MCFC Reserves and Academy

Late Winner Edges Sunderland

MCFC Reserves 1 - 0 SAFC Reserves

Quite an entertaining game to watch in terms of both teams passed the ball around well but City were the ones to take advantage with I think a deserved winner from loan signing Nery Castillo.

Neither teams really tested either goalkeeper for most of the ninety minutes and the referee allowed Jean Yves M'Voto, who is the double of Kenwyne Jones, to constantly take defending too far when Felipe Caicedo was clearly stronger than him.

City played a very attacking line up, including both fullbacks who clearly could get forward at most opportunities. The problem that having that line up caused was perhaps that Geovanni was over compensating for playing in a central midfield role and was too often passing the ball backwards and on some occasions found himself deeper than the back four.

With seeing the return of Valeri Bojinov who looked quite lively for his sixty minutes of play when he came off Ian Miller had clearly not seen this imbalance in the team as you would have brought Michael Daly on to replace Bojinov and put Geovanni out on the right and push Castillo further forward. Instead he brought on Ashley Grimes who in all respects added a more of a negative substitution than might first initially show.

City's goal came in the eighty seventh minute with a good move down the right that was started by Grimes who played a one two with Curtis Obeng and he drove into the box playing Caicedo in; who flicked it on for Castillo to finish past Matin Fulop in goal and make up for his dreadful attempt to round Martin minutes earlier.

This win now means City probably only need a point to finish runners up in the league and also highly likely that we will finish as the league's highest goalscorers. There is only Blackburn that could overtake us if they win their remaining two games against Sunderland(away) and Middlesbrough(home) as they are four points behind us. Our last game is away to Middlesbrough next Tuesday.


City: Isaksson(GK), Obeng, Williamson, Marshall, McDonald, Clayton, Castillo, Geovanni(Capt.), Caicedo, Bojinov(Grimes 61), Moore.

Subs: Martin(GK), Daly, Breen, Cunningham.

Sunderland: Fulop(GK), Wright, Harte, Leadbitter, Yves M'Voto, Higginbotham, Richardson, Chandler(Cook68), Stokes, Dennehy, Wallace(Donoghue 61).

Subs: Hunter(GK), Pelter, Reed.