I was at Cardiff City Stadium to watch the international game on a night of mixed results which saw Wales continue the slump that has seen them drop to bottom seed status for the recent World Cup 2014 qualifying draw (we were paired with Croatia, Serbia, Belguim, Scotland and Macedonia – not a bad group, but we’ve got no chance on current form) and to 112th in the Fifa World rankings and City eventually prove too strong for their League Two opponents after a hard fought tie that went to extra time.

“Hard fought” is certainly not the description that comes to mind when recalling the first half (and much of the second period) of the Wales match! The game started with Wales dominating possession, but it was never to any purpose as slow and “safe” passing saw them playing in front of Australia all of the time with the visitors perfectly content to let us have the ball. Thinking back, I’m not sure Wales, with Aaron Ramsey sometimes the furthest man forward,  even had an effort on goal in the first half – if they did, it was a punt from fifty yards or more! For a long time, Australia were little better, but they did at least carry some goal threat and a thunderous drive against an upright by former wurzel Luke Wilshire awoke every one from their slumbers around the half hour mark.

Tim Cahill’s smartly taken goal on the stroke of half time put the visitors into a lead which they deserved on the basis that they were the least bad of the teams, but it also set up a second period which proved to be  a lot more lively and competitive than the first forty five minutes. Wales substituted Darcy Blake for an out of sorts Danny Gabbidon (any one who is a regular reader of this blog will know how highly I rate Gabbs, but he looked like a player whose time at this level had gone last night) and Jack Collison for a subdued Ramsey, but, while the latter added some much needed urgency to the home midfield, Australia were getting increasingly on top and it took a combination of a fine save by Wayne Hennesey and the upright to keep them from doubling their lead. However, it was only postponing the inevitable and when they got in down our left again, the keeper’s parry dropped to Kruse who tapped in from two or three yards out.

Darcy Blake heads Wales' goal - I would have thought he would have been "bar these" in the betting for the scorer of the game's last goal!

From then on, we saw the usual and numerous substitutions that you get in these sort of games, but what was unusual this time was that they increased the game’s entertainment value. Australia were still able to show some of the form that enabled them to win in Germany a couple of months ago at times, but the introduction of Steve Morison, Joe Allen and Adam Matthews definitely improved Wales and, with Gareth Bale becoming increasingly influential, they finished the game the stronger. There was a treat for City fans when Blake scored a goal (which he has never threatened to do in a City shirt!) by heading in a corner and Aussie keeper Mark Schwartzer was as busy in the closing ten minutes as he had been in the eighty that had preceded them as Wales swarmed forward.

It was all in vain though as the visitors held on to their 2-1 lead and, truth be told, Wales’ late rally couldn’t hide the fact that the better side on the night had triumphed. Australia are not ranked at twenty three in the world rankings for nothing, but, the frustrating thing from a Welsh point of view is that in terms of individual talent, I don’t think there is much between the two sides. When you look at the players Wales have to choose from, they should never be as low as they are in the rankings and Gary Speed has to take some responsibility for the way the talented individuals available to him are not gelling into a team, but, he was as critical as most supporters were about the way his side started the match and the Welsh side has been under performing for a couple of years now under three different managers.

As for City, well I might have had a different view on things if I had been there to see it because quite a few who were weren’t over impressed. From a distance though, their 3-1 win over a team I have seen tipped by some to be League Two champions looks a tremendous result when you consider who wasn’t available for us. Nine of the sixteen man squad for the West Ham match didn’t start last night as well as two more (Kiss and McPhail) who are on the injured list – first year pros Alex Evans and Ibby Farah made their first starts in the senior team and fellow ex Academy player Nat Jarvis joined them when he made his first team debut as a second half substitute for Rudy Gestede.

Besides that, second year Academy trainees Adedeji  Oshilaja and Joe Ralls were on the bench and the latter got to play nearly an hour when he came on for Martin Taylor midway through the second half. Ralls (who is a left footed play maker) acquitted himself as well as any of the youngsters apparently, but Evans’ performance was praised by the radio team I was listening to as was Farah’s. Ibby almost got himself a goal when his twenty yard shot came back off the post, but Jarvis did manage to find the net when his header from a long ball forward looped over home keeper Clarke to put City out of sight at 3-1 deep into extra time.

A moment he'll never forget - local boy Nat Jarvis celebrates a goal on his first appearance in a competitive match for City's senior team.

