VICTORIA 0 CITY 3
Post season friendly
24th May 1970
Attendance 25,000
Scorers Doyle(53, 58 & 89)
City Corrigan, Book, Doyle, Booth, Heslop, Oakes, Pardoe, Carrodus, Bowyer, Young, Towers
Victoria Reilly, Utjesenovic, Kinnell, Irvine, Scott, Milcic, Corrie, McKay, McCol, Bullovic, Voltek
FROM THE PRESS BOX
DAVID JACK WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 25TH MAY 1970
Mike Doyle, who has spent the past month trying to regain fitness, made his comeback for Manchester City against Victoria in Melbourne yesterday and proceeded to grab all the glory.
Doyle was in irresistible form scoring all three City goals in a 3-0 hammering of Australia’s second strongest soccer state.
Although nominally playing wing half, Doyle was up amongst the action always looking for goals and scoring his hat trick during a second half in which City outplayed the Victorians.
Up to half time there was nothing to choose between the teams with Victoria’s capable defence performing with distinction as City tried to break through. Full backs Drago Utjesenovic a Yugoslav, and ex Stoke, Oldham and Sunderland defender George Kinnell kept City’s young forwards quiet.
In fact Mike Summerbee, a spectator, as he has been at every match, said the Yugoslav was the best footballer City had met in this tour.
It was 0-0 at half-time, but once Doyle got the scent of goals he took charge after the break. In 53 minutes Doyle headed home a Frank Carrodus corner and five minutes later he scored from George Heslop’s centre.
Doyle completed his hat-trick one minute from time to put the tourists in the right frame of mind for their final two matches in Newcastle and Sydney this week.
Doyle had sore shins after the game, complaining he had been kicked three times, but cold packs relieved the pain.
City manager Joe Mercer flew out to Mexico yesterday just before the Melbourne match, his assistant Malcolm Allison having left two days earlier also with the World Cup very much on his mind.
The City players yesterday had their first taste of a wet pitch, indeed it was like a mud patch in parts. They all relished the conditions, and with the rain threatening but holding off, the attendance of 25,000 gave tour profits a much needed boost.