Manchester 2- 2 Nottingham
Manchester were unfortunate to only come away with a draw against Nottingham in a match they dominated for large parts, their profligacy again proving their downfall.
Manchester raced out of the blocks and could have been 2-0 up after only five minutes. A cross from Callum Botham presented Steve Hall with a chance that he wasn’t able to put into the net. Colum Dunphy then missed a gilt-edged chance when, unmarked, he put a firm header just over the bar. Manchester, playing a 4-5-1, were dominating in midfield and all Nottingham had to show for their efforts were a couple of shots, one which skewed well wide and another that was comfortable for Will Jones, the Manchester goalkeeper.
Fionn Hart was initially allowed plenty of freedom down the right hand side, but the final ball from him was uncharacteristically poor and frustration grew on the sidelines as the first goal was not forthcoming. This was exacerbated by an increasingly erratic referee; when Calum Botham was viciously swiped down by a Nottingham counterpart, the referee saw fit only to caution Steve Hall for dissent and not the offending opponent.
GET RID…Manchester’s defence clear a Nottingham free kick
The energy Manchester were playing with seemed to drop markedly after the half-hour mark and Hart and Botham, the two wingers who normally exert so much pressure on the opposition were seeing less of the ball. Nottingham were sucking Manchester back into their own half without creating any serious chances, so it came as a surprise when they took the lead through a piece of individual skill from the Nottingham striker.
This seemed to deflate Manchester as the early calm and composed football they were playing evaporated, being replaced by a side who carelessly conceded possession in their own half. If it hadn’t been for an excellent goalline clearance from Cabba Bagdagi it could have been a lot worse.
The half-time break probably came at just the right time for Manchester, allowing them to regroup and take further instructions from the coach. This paid dividends and they started the second half superbly, looking like the confident side they are easily capable of being. They got their reward soon after, as Steve Hall struck a perfect shot beyond the ‘keepers left hand from outside the area. This goal drew Manchester further forward and almost immediately a Hart cross was only parried by the Nottingham ‘keeper and Aaron Hutchinson shot over the bar when brilliantly placed.
Manchester’s defence, who up until now had played superbly, failed to clear an innocuous looking free-kick and the loose ball fell to a Nottingham player who made no mistake in rifling the ball into the net.
The goal again changed the impetus of the game as Manchester began to look like the team who ended the first half. They saw plenty of the ball but the invention and accuracy was lacking. Luke Pickering put in a really important intervention to deny Nottingham a third and when Chirs Burch was beaten for pace on the outside by a Nottingham player, Will Jones was thankful to see a volley from the resultant cross flash just wide.
The coach made a couple of substitutions to try and change the momentum of the game with Paul Berry coming on for Dunphy and Jack Rogers replacing Botham who had been increasingly isolated. Both substitutions made immediate impacts as Berry forced a brilliant save from the Nottingham keeper with a scorching volley and Rogers ballooning wide from a Pickering cross.
The deserved second goal did eventually arrive courtesy of a long throw from a hugely influential Pickering. This caused a scramble in the box, which allowed Berry to score from close range. Coach Stuart Leicester remarked afterwards how delighted he was for Berry to score.
Manchester moved to a 4-4-2 in the final minutes of the game in search of the winner but Manchester weren’t able to repeat the heroics of their game against Birmingham a few weeks previously.
Leicester was happy with the response from his team and singled out Rob Sissons for praise after his performance as a stand-in centre back. Once again Manchester played decent football and if they can become clinical in front of goal, they are more than capable of staying in the BUCS Premier League.
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