Manchester City v Ajax friendly 1968/69

CITY 3 AJAX 0

Friendly

30th October 1968

Attendance 16,000

Scorers Bell(31 & 57), Owen(75)

Ref F Nicholson

City Dowd, Connor, Pardoe, Doyle, Booth, Oakes, Lee, Bell, Summerbee, Owen, Coleman

Ajax Bals, Suurbier, Hulshoff, Vasovic, Suurendonk, Groot, Muller, Swart, Danielsson, Nuninga, Keizer – sub Pronk

After their shock exit from the European Cup this prestigeous friendly was arranged to get some well needed experience against a top continental side.
Dutch champions Ajax seemed the perfect opponents, although they clearly showed their technical excellence in the game they definitely didn’t show the same will to compete as The Blues did, quite clearly they were looking forward more to playing Fenerbahce in the next round of the European Cup, the Turkish side who had knocked City out in the first Round.
Colin Bell was man of the match by a country mile, he scored City’s first goal just after the half hour, when Francis Lee looked to be fouled in the box, referee Nicholson ignored the appeals and the ball ran to Bell who was unmarked and he dispatched it into the Ajax net.
After the break Colin Bell grabbed City’s second goal as he converted Owen’s cross from close range.
Bell was denied a hat-trick with shot that hit the crossbar, and indeed Ajax also hit the woodwork twice in the second half, but it was Bobby Owen who scored City’s third 15 minutes before the final whistle.