STOKE CITY 2 CITY 1
Isle Of Man International Football Festival
29th July 1985
Attendance ???
Scorers
City Phillips(67)
Stoke Painter(3 & 29)
City Williams, May, Power, johnson, McCarthy, Phillips, McIlroy, Melrose, Lillis, Wilson, Simpson – subs McNab(80), Kinsey(75), Barrett(unused), Clements(unused), Smith(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 30TH JULY 1985
Manchester City have still to rekindle the fighting form and finishing flourish that eventually took them to promotion.
Two build-up games so far have failed to reveal tangible evidence that a blend is beginning to emerge for the big First Division return next month.
It remains comparitively early days in the pre-season campaign, but manager Billy McNeill was bitterly disappointed after yesterday’s Isle of Man defeat by Stoke with whom they swapped divisions last spring.
City were too often embarrassed by the relegated Potteries club who deserved their 2-1 win at the Douglas Bowl in the opening match of a tournament for which they had been joint favourites alongside Newcastle.
Yet both sides have surrendered early ground with Second Division clubs Blackburn Rovers and Carlisle United, marginally ahead in the respective groups.
McNeill said: “We started disastrously against Stoke and never really got back into the game. The performance was well below the standard we must achieve. Everyone has got to work much harder. The chances were there but sometimes you look for much more than a result. I now hope we can clear all the rusty edges in time for the next game tomorrow night.”
McNeill is hoping his three newcomers can start to settle in more comfortably than they have done.
Nigel Johnson obviously needs time to settle in higher surroundings. Mark Lillis has so far had little scope to find a scoring touch and Sammy McIlroy has yet to reveal the midfield fluency and authority he provides for Northern Ireland.