Blackburn Pegged Back

BRFC Reserves 1 - 1 MCFC Reserves

Blackburn Rovers, the better side for sixty minutes allowed City to get themselves back in the game late on with a fine strike from substitute James Poole after Blackburn's Josh O'Keefe's glancing header was adjudged to have crossed the line after it came of the post.

Blackburn's out of the way venue at Morecambe's Christie Park is always a difficult place to get to at rush hour with Lancaster's one way system, but roadworks made it an even more frustrating last leg of the journey and City did not help our mood in the opening exchanges with Blackburn clearly showing more intent to win the game and to play the better football.

As usual between these two teams at the lower level there is always a bit of needle between the two sides and there were a fair few unnecessary challenges from both sides.

Just after twenty minutes City had their first real effort on goal when Ashley Grimes made a jinking run towards the are before releasing a strong strike that the Gunnar Nielsen in the Blackburn goal was able to get behind the shot.

A minute later saw Blackburn take the lead when a long cross field ball found Alan Judge out on the left who delivered a cross for midfielder O'Keefe to come in and glance the ball to the far post. It appeared to be heading wide; but the spin on the ball took it onto the post and across the line where Richard Martin and defenders scrambled to clear it, but the linesman from his good angle said it had crossed the line.

Blackburn continued to press forward and City's defence were forced into many blocks to keep the score down to one.

With just under ten minutes remaining of the first half Ian Daly won a free kick when he was brought down from behind from about thirty yards. Paul Marshall stepped up and fired a strong grass cutter onto the far post that came back that Blackburn did well to defend as they put the ball over for a corner.

Two minutes later centre half Clayton McDonald strode forward and found himself in free space from over thirty yards out and struck a violent shot that nearly took Nielsen into the back of the net as he repelled the ball.

Blackburn came out in the second half again as the better team and it was not until the sixty sixth minute when Poole came on for Ian Daly and Karl Moore was pushed further forward so we changed to a four three three formation from our four four two starting formation that we looked to put Blackburn on the back foot on a more consistent basis.

Within two minute of the change Grimes forced a great save from Nielsen when a deep corner was able to be retrieved by Grimes who cut back inside and released a fine right foot strike that Nielsen parried and the ball came out to Michael Daly who fired back in to the near post that Nielsen was able to get behind.

Around the half hour mark Christian Mouritsen send a good searching cross field pass for Moore to latch onto who then sent his first decent cross of the match over and Poole was able to connect with it, but the finish was wide when he should have done better.

Ten minutes later with more continued pressure, City got back on level terms when a high ball from the left was not dealt with properly by defender Gavin Gunning as he deflected the ball into the path of Poole who raced into the box to shoot into the far corner of the goal past a despairing dive by Nielsen.

Two minutes later City should have taken an undeserved lead when Grimes timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap and chip the ball over Nielsen and into the empty net but the referee's assistant wrongly flagged for offside.

City next travel to runaway league leaders Liverpool next week in the premier reserve league as City defend a five match unbeaten league run.


Blackburn: Nielsen(GK), Kane(Flynn 44), Nolan, O'Keefe, Winnard(Capt.), Gunning, Doran, Marrow, Clarke(Marshall 46), De Vita, Judge.

Subs: Bussman(GK), O'Connor, Zenaba.


City: Martin(GK), M Daly, Williamson(Capt.), Breen, McDonald, Mouritsen, Clayton, Marshall, I Daly(Poole 66), Grimes, Moore.

Subs: Giombetti(GK), Chantler, Ramsey, Brown.


Att: 235