Wigan Athletic  Reserves 3 Manchester City Reserves 4

 Poole(2), Mak, Ball

 

City fielded a rather hotchpotch of a team as they have players out on loan and possible player Michael Johnson who has been struck down with bronchitus and now six England players away with the U20s squad for their world cup. However that mixture of players did not detract from the performance as they went on to score four goals from the high scoring David Ball, Robbie Mak and a brace from James Poole. That is not the whole story as a very experienced Wigan team did not lie down and forced a tight finish by scoring three goals of their own.

 

City did not take long to take the lead as in the seventh minute Karl Moore on the left was able to release the ball forward into the direction of Poole who escaped his opposition player and forced his way into the penalty area before wrong footing the defender and jinking his way into space and then curled a low shot past trialist Jurgen Macho into the far corner of the goal.

 

City were not having it all their way as goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen was not just a spectator as he saw an all experienced premiership effort from Daniel de Ridder and Marlon King as King's curling twenty yard effort went inches wide of the far post.

 

City were able to double their lead when Adam Buxton dallied on the ball and Poole was able to release Mak and he showed his turn of heel and power as he drove his shot into the near post past Macho.

 

Either side could have scored in the last five minutes of the first half when Olivier Kapo should have done better with a header from close range from a Rachid Bouaouzan cross. Then as the half went into stoppage time a Moore free kick on the right was flicked on by Ball with his head just inches wide of the far post.

 

Wigan got their foothold back into the game in the fiftieth minute when some City midfield play was not fully cleared and the ball came across the field and out on the right to De Ridder and he set himself before firing his shot under Nielsen and in off the far post.

 

City restored their two goal advantage when yet again hesitation within the Wigan ranks allowed Ball to nip in; the offending player was their number eight and ball did not take a second invitation as he asserted himself into space inside the edge of the area to fire a shot past Macho.

 

The Manchester bees made it four goals in quick succession in their resplendent new Black and yellow kit just three minutes after the third goal when Mak beat two defenders on the right before playing a short low cross to Ball who then manoeuvred himself into the area past another defender before playing a short tap into the path of Poole who was left with the simple side foot place past Macho.

 

 

Wigan halved City's lead nearly half way through the second half when a corner from the right was only half cleared and in came James McCarthy with a fine twenty five yard strike that went through a body of players and nestled into the bottom corner of the goal past the despairing dive of Nielsen.

 

Wigan made things really un-easy for City when in the eighty eighth minute a cross from the right was not cleared and there was Kapo to tap home from two yards out and put some real and unlikely pressure back on Glyn Hodges' team.

 

Clever play saw City move up field and win a few corners and hold possession in the corners to run down the clock and secure a much deserved third win of the season and send them top of the northern premier reserve league.

 

As for Sylvinho; I was very impressed with the way he linked well with the defence as he played his part in acting as a solid unit and given a player of such experience he did not disappoint in his reading of the game and not allowing players to be easily on side by poor positional play. So i would be very confident if he were to have to step into Mr Bridge's shoes should the need arise.

 

 

Wigan: Macho(GK); Routledge, Buxton (Langley, 72), Amaya, Mustoe; M'Bami, McCarthy; de Ridder, Kapo, Bouaouzan; King

Subs: Nicholls(GK), Holt, Cywka, McManaman

 

City: Nielsen(GK), Vidal, Sylvinho(Cunningham 63), Boyata, Onuoha(Smith 63), Kay,Mak, Ibrahim,Ball, Poole, Moore

 

Subs:T Johansen(GK),Benali, Redshaw

 

Att: Approx 100.