Youth Academy Stalemate

Seasoned youth team observers will note that today’s game was at the same place as the very first game back in 2006. This time the hosts weren’t Stockport County but Manor Farm’s new occupants, the newly formed Greater Manchester Academy; formed to offer full time coaching.

In the first half the academy side made use of the benefits of full time training and gave the FC lads a hard time racing into a two goal lead within the first quarter of an hour. The first looked offside, but the referee operating on his own chose not to give any offsides all night. The second was headed in from a cross to the far post a minute later.

There were no further goals in the first half and an inspired half time team talk saw the lads perform at a much higher tempo and raced into a 3-2 lead. Firstly, striker Yousif Yousif intercepted a clarance and fed Andy Lee who curled an effort into the top corner, though in fairness Andy did look even further offside than the Academy scorer for the first goal. An early lesson for the boys to play to the whistle.

Two minutes later Jonathan Poizer hit a free kick in from the left wing which appeared to get a touch from Kial Callacher before Lewis Adams fired home. Two minutes after that Poizer got on the score sheet himself with another free kick, this time deceiving the keeper before nestling in at the far corner.

It was a stiff test for the lads but one they were looking to have passed until with ten minutes to go the academy side fired home from outside the penalty area. FC survived a late penalty appeal which divided opinion on the touch line but all in all a valuable workout.

Starting Line Up

Joe Hankinson
Charlie Doyle
Josh Smethurst
Mike Taylor
George Shaw
Kial Callacher
Daniel Maynard
Jonathan Poizer
Yousif Yousif
Liam Gerrard
Blaine Biggs

Substitutes

Callumm Rattigan
Josh Broadbent
Kyle McGovern
Andy Lee
Kane Hughes
Elliott Regan
Lewis Adams