Judging by what I heard during the second half though, City were a little fortunate to get to extra time. They seemed to be under continuous pressure for much of the time from a home team that recovered from Craig Conway’s deflected effort (having now seen it on the telly, it looks more like an own goal to me) which put us ahead in the twelfth minute to level on the half hour through Simon Cliss. Besides wasting a great headed chance to put us 2-0 up, Jon Parkin also had what seemed to be goal ruled out at 1-1 when it was deemed that the ball had not crossed the line – independent witnesses (well they were City fans actually!) swore blind that it was a foot or so over, but the home side could also point to them hitting the woodwork and a series of efforts just too high and too wide and so it’s probably fair to say that extra time was the least Oxford deserved.

Of course, as soon as you go into extra time, then thoughts immediately turn to penalty shoot outs. However, when City found themselves in a similar position against League Two opposition in Burton Albion last year, they showed their superior class to score three times and ease to a 4-1 win. This time around, it sounded like it was the class of an individual rather than the side as a whole that saw them through as Peter Whittingham, on as an early sub for hamstring victim Soloman Taiwo, fired in a low, left footed shot from twenty five yards that was too good for Clarke. By common consent, Whititngham was the best player on the pitch last night and he seems to have continued a very encouraging start to the season – far from being moved on, as many initially suspected, when Malky Mackay arrived, it would appear that our new manager sees Whitts as, possibly, the player we can least afford to lose.

Speaking of our manager, you cannot but contrast his approach to young players with that of Dave Jones. To be fair to our former boss, he did give Aaron Wildig (who was conspicuous by his absence from the squad last night – given his limited time on the pitch in our pre season matches, it’s beginning to look as if Malky might not rate him)  his debut in a League Cup tie a couple of years ago, but I think someone like Joe Ralls would never have got the opportunity he got last night under him. As a rule, youngsters might have been selected on the bench for this type of game in the past, but they would never get on the pitch. Indeed, there were times in the League when injuries and suspensions meant that Dave Jones would go with less than the allowed number of subs rather than use a youngster(s) from the Academy – hopefully, we’ll not be in a position where we don’t have enough senior players to fill the bench this season, but, if we are, I believe Malky Mackay would think differently.

A very young City team came back from conceding a soft goal to win 2-1 with all of the scoring coming in the first half. With the likes of Adam Matthews and Aaron Wildig seemingly permanent fixtures on the substitute’s bench, only Darcy Blake and Danny Drinkwater   (regaining fitness after illness) could currently be called realistic first team candidates for the senior side’s starting eleven, but the team responded well to going a goal down and captain Ibby Farah and Wildig helped set up the in form Nat Jarvis for a well taken equaliser.

Jarvis’ effort was a good goal hit first time from just outside the penalty area, but it paled into insignificance when compared to the winner scored by someone who the official site referred to as a”youth team trialist” – this was a left footed effort from a yard or two further out which was placed to perfection high into the net beyond the keeper. As to the identity of the goalscorer, I did think for a while that it was Malaysian “wonderkid” Tam Sheang Tsung (see picture below) who the Daily Mail reports is joining us for a three month trial.

Although the highlights of the game on the official site show a bit of a similarity between the trialist and Tam Sheang Tsung, it seems that his trial is due to start in March, so it’s almost certainly not him – whoever it is though, they cannot have done their chances of earning a contract any harm at all with a goal like that.

Jordan Santiago (who, it seems, has been given a further six months contract after his previous deal ran out in December) made an outstanding save from a header to preserve City’s lead in the second half and the reserves were able to hang on and maintain their 100% winning record this season – they have only played three games mind!

Vincent Tan (right) seen with 15 year Malaysian player Tam Sheang Tsung (centre) who is reported to be joining us for a three month trial in March.

To be fair, the team is in a bit of a state of transition at the moment with yesterday’s starting line up containing four players who have played most of their football this season for the Under 16 team and, in the second half especially, they dominated large chunks of the game, but Watford looked that bit more sharper going forward and even during the stages when City were dominant, their counter attacks, particularly down their right hand side, always carried a threat.

The visitors were the better side in a dull first half and took the lead when their centre forward beat Stephen Last down the right and knocked over a low cross that their number 10 slotted in easily. Keeper Reece Ottley was also forced into a sharp save at his near post from a visitor’s attack and Nat Jarvis’ poor second touch when put through with only the keeper to beat by Adam Davies lost City a great chance to equalise, but that was about it as for as goalmouth incident went in the first period.

The second forty five minutes offered much more entertainment as City began to get on top in midfield without carving out that many decent chances but they did manage to work Billy Taylor through only for him to be taken out right on the edge of the penalty area by a cynical challenge by the Watford captain. It looked an obvious shooting chance for Luke Cummings when he lined up the free kick, but, instead, he clipped a lovely ball in for Nat Jarvis to head home from six yards for his twelfth goal of the season. For a while after that it looked like City would go on to win the game as Cummings hit a post and shouts for a penalty were turned down. However, Watford were always able to work dangerous situations for themselves and a couple of shots inches wide of Ottley’s left hand upright offered proof that they were by no means out of the game.

