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Reserves Return Home With A Win

Reserve team action returned to Broadhurst Park with a 4-1 win against Ashton United, goals came from Reuben Dass, Robson Brown, Kisimba Kisimba and Chris Hill. It seems that FC United of Manchester Reserve Team home games are to reflect the old saying about buses. Having had just one in four months, the game against Ashton United starts a period where they will come thick and fast.

It was Ashton that had the better start to the game, two corners in succession in the first two minutes. Even so FC United could have been gifted a lead two minutes later when Matt Turvey mis-controlled a back pass and only just managed to recover before the ball crossed the line. Then a long throw from Nathan Turvey caused problems in the home defence, eased by a poor header which cleared the cross bar. That said there was much consternation from the touchline, claiming that is front foot was in no way on, let alone behind the touchline. A fault he was pulled up for several times during the second half.

FC United dominated possession for the next fifteen minutes or so without being able to create anything of note. What shots there were being easily gathered by the keeper. The best of these efforts was a thirty yard free kick from Brown. This failure to convert chances was punished after twenty minutes when Calum McGlynn fired back a clearance from a corner in to the net with the help of a deflection.

The next twenty minutes were noted only by a red card for the otherwise flawless debutante Ben Fletcher. A tussle for possession saw him suckered into a dispute in which he and Ashton’s Reece Coley touched foreheads. This in itself might have resulted in nothing more than a lecture if Coley had chosen not to punch Fletcher in the face. A red card for Coley was inevitable but the referee felt that he had no option other to dismiss Fletcher as well.

The reds equalised on 38 minutes when Reuben Dass cut in from the right wing and fired home, Cameron Horner could have made it two shortly afterwards but dragged a shot wide after being played in by Dass.

FC United took the lead early in the second half when Brown; with a free kick that was from similar distance if more centrally, fired over the wall and into the top corner. For the rest of the game the flow of possession was virtually all one way. Having scored eight at Hurst Cross earlier in the season, it would be fair to say that enough attacking opportunities were created to warrant a similar total. However none were being taken and with quarter of an hour to go Ashton United broke down the other end and only a save by Sulaiman Sajjad denied them an equaliser.

That provided an alarm call for the reds and two late goals made the scoreline more reflective of the game as a whole. On 81 minutes, left back Steve Affleck burst from near halfway into the Ashton penalty area before being fouled. Kisimba fired low to the keepers left with Turvey going the wrong way. With three minutes remaining a Cameron Horner run and cross gave Hill a straight forward finish.

Next Saturday, Curzon Ashton come to Broadhurst Park offering what promises to be a much stiffer test of the young reds. Kick off is at 2pm on the 3G pitch.




First Posted ~ 15:34 Sun 8 Jan 2017
News ID ~ 7251
Last Updated ~ 00:47 Tue 16 Feb 2021