Another goal for the reserves last night
United reserves 3 Birmingham 0
FA Premier Reserve League (North)
Diego Forlan grabbed another goal for the reserves to make his record read five goals in two games for the stiffs.
But it was another United player that really caught the eye. Kieran Richardson produced a glorious midfield display to delight the Moss Lane crowd.
The United youngster looked like creating an opening every time he had the ball at his feet. His elegant and effortless style is reminiscent of a young Ryan Giggs.
However, Birmingham were impressive in the first half an hour and the Reds looked somewhat lacklustre.
Ricardo was forced to pull off numerous saves to deny Birmingham the lead. Craig Fagan and the dangerous Jovan Kirovski went closest for the visitors but the Spanish stopper kept them out.
Midway through the first half it was the home side who finally managed to find the breakthrough. Forlan’s goal came from some good work from the terrier-like forward Daniel Nardiello, who played the ball across the face of goal for Diego to tap home.
Forlan went close early on after Quinton Fortune had curled a delightful through-ball into his path. However, Birmingham stopper Ian Bennett charged off his line to smother the ball.
With three minutes to go until half-time, Richardson went on a winding run and pulled the ball back intelligently to Danny Pugh. But Pugh’s first touch left an angle that was too tight and his shot was high and wide.
Moments earlier, Richardson attempted to repeat his wonder-goal against Blackburn with a 25-yard strike. Unfortunately for the 17-year-old his shot fizzed over the crossbar.
On the balance of play, Mike Phelan’s charges were lucky to go in 1-0 up at half-time, but some stern words during the break seemed to galvanise the Reds.
United came out confidently for the second half. And with 51 minutes on the clock a neat interchange between Luke Chadwick and Mark Lynch saw Nardiello receive the ball in the box. The Coventry-born striker still had two players to beat but he bustled his way through before smashing the ball past Bennett to make it 2-0 to the Reds.
Nardiello could have added to his own tally ten minutes later. Richardson started a sweeping move with a driving pass out to Diego Forlan on the left wing. Forlan then curled in an inch-perfect cross to Nardiello, who was lurking at the back post, but his shot was straight Bennett’s legs.
With Saturday’s first-team fixture against Fulham in mind, Diego Forlan made way for reserve team debutant Eddie Johnson in the 64th minute - his first action was to clatter a Birmingham defender, the 18-year-old certainly wanted to make his mark on the game or at least on Olivier Tebily.
In the 72nd minute, the ever-hardworking Nardiello picked up the ball on the right-hand side and powerfully attacked the Birmingham defence. He was bundled over in the box by Blues defender Tebily, but there was never any doubt who would take the penalty.
Equally in doubt was the quality of Nardiello’s penalty – a rasping drive into the bottom corner, which sent the keeper completely the wrong way - capping off another fine display by the player who celebrates his 20th birthday on Tuesday.
The biggest bonus for Sir Alex Ferguson is that Fortune, Forlan, Richardson and Ricardo – and possibly Luke Chadwick and Danny Pugh - all looked ready to make the step up to first team action if necessary.
The win puts Mike Phelan’s side third in the table and means the reserves have now won their last three games with ten goals scored and none conceded.
United line-up: Ricardo; Lynch, Rankin, Tate, May; Pugh, Chadwick (Timm 64), Richardson, Fortune (Fox 77); Forlan (Johnson 64), Nardiello.
Report by Ben Hibbs.
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Keep it up Diego.
It wont be long now until hes repaying nearly everyoes faith in him in the first team