Having made all three of their substitutions, the decisive moment of the game for City probably came with ten minutes to go when their influential captain Jarvis (who, his first half miss apart, had again impressed in the lone striker role he has played virtually all season) went off with an injury. Reduced to ten players, City conceded a second goal within a couple of minutes as the visitors got the better of City’s defence down the left once again and the resultant cross found it’s way to one of two visiting players in glorious isolation on the far post who gave Ottley no chance with a shot high into the net.

Having struggled to create chances when they had eleven on the pitch, City were always going to find it hard to get back on terms without their main attacking threat and Watford saw the game out easily to get a win that they probably just about deserved, but, by the same token, City could feel had done by following their much improved second half showing and the fact that they had to play the closing stages of the game one man short.

The first half offered the most entertainment I have seen in an Academy match this season with City threatening the Arsenal goal a couple of times early on before the visitors took charge as they looked to get in behind our defence on two or three occasions – after a couple of good saves from City keeper Reece Ottley and a shot just wide, Arsenal got it right when their number nine got clear and calmly sidefooted home. For a while after that, it looked like Arsenal might run away with the game, but City hit back when Nat Jarvis (who wore the captain’s armband despite the fact that normal skipper Jon Meades was playing) jumped for a free kick with the keeper and got the final touch to level things up.

This goal signalled the start of a period which saw two more follow within about five minutes as, firstly, Arsenal put together a fine move worthy of their first team which ended with their number eight netting. Within no time though City were level again as they showed the visitors that they didn’t have a monopoly on quality passing moves as Jarvis showed strength and skill to score from Cummings’ clever pass. Things settled down somewhat after that but City very nearly went in ahead at the break as Meades (playing in central midfield rather than his usual left back slot) clipped the crossbar with a lovely curled right footed effort.

Although Arsenal were probably unlucky not to be ahead at the interval, City had played a full part in an excellent first forty five minutes and it was almost inevitable that the second half would suffer in comparison. For a long time, the teams tended to cancel each other out with only a shot from Arsenal which flew just wide really threatening either goal, but the visitors then took the lead in controversial circumstances with around twenty minutes to go when their number nine was denied his second goal by a brilliant save by Ottley from point blank range only for the rebound to be bundled in from virtually on the line. Ottley was adamant that there had been a handball in the build up to the goal and remonstrated with the linesman for not noticing it – from where I was sitting, it looked like our keeper may have had a point.

Having already come back twice after falling behind, City almost did it for a third time but a fine save by the visiting keeper denied Jarvis his hat trick. Unfortunately, City never really threatened much after that and the visitors were able to make sure of victory in the dying minutes when their left back drilled home from the corner of the penalty area to finish off another silky passing movement.

The two goal winning margin was probably about right in the end, but City had no need to reproach themselves because they played a full part in an enjoyable and open game with Jarvis and Ottley (who looks an impressive young keeper) in particular shining.

Anyway, whether you support the Academy Foundation or not, it doesn’t seem to be effecting the lads out on the pitch because the Under 18s stretched their unbeaten run to seven games yesterday morning with a 2-1 win over Reading at Treforest.

In truth, it wasn’t a great game of football, but it was competitive enough to keep your attention and, by going 2-0 up and then surviving a late Reading fightback, I think City did just enough to merit the points.

You could tell the City team were in a confident frame of mind by the way they started the game as they forced the visitors back. Corners were conceded by Reading and captain Jon Meades brought a save out of the Reading keeper with a low shot from distance in the opening five minutes as City looked much the better side, but after that the game settled down into a midfield scrap as both sides rather cancelled each other out. Until their late goal, Reading offered little threat except for some crosses into dangerous areas which their strikers just couldn’t reach and one such cross was the catalyst for City upping their game as Leigh Smith and Nat Jarvis had goal bound shots blocked and a Reading defender was forced to clear off his own line seconds later.

However, things settled down again after that and half time came and went with the score sheet blank. After the interval, City generally looked slightly the better team as they began to make inroads down their right wing. However, apart from one or two goalmouth flurries when the Reading keeper was forced into saves, it was beginning to look like the game may peter out into a goalless draw when a goal arrived out of nowhere midway through the half. Once again, the danger came from down City’s right flank as midfielder Ibby Farah was played in and, after his first effort was blocked by a defender, he buried a close range shot high into the net – although the keeper was beaten at his near post, the force of Farah’s shot meant that no blame could really be attached to him.

