CITY 2 SWINDON TOWN 1
League Division 2
8th April 1989
attendance 28,303
Scorers
City Hinchcliffe(40 pen), Oldfield(73)
Swindon Shearer(35)
Ref John Key
City Cooper, Lake, Hinchcliffe, Gayle, Megson, Redmond, White, Moulden, Morley, McNab, Biggins – subs Oldfield(45) Gleghorn(unused)
Swindon Digby Hockaday, King, Jones, Calderwood, Gittens, Foley, Shearer, McLoughlin, MacLaren, White – subs Geddis(unused), Viveash(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS FOOTBALL PINK FINAL 8TH APRIL 1989
Spot-on Andy Hinchcliffe hauled stuttering Manchester City back into the hunt as promotion nerves were again painfully exposed at Maine Road.
The Young England left back tucked away a 40th minute penalty after Wayne Biggins had been brought down by Swindon’s Ross McLaren who was additionally booked for disputing that decision.
Five minutes earlier Swindon had caught the jittery Blues with a sucker punch as Duncan Shearer gave his side a vital lead in their own pursuit of crucial points for a place in the end of season play-offs.
Oldfield, City’s £600,000 signing from Luton last month was dropped to substitute along with Gleghorn, a double move made to accommodate the return from suspension of McNab and after injury by Moulden,
It left the Blues with three marksmen in double scoring figures and Morley, one of that trio, was quickly in action with a left flanking cross that saw Gittens leap in to head clear as Megson closed in for the kill.
Swindon’s first major threat came through a long throw-in on the right from Hockaday and Steve White’s back-header left Cooper stretching to save.
However, City were in no mood to mess about, and with 10 minutes gone a fine early ball from the right by McNab caused sheer panic in the Swindon defensive flanks.
Digby, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, scrambled for possession as Morley challenged. The ball broke loose and the grounded Morley boldly attempted to regain his feet. It was only at the third attempt that Digby finally grasped the ball safely, with Biggins by now also joining the challenge for possession on the edge of the Swindon six yard area.
Morley again fed the ball in from the left leaving Moulden and Megson once more in the thick of the action.
City piled on the pressure, attempting to break through the numerical strength of the Swindon Defence which employed a sweeper.
And the Blues almost achieved a vital 21st minute breakthrough as the home bombardment continued.
Redmond’s sweeping long ball found Hinchcliffe on the left. The full back’s fiercely driven cross dropped beyond the far post, where white clip the ball clinically back into the middle. Moulden with the instincts of a born striker, took the ball first time in his stride. Though Digby was beaten, McLaren cleared off the line. Yet despite their territorial advantage, City failed to find a payoff punch and Swindon dramatically forced their noses in front with 35 minutes gone.
A Biggins-Morley link broke down when Morley lost possession midway inside the Swindon half.
Gittens won the challenge, Jones swung the ball high through the middle and Shearer did the rest with a low shot past Cooper.
Certainly City were up against it, but within five minutes the Blues bounced back to equalise.
White’s pace enabled him to sneak from the right. Biggins took over, but McLaren and Calderwood combined to bring down the Blues number 11 and the referee instantly pointed to the spot
Hinchcliffe did the rest with an equaliser to let the Blues off the hook once more.
Half-time: Manchester City 1 Swindon Town 1
Lake, injured shortly before half time, failed to appear after the break. It left White reverting to right back and Oldfield called back into the thick of the striking action.
However, it was Swindon who resumed with the more menacing bite about them, and when Steve White cut in from the right, his well-struck left foot effort was held at the near post by Cooper.
The 50th minute saw Swindon achieve their first corner, and two minutes later Foley also found himself in trouble with the referee, who gave Town their second yellow card, again for descent.
Morley had been brought down by Calderwood, a decision that fuelled Foley’s anger.
From the free kick McNab’s short, pass to Hinchcliffe saw the full back again shoot narrowly wide with a powerful attempt from 20 yards.
Gayle’s 62nd minute header from David White’s corner on the left was narrowly over the bar.
But three minutes later sloppy City were decidedly lucky. A careless Redmond back-pass fell at the feet of Steve White, who hesitated with his shot. By that time the ball had been played square for Shearer, Redmond had backtracked to cover up his outrageous clanger that could have caused the Blues dearly.
City were again caught dozing as Shearer rifled in a 68th minute angled shot that was narrowly wide of a post once more.
But when the Blues woke up they had Swindon back-peddling at the other end, David White’s corner was back-headed across the face of goal by Calderwood and Digby did well to turn the ball onto the crossbar before it was desperately scrambled clear.
But in the 73rd minutes City finally came to life with Moulden setting up the chance that enabled Oldfield to become the Blues super sub. He drove in a great angled shot that gave Digby no chance to put his side in front for the first time.
Seven minutes from the end Moulden could have made the points water-tight for City. McNab set up the chance with a fine angled ball across the Swindon penalty area, but Moulden’s close in shot was blocked by Digby who followed up by fielding a well-struck David White long rage effort.
City could have won by a far more convincing margin had they accepted even half the chances created. For Moulden again missed the easiest of all with the shot straight at Digby when set up by Megson after Oldfield had intelligently stepped over a low left flanking cross from Hinchcliffe.