OPE IF 0 CITY 8
Friendly (played in Sweden)
27th July 1972
attendance 5,500
scorers Lee(2 & 22), Donachie(31), Marsh(55, 60, 70 & 75), Pardoe(57)
City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Bell, Summerbee, Davies, Lee, Marsh, Towers – used subs Oakes, Leman, Pardoe, McMahon
FROM THE PRESS BOX
REPORT FROM THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 28TH JULY 1972
Manchester City wound up their Swedish tour on an unbeaten note with an 8-0 goal spree against Division Three side Ope in Oestersund.
Against opposition which would be hard put to to qualify for the first round of the FA Cup. City played at half pace and missed twice as many goals as they scored.
Francis Lee dominated the first half, scoring in the 2nd and 22nd minutes and laying on a goal for Willie Donachie to make it 3-0 in the 31st minute.
After the break, when Lee was replaced by Glyn Pardoe, Rodney Marsh took over the starring role and scored four times.
Moving from midfield into the role of striker, Marsh waltzed through for a solo goal after 55 minutes.
Pardoe interrupted the sequence to add City’s fifth goal with a close-range shot two minutes later, but Marsh, but Marsh was back in the 60th minute with a snap header to make it six.
In the 70th minute he delighted the 5,500 crowd with one of his high speed dribbles which left him with only the Ope goalkeeper to beat.
Five minutes later he completed the scoring with a close range shot ending a goalmouth melee.
Ope’s only real chance of the match came in the opening seconds when Sjoedin found himself alone with the ball in the City area, but he was so surprised he blasted his shot well wide.
Attendance 5500 at hofvallen in östersund, Sweden.
Although my team OPE IF lost, this is a match to remember. I was a ball boy and got autographs from Colin Bell and Francis Lee as well as a Wrigley spearmint chewing gum from the trainer (I think). All three treasures saved for years but now only the memory remains.
Since then there has only been one football club in Britain, and especially in Manchester, for me 🙂