I’ve mentioned in earlier reports on Development team matches this season that they are playing more like the senior team this year and in maintaining their one hundred per cent winning record this lunchtime in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, the similarity with the first team was closer than ever.
For anyone who has watched the losses against Coventry and Bournemouth, that may sound a little deflating, but I should say that this was like the first team on a good day.
It’s easy to be anti the first team these days and say they don’t have good days, but, City have been pretty good at seeing out wins against decent teams by getting in front and then defending well as a hard working central midfield pair get in amongst the opposition and make it difficult for them to create much.
Such wins typically see us having about thirty five per cent possession and it becomes a case of winding the clock down, but, on a good day, the seniors can do that with relatively few alarms.
Take away the penalty scored in added time at end by Keiron Evans, and this was like numerous 1-0 wins under some of our recent managers, but I’d say that it was achieved with more composure than you tend to see from the first team.
George Ratcliffe was sound when called upon in goal and made a couple of good saves from what were probably the visitors two best chances. In the middle of the defence, Denham, MacGuiness and Connolly were all in control of their opponents for most of the time with the bonus that, unlike their seniors, they were all pretty comfortable passing out from the back with my one minor quibble being that the last named gives away too many free kicks.
In front of the three central defenders, Eli King probably played as well as I’ve seen him do – the commentators used the word “mature” to describe City’s performance and it is an appropriate description, but, perhaps, it applied most to King and Keenan Patten, who were hard working and unspectacular, but, albeit at this lower level, were also able to show that they can play.
Not that it was all about team discipline, work rate and defending from the front. For about half an hour, City were well on top and were taking the game to their opponents. During this time there was an intelligence and brightness to our attacking play which gained its reward after about twenty minutes when Isaak Davies and Evans set up Chanka Zimba for a chance which was beautifully taken with a low shot beyond keeper Amissah from the edge of the penalty area.
Connolly had not been far away with a clever header either and visiting central defender Gordon rescued his team with a block of Evans’ cross as Zimba waited to pounce as City were value for more than the one goal they got, but the game changed as Sheffield made it three on to two in midfield and, with Steve Morrison deciding not to reciprocate, City’s edge in the possession stakes disappeared.
Visiting striker Leo Ghaxa had the two best chances for Sheffield as Ratcliffe blocked his shot and then he maybe should have done better than glance his header wide from a left wing cross.
The match continued to be watchable in the second half despite there not being too much in the way of goalmouth action. Capello the Sheffield left back was as close to anyone to coming up with the equaliser they probed and pushed for in the face of City’s organised and disciplined resistance, but Ratcliffe’s second save with his feet preserved their clean sheet.
Back in our Championship winning 12/13 season, I can remember having a very rare feeling of relative comfort as City were holding on to a single goal advantage – I knew we would be okay in a way that I’ve not really felt with the present team (probably because of the lack of composure which seems to be compulsory with this lot).
Watching the game today was something of a throwback to eight or nine years ago because I was trusting our defenders to get the job done. In truth, although not recapturing their earlier fluency, City looked the more likely scorers in the final fifteen minutes especially when Evans broke down the left and put over a cross from which sub Cian Ashford, on for Davies, almost matched his achievement against Peterborough in the last home match of scoring within seconds of coming on, but Amissah got down smartly to block his header.
Ashford, at just sixteen, looks a fine prospect and he has the cleverness and talent of someone a lot older – there were other impressive little touches in his fifteen minutes on the pitch.
The last action came when Evans burst clear of what was a United back two by then and was brought down by Amissah for an obvious penalty which he took himself in relaxed style as he gave the keeper the eyes and rolled the ball into the middle of the net as he dived out of the way.
Sheffield’s previous match had been lost 4-2 to defending Southern Section Champions, Bristol City who were above us in the table before the latest round of matches – it’s too early to jump to conclusions yet, but it has been a heartening start by the Under 23s who have a resolve about which is very impressive..
I’ve mentioned most of the team already, but not the player who I thought was our Man of the Match, Jai Semenyo, signed from Mangotsfield in the summer was excellent at left wing back and, on this form, needs to be added to any list of youngsters who may see some first team action this season.
Just a quick word about Academy Head for the past eight years, James McCarthy who has left the club. McCarthy was one off the subjects of a club inquiry into bullying and, although I understand he was exonerated, the club did not bring him back after his spell of “gardening leave” choosing instead to go in a “different direction”.
Finally, Wales’ women’s team were a lot less impressive in their second World Cup qualifying match than they were in their first one last week, but, unlike the men’s team, they managed to score against Estonia – Tash Harding’s goal inside the first five minutes proved to be enough to see off a stubborn home side and so Wales are still on target to finish second and qualify for a Play Off place – realistically, they’re not going to finish above France who are on of the best teams in the world.
