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Quiet victory suits City (April 26, 2008) APM Mears 0 City 3
All that City wanted out this return match with APM was that no old sores from the controversial first meeting at Bridge early in the season were reopened and that the team got through the game with a win and no injuries ahead of next Saturday’s cup final. Everything went according to plan in a low-key match that contained not a single serious foul.
It was not as if APM had nothing to gain from the day. They were still in the hunt for the second promotion place, but once they went a goal down their spirit simply drained away and well before the end they seemed prepared to accept that they would not be joining City in a higher division next season.
 Ahead of the match there was some speculation as to whether City’s Royston Gough could carry on where he left off after his extraordinary seven-goal tally against Saga the previous Saturday. But even if APM had little to offer in the way of attacking football, at least they restricted him to a single goal, which in his current form was quite an achievement.
City’s performance was practical, not particularly exciting but exactly right for the occasion. Clearly they had every intention of keeping their discipline, almost to the point of being overly polite, but it was hardly necessary because APM often gave the impression of being a demoralised side, having recently suffered several defeats and losing their way in the promotion challenge. That said, City were never going to have a hatful of goals. The absence of Lee Austin, who had worked so well with Gough the previous Saturday, was one of the reasons. Another was that APM tracked Gough quite well.
The glorious, warm afternoon and, after a few early minutes when APM looked comparatively dangerous, the inevitability of a City win made the whole affair seem more like a pre-season friendly than competitive game. It was a far cry from the sort of performances APM had offered earlier in the season when they were the obvious candidates to join City in promotion. Here they hardly bothered ‘keeper Danny Black all match.
After controlling APMs initial push, City took the lead in the eighth minute. Justin Hodge nudged on a corner and Dave Reed, whose physical strength has become such an asset to the team, pushed the ball in. Ten minutes later Gough became a provider rather than goalscorer when his perfectly placed pass through the penalty area allowed Scott Lawford to chip the ball over the APM ‘keeper in the style of Gough himself. From then until half-time, City went quiet, probably not quite knowing whether they actually needed to put much more effort into adding to the discomfort of a demoralised side.
Much as it is an admirable thing to think that City are not a “get rid of it” team, there are occasions when safety comes before impressing with intricate patterns between players who are too close together to make it work. Several times that fault cost them possession. But APM were never able to take advantage.
 For a while it seemed that Gough would go from seven to zero in seven days but in the end he got on the scoresheet. He had just lobbed the ball on to the crossbar when City attacked on a second front. This time he took possession and moved to the right of goal before clipping the ball over the ‘keeper to give City a presentable scoreline. The remaining targets are a century of goals and the cup. Then a well deserved break for all concerned. CITY: Black; Baker, Hodge (Salter), Lockhart, Seager, Gutsell (Brooke), Tuite, Reed, Lawford, Bonneywell (O’Brian), Gough.
Pictures by David Mullaney Click here to return to the News page
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