and he ran at the defender before cutting inside and putting a low cross into the area that the defender handled to control the ball and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. Poole stepped up and sent Tony McMillan in the Southport goal the wrong way into the bottom left corner.

One of Southport's substitutes was put through on goal in the fifty sixth minute but his shot was saved when Karius spread himself well and he saved with his legs. Another of their substitutes was also able to get a chance as he pushed through but his shot from the edge of the area just drifted wide.

City sealed the victory in the seventy eighth minute with a slick passing move that started of with Chantler on the left into Donal McDermott who pushed forward before Benali played a one two with Scott Kay and Benali fired in his shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the area.

Benali nearly doubled his goal tally five minutes later when again another multi passing move led to Benali being in space on the left of the area and he sent in a chip to the far post but somehow McMillan just got his finger tips to the ball to tip it over.

City are due to play Radcliffe Borough Wednesday evening and it is unclear what sort of side City will field; we at MCRAA are more inclined for it to be more academy based.

Teams:

SOUTHPORT: (1st half): McMillan(GK), Williams, Lever, Flynn (Capt.), Davis, Powell, Winn, Moogan, McNeil, T Gray, McGinn.   SOUTHPORT (2nd half): McMillan(GK), Barratt, Marsh-Evans, Lee, S Gray, Morley, Blakeman, Lloyd-McGoldrick, Collins, Simm, Carden.

CITY: Karius(GK), Vidal(Capt.), Chantler, Kay (Abu 88), Mee, Wabara, Etuhu (McDermott 70), Ibrahim (Nassim BouKhelifa 57), Nimely (Benali 46), Poole, Helan (Elabdellaoui 70)

Sub: Wood(GK)

Attendance: 710