Here are some Kenyan newsreports of United's U15 tour back in February. Fabian Brandy catching the eye;
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/15022004/Sports/Sports1502200412.html
Sunday, February 15, 2004*
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Mombasa Combined triumph over Man-Utd
By SUNDAY NATION Reporter
Mombasa Combined under-15 registered a deserved 2-1 victory over visiting Manchester United under-15 in an entertaining match at the Mombasa Sports Club yesterday morning.
The match attracted a big crowd including ministers Najib Balala and Karisa Maitha, British High Commissioner Sir Edward Clay and Coast Provincial Director of Education Khadija Karim.
Crowd favourite Manchester United striker Fabian Brandy kept the Mombasa Combined defenders busy throughout the match.
Also outstanding on the Manchester United side were Michael Narkiallo, Jamie Clarke and goalkeeper Kris Anderson, who played a great game.
Mombasa relied on goalkeeper Hassan Ali, Hassan Koka, Abdulrahman Karama, Amos Chona and Nabil Balala, minister Balala's son, to keep them in the game.
Koka scored Mombasa's first goal in the 25th minute from a Yahya Aboud cross.
Karama scored the second goal two minutes later from a defensive mix- up for a 2-0 half-time score.
Narkiallo headed in Manchester United's goal in the 76th minute from Brandy's corner kick.*
Manchester United coach Tomy Whelan blamed the defeat on the scorching Mombasa heat.
He also said the congested programme the players have had which has seen them visit several recreational centres and charity home had exhausted the boys and promised they will put a strong fight in the remaining matches.
http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/22022004/Sports/Sports2202200436.html
Sunday, February 22, 2004*
Manchester lads win last Kenya tour match
By CHRIS TSUMA*
The visiting Manchester United under-15 soccer side ended its tour of Kenya with a 4-1 win over Mathare United under-15s at Kasarani yesterday.
The visitors were 3-0 up in the first 25 minutes of the game which was played for 40 minutes each half. The Manchester captain, Sam Hewson put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute beating Mathare goalkeeper Gabriel Onyango with hard shot from outside the box.
It was 2-0 for the visitors four minutes later when Fabian Brandy, the most exciting player on the Manchester attack, capitalised on slack marking from the Kenyans to beat Onyango.
Hewson made it three in the 21st minute when crashed home a rebound after Onyango had punched Leon Quarless' penalty back into play to give the visitor a 3-0 lead at half time.
Mathare tried to come back into the game in the first half but were put down by the pace and physique of the bigger Manchester players who won most of the 50-50 balls. Still, Alex Isundu, a crafty little forward with some very delightful touches and runs, was able to pull one back for the hosts.*
He pounced onto a rebound off Christian Bwamy's shot in the 54th minute and beat Chris Backhouse with a hard shot which crashed in off the crossbar.
Mathare were caught on the break as they poured forward in search of a goal that would bring them back into the game which they nearly got but unfortunately saw their effort come back off the crossbar for the second time in less than three minutes.
The hosts then conceded the fourth goal in the 76th minute through Michael Nardello who breached the hosts' central line to score. He should have got a fifth a minute later but his shot was scrambled off the line by Mathare's Duncan Machoka.
Coach Gabriel Njoroge, who was in charge of the Mathare youth was please with his boys' effort. "I think they played well. Manchester are better organised of course and are bigger and faster but my boys competed well," he said at the end of the game.
There were multiple substitutions with many players, especially from the Manchester side taking a break and going back into the game.
Manchester were due to leave for home last evening.
* For a match between two under-15 side, yesterday's match between Manchester United and Mathare United attracted quite a sizeable crowd.
There were about 7,000 spectators at Kasarani to watch this final match of the 10-day tour by the Manchester boys, many more than the top league sides in Kenya can ever dream of attracting to their matches, especially in the current circumstances where there are two separate leagues running parallel to each other.
It showed the interest the game enjoys in Kenya even If most of the spectators were there to see the Manchester, not Mathare United.
Such is the popularity of the Manchester team that the Nation Media Group staff led by Phil Mathews and Bob Kioko had a difficult time ensuring that all the other television stations were only allowed limited filming of the match from behind the goals since the Nation has had exclusive rights for tour.
The occasion was also a tribute to the Mathare United youth development programme which has age categories from under 10 years to the senior team. This makes Mathare the only team with a structure that sustains a youth development programme that produces quality players.
After the match, Manchester United legend, Sir Bobby Chaltorn, presented trophies and medals to the teams . Afterwards, Minister of Sports, Najib Balala, presented a cheque of Sh100,000 to Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA).
*
Line-ups
Manchester United; Chris Backhouse, Richard Chinn, Mathew Kenorich, Ade Beckman, Joe Heath, Sam Hewson, Jamie Clark, David Owen, Fabian Brandy, Michael Nardello, Sean Talforth, Tom Cleverley, Ben Amos, Cornie Evans, Tom Blackley, Leon Qaurless, Ramadhan Ali.
Mathare United:Gabriel Onyango, Victor Amboka, Johnston Manyasi, Johanna Ochieng' Haevenar Maloba, Mohammed Rashid, Johannes Muingi, Duncan Machoka, Patrick Shisero, Alex Isundu, Peter Aduka, Fidel Ramos, Brian Nandwa, Christian Bwamy, Kevin Lugano, Samuel Mwingi, Tari Abdullahi Anthony Bwala.
