The Sky Blues Under-18’s got their season underway with victory against Barnsley at the Alan Higgs Centre yesterday morning.
City’s first goal came inside the first five minutes when Ryan Howley picked the ball up in the centre of midfield and drove forward before playing a smart through ball into Sam Rodber who fired it into the back of the net.
Dempster’s side dominated the early portion of the match, keeping the Barnsley frontline quiet until the 20th minute when ‘keeper Luke Bell was called into action to deny Faisu Sangare’s effort.
Both sides created opportunities, but neither threatened goal before the half-time interval, but it was following the re-start when City grabbed their second.
Just minutes into the second-half, Joe Nightingale finished well from inside of the area, to leave Barnsley ‘keeper Archie Brown helpless.
The Sky Blues weren’t done there and the third came soon after following a poorly cleared ball from Barnsley’s backline, which found Sam Pitts-Eckersall who drilled low past the ‘keeper from the edge of the box.
The Tykes did manage to pull one back when substitute Jack Sherlock came off the bench to give the visitors a lifeline.
However, those hopes where short lived as Harrison Nee all but secured the victory for City with 20 minutes to go when he struck the ball into the top corner, following a scramble inside of the area.
Barnsley did manage to grab another consolation goal late on through captain Joe Ackroyd, who’s cross floated into the top corner, but it wasn’t enough and the Sky Blues who secured victory in their opening fixture.
Sky Blues Xl: Bell, Harland, O’Brien, Pitts-Eckersall, Reeve, Howley, Purves, Nightingale, Rodber (Costa), Hewitt
Unused Subs: Fallows, Massey, Young, Stretton
Barnsley Xl: Brown, Hassan-Smith, Pickard, Benson, Ariely, Nicholson (Sila-Counde), Hassell, Ackroyd (C), Sangare (Sherlock), Nejman, Smith (Goucher)
Unused Subs: Flavell, Hall.