City Double over Liverpool

LFC Reserves 1 - 2 MCFC Reserves

City completed their first double of the season when they traveled to the new venue of Halliwell Jones stadium; the home of Warrington Wolves rugby league team. City fielded a fairly experienced line up including the likes of Benjani Mwaruwari, Darius Vassell, Michael Ball and making his reserve team debut, Benjani Mwaruwari;
and so with strength like that in the team it could be quite easy to be critical had City not won. All three goals came in the first half with Paul Marshall's opening strike being equalized late in the first half but parity was only for a minute as Benjani stole in to gain the winner a minute before the break.

A large crowd at the stadium saw City start well as they forced Liverpool onto their heels. The breakthrough came in the ninth minute when Benjani made good progress down the left and he laid the ball back to Donal McDermott who's cross fell to Marshall after the Liverpool defence failed to clear the ball and Paul steadied himself and fired in a low hard shot into the bottom corner of the net.

City continued to battle in the midfield and Adam Clayton who put in an all action display found his name taken in the twenty ninth minute by the referee; but all that hard work would go to waste as city allowed Nabil El Zhar to run nearly half the field with the ball and move over to the right side of the penalty area and somehow got a decent shot across the goal into the far corner of the net.

The Liverpool faithful did not have too long to feel happy as a through ball by McDermott was chased onto by Ronald Huff and Benjani. Huff made it to the ball first and tried to clear it but instead with close attention by Benjani he diverted the ball towards goal and Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was forced to save the goal bound ball but Peter could only deflect the effort and Benjani ran in to fire into the empty net.

As a bit of a surprise to most City fans watching reserve team manager Glyn Hodges substituted all three of the senior professionals at half time when many onlookers thought that maybe at least one of them would complete sixty minutes as using all three subs left City exposed if a player was forced off through injury.

The second half saw both sides test each other and City nearly gave themselves a two goal cushion when good build up play by McDermott and substitute Ian Daly down the left led to the ball being played back where Shaleum Logan fired a good shot from twenty five yards that went just wide. With twenty minutes gone of the second half a well worked corner that came out to Sam Williamson who whipped the cross back in where Ben Mee headed back into the six yard box where substitute James Poole unfortunately put his shot high above the bar when it looked easier to score.

Liverpool could have levelled things up four minutes later when City's defence was caught napping and Jordy Brouwer was allowed to run through onto a long ball and beat the offside trap but City goalkeeper Tobias Johansen came out well and spread himself and tip the ball wide of the post. Deep into injury time, again Poole had a chance to get on the score sheet when he was able to force his way through from a ball by McDermott but Gulacsi pulled off a good save to deny him.

This victory puts City second in the league on goal difference; but this might be quite a hollow victory as Liverpool reserves have so far struggled this season and City have yet to look that convincing especially after the humiliating defeat to Manchester United nearly two weeks ago. Next up is Bolton at home in two weeks at the athletics arena on Tuesday 18th November.


Liverpool: Gulacsi(GK), Darby(Capt.), Insua, Ayala(San Jose Dominguez 71), Huth, Plessis, El Zhar, Spearing(Weijl 71), Brouwer, Pacheco(Simon 81), Bruna.

Subs: Bouzanis(GK), Irwin.


City: T Johansen(GK), Logan, M Ball(Williamson 46), Mee, McDonald(Capt.), Clayton, Weiss, Marshall, Vassell(Poole 46), Benjani(Daly 46), McDermott.

Subs: Hartley(GK), Kay.


Att: 1053.