Hat-Trick Marshalled Wigan

WAFC Reserves 2 - 4 MCFC Reserves

A rather mis-match of age and experience lined up at Wigan's Robin Park last night with strong winds and rain coming in on occasions but it was the younger and less experienced City team that did the damage as they ended the game comfortable winners thanks to a goal from the free scoring David Ball and the midfield powerhouse Paul Marshall who scored a very intelligent hat-trick.

City could have taken the lead in the seventeenth minute when David Ball had a good effort cleared of the line. Five minutes later City did take the lead when a lovely weighted ball by Ashley Grimes that left the Wigan defence flat footed as Marshall powered through to beat the off side trap and he was able to round the keeper and slot the ball into the net.

But City could not hold onto their lead as Wigan's best player, David Cotterill put in a good cross five minutes later and it was well headed towards goal by Australian Josip Skoko, but it took a wicked deflection that wrong footed Filip Mentel in goal.

Five minutes before the break City took the lead again, this time it was the ever industrious Karl Moore down the left who sent in a deep cross that Grimes headed back in the six yard box and Ball finished into the far corner.

Two minutes later Wigan were back level when a real melee was ended after the ball was twice cleared of the line but it came out to the edge of the area where Lewis Montrose drove the ball into the back of the net through a crowd of players.

Mentel was the difference between the two sides in the second half as he saved well from Skoko and Cotterill but Postlethwaite in the Wigan goal was beaten twice by Marshall from two set pieces.

City took the lead again in the fourth minute when Curtis Obeng was brought down from a strong run on the right. After the wall was set up and the referee had blown to take the free kick Marshall was astute enough to see he had a poor position and he exploited this to bend the ball from nearly thirty yards into the goal at the near post.

Ten minutes later the game was wrapped up with a controversial penalty was awarded to City. I have to apologise along with nearly everyone in the ground as I failed to see the reason the referee awarded the penalty.

Halfway through the second half City nearly made it five, but Postlethwaite saved well from Javan Vidal, who had obviously recovered well from his concussion last week, as he drove in to the box with the ball that had come from left to right for him to try to bend the ball into the top corner, but it was just palmed away for a corner.

This result will be a real fillip for the reserves after having to field a younger team and still keeps them in the race for the title.


WAFC: Postlethwaite(GK), Taylor, Moore, Ashworth, Hall, Montrose, Cywka, Skoko, Cotterill, Mahon, Bouaouzan.

Subs:(Non Used) Kupisz, Novak, Holt, McCaughtrie, Pearson


MCFC: Mentel(GK), Obeng, Williamson(Capt.), McDonald, Breen, Clayton, Vidal, Grimes, Ball, Marshall, Moore.

Subs:(Non Used) Hartley(GK), M Daly, Mouritsen, Weiss, McDermott