Forthcoming Fixtures

Tranmere Earns a Late Draw

MCFC Reserves 2 - 2 TRFC Reserves

With the main reserves being a hundred miles away at Birmingham's St Andrew ground the usual mainly U17 team was lined up for City. City twice took the lead in both halves through Craig Frater but were twice begged back by Tranmere's Danny Holmes and Gareth Edds. convert those chances.

City certainly rode their luck during the game as Tranmere were able to create more clear cut chances than City but perhaps were not incisive enough as they have been three nil to the good before twenty minutes.

Tranmere's first chance fell in the sixth minute when Josh Macauley ran down the right and struck a decent shot but from a tight angle that goalkeeper Nathan Dean did well to save. Then on the quarter hour mark the Pakistan international Adnan Ahmed struck a fine shot from a half cleared corner that just drifted wide of the post.

The next chance was by the whistle of the referee as a deflected ball was picked up by Dean in the penalty box and the referee ruled that it was a back pass and so he gave Tranmere an in-direct free kick that they hit wide of the post.

City took the lead in the thirty fourth minute when Adrian Cieslewicz drove forward and put a pass through to the trialist who played against us for Liverpool last week, Medi Abalimba, but he slipped and missed the ball and Ahmed Benali picked it up and carried on his run and slipped the ball to Frater who forced his way into the left side of the area and drove a fine shot into the far corner of the goal.

City's lead only lasted four minutes as Tranmere's right back drove forward and sent in a deep speculative cross that swirled in the wind and looped over the rather small Dean.

City started the second half in fine style by scoring their second goal in thirty five seconds when Curtis Obeng drove down the right flank and sent in a deep cross that Frater stormed into and fired into the opposite corner of the net.

Tranmere then for most of the half put City on the back foot. Their first good chance fell in the sixty second minute when Macauley was put through and Dean did well to come off his line and smother the attack.

Six minutes later Dave Wilson drove into the right side of the penalty area and drove a low cross cum shot that Obeng cleared from the line.On seventy six minutes the feat was almost replicated from the left by substitute Ryan Fraughan but no one got to it and it went across the line and skimmed the outside of the post.

Contrary to the official site the equalizer came in the eighty sixth minute when a Wilson corner was only headed on by a City player that fell into the path of Edds who finished from two yards out at the far post.

Despite not playing their best City still walked away from this game with a point and remain unbeaten after their earlier one hundred per cent start and are still only two points behind Tranmere at the top of the table.

After watching the trialist for both City and Liverpool I do not think the lad has enough to make it here at City and I would be very surprised if we see him again.


City: Dean(GK), Obeng, Cunningham, Benali, Tse, Wabara, Cieslewicz, Mitchell(Redshaw 69), Guidetti, Abalimba, Frater(Ibrahim 69)

Subs: Wood(GK), Grandison, Hovarth.


Tranmere: Achterberg(GK), Holmes, Cresswell, Denson, Taylor(Henry 21), O'Callaghan(Fraughan 62), Barnett, Ahmed, Josh Macauley, Edds, Wilson.

Subs: Kennedy(GK), Corrigan, Mackreth.


Att: Approx. 100.