Bolton Undone by Wandering Star

BWFC Reserves 1 – 4 MCFC Reserves

City fielded a very strong side for this fixture to help Jihai Sun and Didi Hamann help in their fitness rehabilitation. Fielding stronger teams has usually worked against us if we were faced with a younger and more hungry team; however City made their class and the fact that they played down the slope in the first half tell. A first half quick brace in the first half by Daniel Sturridge was capped of with a hat-trick goal conversion, in the second half. England U19 international Michael Johnson wrapped up the scoring with City’s third goal in the second half after Bolton had threatened to get back in the game when they made it 2-1 in the seventieth minute.
I was just in time to see Sturridge score the first goal in the fourth minute when he burst through all on his own due to the strange ticketing system they have at Lancashire FA’s Leyland site.
City’s second goal came in the twelth minute when Johnson chased a loose ball towards the right corner and laid it back to new loan signing Djamel Abdoun who played the ball across and back in; Sturridge carried on his run in anticipation that it would get through and it did and he was left five yards clear of the defence with the ball in an on-side position, bearing down on goal which he did in a composed manner as he stroked the ball past the keeper.
Bolton’s goal came from a corner which Isaksson only managed to punch half clear and the ball came back in and was finished of at the near post.
City restored their two goal cushion five minutes later when Ishmael Miller made a strong run down the left and crossed for Abdoun to finish, but whether his effort was a cross or a miss hit shot, it fell to the feet of Johnson who coolly smashed the ball in.
City then made two substitutions in quick succession, bringing on Ched Evans for Miller and Ashley Grimes for Hamann. Within a minute of that second substitution, Sturridge scored his hat-trick goal. The ball came out of defence on the right to Abdoun, but he failed to deal with it properly, but fortunately the ball then ran onto Sturridge who ran down on goal and shot from twenty five yards, although the keeper got a touch on the ball, it went into the far corner and give City this much needed victory in the senior cup.
Its all very close as Oldham winning three games like us, United winning two and getting a point from a penalty defeat at Stockport(I know, funny isn’t it) and United playing Bury tonight at the Cliff instead of Radcliffe Borough, if they win then the United v Oldham game and our away game with Oldham will decide which one of us three will meet in the final.
City now have a reserve problem in that they don’t have a match(not counting the Pontins) until the 20th February. So Sturridge needs games to get on track, so possibly only a loan move is the right way to go as he is still a long way off being first team ready.

Bolton: Howarth(GK), Cassidy, Jamieson, Augustyn, Fojut(Capt.)(Ellis 72), Sinclair, Basham, Thompson, Wolfe(Wolze 64), Brooks.

Subs: Kazimierczak(GK), Roddy

City: Isaksson(GK), Sun(Logan 46), Williamson, D’Laryea(Capt), M Mills, Hamann(Grimes 77), Abdoun, Johnson, Miller(Evans 79), Sturridge, Laird.

Subs: Mentel(GK), Williams.

Att: 121

MotM: Has to go to Sturridge really as his predatory instincts set up the win, but special mention to Shaleum Logan who was great as a second half substitute.