16-07-10: MFK Kosice (a) 1-0 (HT 0-0) Crowd (3,000)

For their second game of the tour United faced a heatwave and Manager Grayson shuffled his team for the game with MFK Kosice. He gave the captain's armband to Neill Collins as his line-up was: Shane Higgs; Paul Connolly, Neill Collins, Leigh Bromby, Fede Bessone; Robert Snodgrass, Neil Kilkenny, Jonathan Howson, Bradley Johnson; Luciano Becchio, Davide Somma. Davide Somma was soon in the action, winning an early corner and Fede Bessone kept up the pressure with a good run and cross from the left. Robert Snodgrass maintained the pressure, as he forced the home keeper to save after fifteen minutes. The home side hit back and Fede Bessone was forced to deflect a cross over his own bar, while Shane Higgs was tested with a shot from outside the box. After twenty-two minutes Robert Snodgrass engineered an opening for Davide Somma to head narrowly over. Eight minutes later Jonathan Howson broke through but Davide Somma was again a victim of the offside flag and was soon another victim by the narrowest of margins. As half-time approached the home side struggled to cut out a fine cross from Fede Bessone with Robert Snodgrass waiting to pounce and then a good Bradley Johnson cross found no takers. The start of the second half saw Kasper Schmeichel take over from Shane Higgs in goal, Andy Hughes replace Paul Connolly and Aidan White replace Fede Bessone at full back, with Tom Lees coming on for Leigh Bromby in central defence, Max Gradel replacing Jonathan Howson in midfield and Mike Grella and Billy Paynter replacing Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma as strikers. Billy Paynter was soon in the action as he was thwarted by the home keeper as he sought to find Mike Grella after being put through by Bradley Johnson. After Robert Snodgrass had tested the keeper from distance, it was he that proved the provider for United's first goal, as his cross was headed on by Bradley Johnson for Billy Paynter to volley the ball first-time into the net, as he opened his goalscoring account for United. Grella and Gradel combined well to go close twenty minutes from time and it was Grella who won a penalty in the seventy-fifth minute after he had been brought down by the keeper. Robert Snodgrass claimed the penalty but his low shot was saved by the keeper. The keeper again thwarted United minutes later as he saved a fine shot from Max Gradel. Billy Paynter should have got a second in the eighty-fourth minute, after being played in by Mike Grella, but he shot well over. He also had a shot deflected wide before Tom Lees narrowly failed with a strong header, as the game reached its conclusion. The MFK Kosice substitutes were: goalkeeper Darko Tofiloski, defenders Vladimir Krazel, Timon Dobias, Milos Arsic and Mikulas Toth, midfielders Peter Gal-Adrezly, Vladan Spasojevic, Bojan Cukic and Kamil Karas and striker Erik Pacinda.

Programme:

Ticket: Courtesy Mark Ledgard