City show flexibility and strong teamwork in pleasing club fixture

City enjoyed a pleasing overall result today against our club mates in a quirky but friendly fixture. The boys handled the occasion brilliantly, and the coaches enjoyed the usual bit of banter along the way.

The opening spell was a little tricky, with Utd proving stubborn opponents and City initially finding it hard to get down the wings and deliver the sort of threatening balls they wanted. A starting 4-5-1 was always intended to move towards a 4-3-3, but Mark was a little isolated at first and the support around him was not quite there.

Changing to two strikers helped City find a better attacking balance, before a switch to three at the back showed the team’s flexibility and willingness to trust one another to cover and support as needed.

It was encouraging to see goals coming from both open play and set pieces. As the game went on, the energy in midfield and the movement from side to side began to stretch Utd, with Max and Chris making increasingly penetrating runs. Lewis was asked to recognise chances to carry the ball forward and did that really effectively, helping to provide an extra attacking threat. Alongside his part in an organised defensive performance that restricted Utd to relatively few chances, that earned him the coaches’ award today.

There were some lovely individual finishes too. Chris did particularly well to take a spilled ball in his stride and finish first time, while Luke showed great control before finding the net from distance.

Utd also deserve credit for their work rate and determination. Their strong, physical defending reflected their own progress, and they continued to compete well right to the end, chasing longer balls and forcing a few mistakes at the back which ultimately led to their goal.

City now turn their attention back to more familiar league business next week, with another fixture that will demand sharpness and focus from the first whistle. The group will also look forward to welcoming Rhuairidh Cuthbert back, and everyone wishes the injured players a speedy recovery.

The club also said a big thank you to all the parents for accommodating the last-minute changes, and to the goals teams for their usual efficiency at the start and end of the game.