Reading’s response to going behind didn’t suggest that they had an equaliser in them with a second City goal definitely looking more likely and it duly arrived with around ten minutes to go when substitute Steffan Jones was played in down the same right hand channel as Farah had been for his goal but this time the goal came courtesy of good low shot across the keeper which found the net via a post.

A two goal defeat would have been harsh on Reading and with four minutes to go they scored the goal of the game with a lobbed shot from outside the penalty area which flew over Santiago and into the net. This goal was the prelude to Reading abandoning any attempts to play passing football as they constantly knocked long balls from back to front in a bid to get on level terms, but City held firm without too many alarms to record a win which takes them up to second in the table.

It wasn’t the type of match for great individual performances, but I’ll mention a few names. Firstly I was looking forward to watching Nat Jarvis who has been showing signs of becoming the sort of goal getting striker the Under 18s have lacked in recent years and I was pretty impressed overall. Jarvis plays as a lone striker and I would have thought that was a pretty thankless task for someone of his age, but he made a decent job of it yesterday. On the down side, Jarvis’ constant questioning of decisions got him a yellow card for dissent, then a strong talking to a few minutes later when he ridiculously started it up again (off the top of my head, I can’t ever remember a player being red carded after two yellow cards for dissent, but I came very close to seeing it yesterday).

Shortly after that Jarvis gave away a free kick with the sort of tackle that would earn a yellow card nine times out of ten, but the referee, who I thought was very good overall, erred very much on the side of leniency by giving him a final warning. This was the cue for Neil Ardley to withdraw Jarvis and bring on sub Steffan Jones who, by all accounts, is really a centreback. Well, all I can say us that he must be some defender if the club think he is better off playing at the back, because, on this evidence, he looked a natural target man type centre forward. It wasn’t just the cool way Jones took his goal that impressed, it was the way he linked play up by showing awareness of those around him that also took the eye – perhaps I saw Jones on a good day, but he really was impressive when he came on.

Others deserving of a mention were the right sided midfield player  (I’m sorry, I don’t know his name but his team mates were calling him Kenny) who did very little to take my eye in the first half, but became increasingly influential after the break and keeper Jordan Santiago who didn’t have too much to do but played as well as I have seen him – he looked much more assured than on the previous occasions I have seen him play.

I think the biggest single factor behind City’s win was the way Santiago and the back four completely dominated the Reading attack. While I didn’t think any of the back four were outstanding individually, I thought they defended well as a unit and worked well in conjunction with their goalkeeper. If I had a criticism of the five of them yesterday it would be that in the first half they overdid the building from the back stuff a bit as Santiago threw the ball out to defenders in positions that led to awkward moments for the team, but that’s not a bad fault to have really because, overall, it has to be good that our youngsters are encouraged to build from the back and play football rather than just welly it forward. Okay, there wasn’t much flowing football on show yesterday, but the ability to win when not playing too well is not a bad thing – it’s an art that the senior side, for all their big wins, don’t seem to have mastered yet.

When you consider that Manchester City have one of the best records around for bringing through players from their Academy sides into their first team and their recent history of reaching and occasionally winning FA Youth Cups, there is no real shame in a City team shorn of their best players in this age group because of first team commitments losing by such a score. However, when you then take on board what a good game our kids gave their illustrious visitors in the first half, the final scoreline was a disappointment.

City gave us good as they got in the first half and, except for the visitors pace down their left which caused a few concerns, did not have too many problems keeping their clean sheet. To be honest, there were few real alarms for Man City either in a first period that was short of goalmouth action, but was still an interesting spectacle for all of that.

Unfortunately though the second half was a completely different story – you got the impression that there had been a few home truths told in  the visiting dressing room at the interval and Man City looked a much more threatening proposition as they forced a string of early corners. City survived them though and, just when it looked like they were getting back into the game, they fell behind around the hour mark to a fine goal as the visitors string together a lovely passing movement which finished with a tap in goal by striker Benali.

I am afraid that City rather fell to pieces for a while after that, they gave the ball away straight from the restart and within a minute the ball was in their net again as Abdoullali’s fierce angled shot beat keeper Santiago at his near post. For a while it looked like City were on for a hiding as the visitors completely dominated, but a couple of close misses from headers by Jarvis offered hope that they might be able to reduce the deficit

There was a further goal, but it came for the visitors in the last couple of minutes when some wonderful skill by their number 10 out by the corner flag took him past two opponents and he was only stopped by a mistimed tackle from Alex Evans which resulted in a pretty obvious penalty which Redshaw put away easily.

City’s team display was rather mirrored in individual performances with captain Jon Meades (used as a left back today), midfielder Ibby Farah and striker Nat Jarvis all having a good first forty five minutes before fading after the break – given the strength of the opposition though, it probably wasn’t really the best game to try to judge how well or poorly the Under 18s will do this season.