City Finally Win an EDS game
Premier Legue International U21s Friendly
Tuesday 19th August 2014
City: Lawlor(GK), Bossaerts, Smith-Brown, Smith-Brown, Evans, Facey, Glendon(Horsfield), Bytyqi(Barker), Fofana(Boadu), Hiwula(Ambrose), Pozo(Intima)
Goal: Hiwula(50)
Unused Subs: O'Brien(GK), Oliver.
City played this game against Schalke with the original idea that it would be part of the Premier League’s international U21 competition but so far UEFA had failed to ratify the competition and so it was just billed as a friendly. However despite that City looked far more solid and won courtesy of a solitary second half goal from striker Jordy Hiwula.
City lined up with one of the best balance midfields for a long time with George Glendon being the Rottweiler in front of the back four and Jack Byrne pulling the strings in the centre and Seko Fofana running off the pair and that meant that City had most of the ball in the centre of the park.
City could have taken the lead as early as the thirteenth minute when Jose Pozo sent a through ball for Hiwula to beat the offside and he took the ball wide and rounded goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther who was always very quick off his line in the Schalke goal but Jordy’s shot was not strong enough and the defender was able to get back and clear the shot away and behind for the corner.
City continued to press and probe and nearly broke through in the twenty sixth minute from the right hand side when Austrian Sinan Bytyqi was sent clear on that right side of the area but his effort to cross or shoot missed the player and the goal at the far post.
City however had an even better chance to score in very fortunate circumstances when a penalty was awarded with less than ten minutes of the half remaining for handball that looked very ball to hand from my position.
Anyway perhaps justice was done as it looked like the shot into the corner was perhaps saved onto the post and cleared to leave the score line at a stalemate going into the half time break.
City started the second half with a bang as inside sixty seconds of the restart saw Hiwula break through the defence on the right with the ball and bear down on goal but yet again Timon was there to rescue the German side as he was quickly off his line and spread himself very well and stopped a certain goalbound effort.
City did not have to wait too long however before that deadlock was finally broken when Seko Fofana turned his man in midfield but his shirt was being pulled and he was pulled down but his final contact of the ball meant it rolled out into the possession of Jose Pozo and the referee was quick to play the advantage and Mathias Bossaerts made an over-lapping run and Pozo played him in and clipped a neat cross in and the Schalke defence had left Hiwula completely unmarked in the box for a very simple finish for him into the empty goal.
Five minutes later and Jordy could have been looking at least a hat-trick in this game but yet again that man Timon denied him after some great incisive passing right from the back by George Glendon and Jack Byrne that sent Jordy clear but Timon was off his line again and that final touch by Jordy was rushed and he never got a chance to shoot.
Although City dominated possession and looked like there might have been another goal from an opening there were a couple of chances for Schalke that saw a header go just wide from a free kick and another volley that skimmed the outside of the post and Ian Lawlor get his body down well and get behind the ball from a powerful shot across his body.
Hopefully Vieira has seen that having that better balance in the centre midfield means the team have more options and if the forwards get in behind the defence more to support the likes of Jordy and then more comfortable victories will be seen in the season starting with another game at Hyde next week when Sunderland are the visitors in the U21 league game.
Posted in EDS Match Reports by Gavin Cooper/Andrew Waldon.