Stoke Beaten by Weakened City

SCFC U18s 1 - 2 MCFC U18s

Stoke City let a goal lead slip against a City side full of fringe U18s players due to the strongest squad going away down to Plymouth on Monday for the Youth Cup quarter final game on Tuesday evening.

Stoke took an early lead in the second minute when a corner was only flicked on by the defender and there was Stoke's experienced number eight, who is playing in his fourth season at this level, volleyed into the opposite corner of the net past Joe Clegg in goal.

City were a little disjointed and took a while to get themselves into this game. They came back level just after the half hour mark when a wide ball out to the left was well chased down by James Poole who hooked a great forward inswinging ball into the path of Robbie Mak who ran into the area and finished the goal through the out spread goalkeeper's legs.

City were much more composed in the second half as their passing game got going to a far better effect and a minute after a City substitution the blues were in front when a powerful strike by Mak from the edge of the area cannoned of the cross bar and Poole ran in to coolly slot the ball past the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.

This game on paper was an easy win for City but with all these changes they made harder work of it than they might have done. This three points keeps winning the group league all the more realistic with only seven games remaining and City being nine points clear of second place Manchester United after Everton lost two one at Bolton today.

Good news on the injury front as centre half Matthew Brown returned from his double season lay-off to play the full ninety minutes and look very comfortable. City also saw the return of Chris Ramsey as he came back as a second half substitute.


City: Clegg(GK), Nolan(Ramsey 57), Morris, Brown, Breen, Ibrahim, Nimely-Tchuimeni, Tsiaklis, Mak, I Daly, Poole.

Subs: Jahansson(GK), Robinson, Redshaw, Chantler.


The U16s kept their mainly unbeaten season going with a fine 1-1 draw with Stoke as well.