MCFC Reserves and Academy
SCFC 0 – 7 MCFC Reserves
After beating Stalybridge Celtic's local rivals Hyde United earlier in their pre-season schedule travelling to their Bower Fold ground after completing many other matches and finding some good rhythm and form overall allowed City's youngsters to capitalise on their weaker opponents and score a magnificent seven in a match that could have ended five; twelve. City's goals came from goal getter David Ball, Alex Nimley-Tchuimeni, Scott Kay, a hat-trick from Robbie Mak and an exquisite finish from James Poole.
City swapped ends after the toss and played from right to left up the Bower Fold slope so had to learn to keep their shots lower as its seems easy to hit shots over the bar because naturally your body falls slightly backwards as it is a slightly un-natural position to get over the ball.
City's first goal came after the fifteen minute after Donal McDermott and Abdi Ibrahim had forced good saves from Paul Phillips in the Celtic goal. The hard working Poole dispossessed Warren Peyton and moved forward into space before releasing the ball through to Mak who rounded Phillips before slotting the ball into the far corner of the goal. Mak nearly doubled his tally a couple of minutes later playing a lovely neat one two with Karl Moore on the left of the penalty area before Mak unleashed a fierce shot past Phillips and off the underside of the bar and out of the goal.
With about ten minutes remaining of the first half City and Mak did double their haul when McDermott played the ball over the top of the Celtic defence where Mak controlled the high bounce with a lovely forward header which allowed him to bear down on goal at pace and finish into the far corner past Phillips.
This seemed to wake Celtic up as they had a good spell before the half time break where they had a Peyton shot cleared off the line and he missed a header from a few yards out and Gunnar Nielsen pulled of a great save from Joe O'Neill.
City put the game to bed in the fiftieth minute with the goal of the pre-season when James Poole, controlled and brought a long ball over the top with one touch on the right edge of the area before pushing the ball slightly away to create space as he delightfully curled the ball into the far corner of the goal.
That seemed to take the stuffing out of Celtic and they never really threatened the City goal after that as they started to look tired and miss-placed too many passes in dangerous areas which City capitalised on.
Robbie completed his hat-trick goal in the fifty ninth minute when Moore played a through ball and Mak dispatched the ball into the goal past Phillips with aplomb and put City four nil up. City continued to press but it was Phillips that was impressing as he thwarted City with chance after chance with three of the best chances all coming from the boot of substitute Paul Marshall.
City finally got the ball past Phillips again with ten minutes remaining of the game when Nimley dispossessed the defender and drove forward before unleashing a powerful twenty yard shot that Phillips had no chance with. City scored their sixth and seventh goals within the space of a minute in the last five minutes. Scott Kay timed his run well to run onto an inch perfect in-swinging cross from the right from Marshall that left Kay with an easy header past Phillips.
The final act of the game was for the on form substitute David Ball who capitalised on another miss-placed pace to run into a tight angle on the left before rifling an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the goal.
City's next official action will be their first Manchester Senior Cup group game against Bolton Wanderers next Tuesday.
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