A youthful Sunderland side exacted a small but satisfying measure of revenge on Manchester City’s equally youthful reserve side with a two nil win at Stadium of Light in the Barclays FA Premier Reserve League.

The win cemented the Lads position at the top of the ressies league and was all the more enjoyable given that the night’s opponents were one of their closest rivals for the title. However, it was the fact that this game pitted many of the same players involved in last year’s heartbreaking league play off and FA Youth Cup semis that gave the win extra meaning.

With Kay and Henderson involved in last night’s cup match, Weir came in at right back, Chandler, Meyler and Captain Colback played across the middle and Dowson and Luscombe supported front man Healy from right and left respectively. Luscombe’s inclusion over the recent choice of the impressive Cook may well have been to help nullify the threat of Ukrainian dangerman, Weiss, down City’s right.

The first quarter of an hour was City’s and Weiss looked as skilful as ever and added to the flair of their youth team from last year were a number of powerful reserves such as Marshall and Poole. The latter gave the Lads a warning of his threat when he received a ball from behind and flicked it with the outside of his boot around McArdle, left the Irishman for dead and hit a dipping half volley which Colgan did very well to tip over. City’s powerful players’ ability to hold up the ball in the early exchanges was not unlike Blackburn’s once they’d taken the lead in the cup the previous night and the Lads struggled to get a toehold.

Any movement forward that the Lads did manage to generate in the first twenty minutes was repeatedly truncated by the lino who appeared to have set his heart on a world record attempt of consecutive incorrect offside decisions.

Healy had the first chance for us but snatched at his shot after turning just inside the box and saw his effort go past the far post after good work from Meyler. When Meyler, Chandler and Colback play across the midfield the Irishman tends to play deeper to suit his, how can I put it, more combative style, however, what he has in destructive powers he lacks in distribution too often and it was only when Colback dropped deeper and demanded the ball that the lads got into their stride.

Just before the 20 minute mark, Lids did well down the left hand side and set up Healy again but his effort from 12 yards was straight at the keeper. Colback then set up the Ulsterman and this time the keeper did well to tip his effort round the post for a corner. A minute later Healy became provider but his excellent cross box cross eluded everyone but it was clear that the Lads were wrestling the initiative away from City.

Having said that, City still looked dangerous and the Stewart hit the woodwork with Colgan either extremely confident it was missing or perhaps a bit too nonchalant. Immediately after the woodwork had been rattled, the improved Weir broke down the right hand side and set up Dowse whose low hard shot across the keeper hit the back of the net for the opening goal.

Healy then hit one just wide after more good play from Weir before City countered with Stewart hitting the woodwork for the second time after a free-kick was given against Colback for what the ref gestured as pulling back. Jack must have some extra arm only visible to the ref as he clearly had his hands down to his sides.

Two minutes before the break Lids had a shot from about 20 yards and when the keeper spilled it, Pistols Pete Hartley was there to rifle home for 2v0 for a Chesterfield old boys double. It was end-to-end now and straight from a City corner, Colback broke, ran almost the length of the pitch with the ball and when he hit it, it looked like it was either destined to creep in at the back post or that either of the two supporting players would finish it off but alas it was to be none of the above and the ball went just wide for a goal-kick.

H/T: 2v0 to the Lads

Half time gave the Andean woolly hat wearing Pennywell Posse the opportunity to demonstrate their dancing skills although I have to say that I don’t think even John Sargent has anything to worry just yet. I also noticed Stuart McCall watching from the stands. Perhaps he got John Kay mixed up with the on-looking Michael Kay and was hoping to do a bit of drunken, car roof slam diving with him after a visit to the Glass Spider.

Anyhow, everything the first half was in terms of entertainment and end to end goal-scoring opportunities, the second wasn’t and it fizzled out into a demonstration of ‘tasty tackling’ from Meyler. Douglas Bulldozer Bader ploughed into anything that moved and a few things that didn’t. In fact when the referee had to be substituted mid-way through the half with a leg injury, I could only presume that without me noticing, Meyler had tackled him too.

The fourth official took about three minutes to appear although it seemed like twenty. I thought that perhaps he’d been chatting to Roy in the tunnel about the offside rule but when he appeared, I realised why he’d been so long, he’d obviously had to go and ask permission from his mam as he looked all of twelve years old. In fact I swear he was one of the Andean woolly hat, dancing youth from half time.

The next highlight of a quiet second period came when from one of our corners and from fully four yards out, McArdle managed to blast a shot so high up in the air I believe its now in co-orbit with Downing’s penalty.

So a good night all in all. Whilst I missed the ecstasy that is a bacon sarnie lovingly prepared by Grace at the Hetton Centre, the other side of the Muller Fruit Corner paradigm meant that me, Michael and Howard didn’t have to run the gauntlet that is the steward from hell who patrols the right hand end of the stand at Hetton.

Apparently she was thrown out of the Stasi for being too cold blooded so she had to find meaningful employment elsewhere. Well one out of two ain’t bad I suppose. If I ever won the half time raffle at Hetton and had to report to the nearest ‘stewad’ I think I’d just forgo the prize

Just after the hour mark Jordan Cook came on for Lids which meant Luscombe dropped back to cover the left back position and he put in a good display tackling back and did brilliantly to intercept a dangerous ball deep in the box before then managing to clear the ball whilst still prone on the pitch.

The final highlight came when City’s number six, Adam Clayton, did an impression of something out of ‘Bambi on Ice’, having ran on to the cinder track way too fast whilst trying to retrieve the ball. Yet again John Sargent is looking unassailable. The final surprise of the match was perhaps that after last year’s unbelievable scenes at Hetton when their manager, Glynn Hodges, managed not to get sent to the stand at any point, although I’m lead to believe that it happens to the best of them.

Full Time: Sunderland Reserves 2v0 Manchester City Reserves

Sunderland: Colgan, Weir, Liddle (Cook), Meyler (Liam Noble), McArdle, Hartley, Dowson, Chandler, Healy, Colback, Luscombe

Subs unused: Misiewicz, Cornforth, Fletcher

Man of the Match: Luscombe just edges Cpt Jack. He’s had to sit on the bench recently, which was clearly a disappointment to him, but he did well getting forward and deputised extremely well at left back when Lids went off.

Maim of the Match: Meyler every time

Attendance: 491

Dov