Forthcoming Fixtures

What a contrast to the two teams that were fielded for the Manchester Senior cup tie at Hyde's Ewen Fields against Manchester United. United you could almost say were using this game as a shop window to move players on as many scouts and managers were watching on. City on the other hand with many players either on loan or now more first team squad permanent fixtures meant that they fielded virtually an under twenty one team and that lack of experience was perhaps the difference in the second half as United showed that little bit more to score the two goals that separated the team after Alex Nimely Tchuimeni had put City early in the first half.

It was United were the first team to show their colours when Tom Cleverley headed onto the cross bar from their captain's; Magnus Eikrem's cross from the right in the ninth minute. However it was City that had the early break through when Abdisiliam Ibrahim made a strong run through the midfield which led to the ball coming to Nimely on the edge of the area and he placed his firm low shot into the far corner of the goal.

United started to come back into the game with just over ten minutes of the first half remaining and in the thirty seventh minute Cleverley was again involved as the ball came to him out on the left again but his shot went just wide of the far post. A minute later however and United were level when Federico Macheda and he steadied himself before firing pretty much straight at David Gonzalez Giraldo but despite getting a hand to the ball it went into the back of the goal.

United started the second half as they had finished the first when again Cleverly was put through but his shot was straight at Gonzalez. City got the next chance when substitute Ahmad Benali surged through and then played Nimely in down the left and he took a shot at the near post that goalkeeper Ben Amos got down to.

Just a minute later and it was that man Cleverley again had a half volley that cannoned of someone's head and looped just wide of the top corner of the goal. City almost immediately had another chance of their own when a mix up in defence allowed Nimely to intercept a short back pass by Wes Brown and he rounded Amos but Chris Smalling was able to block Nimely's shot.

United then made their pressure tell when they worked the ball out on the right before Eikrem passed the ball to Macheda on the edge of the area and he hit a first time right footed shot into the far corner of the goal.

United wrapped the goal up just three minutes later when Cleverley finally got his name on the score sheet when he was put through and his low shot went past Gonzalez and into the goal.

City have now lost their two opening senior cup ties and must win all their remaining matches and will have to rely on other results now if they are to have any chance of defending the cup. One of the bright things to come out of this match was it was the first use of the new floodlights installed at Ewen Fields as they illuminated the great playing surface to great effect.

Teams:

City:Gonzalez(GK), Logan, Cunningham (Benali 46), Kay, Wabara, Mee(Capt.), Elabdellaoui (Bunn 74)), Ibrahim, Nimely, Chantler, Helan(Olle 84)

Subs: Karius(GK), Veseli

United: Amos(GK), Neville, Rafael (Dudgeon 60), Brown , Smalling, Carrick (Gill 73), Gibson, Anderson (Keane 60), Eikrem, Cleverley, Macheda.

Subs: Devlin(GK), Norwood.

Attendance: 1569