Central frustrated with defeat to De La Salle

Manchester Central suffered a rare defeat at home on Saturday, bowing out of the Murray Trophy after a 3-1 defeat to Division Two outfit De La Salle.

The away side seized control of the fixture with a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes but were met by a relatively quick response following a Kaine Martin lob that halved the deficit ahead of the second period.

De La Salle once again began the half strongly in the second, capitalising on a lapse of concentration that saw the Division Two side restore their two-goal lead.

Just four Division One fixtures to play out now for Central, who will now turn their attention to preparations for next season as they look to endure a more successful outing in all competitions.

It was again a mixed-up squad as Chris Tomkinson welcomed back some regulars to the team whilst including a few fresh faces.

Stalwart Danny Whiting was a rare absence between the sticks, which saw newcomer Lewis North put on the gloves in goal for Central. Al-Amin Nasiru dropped to the bench following his impressive showing at Altrincham Hale, whilst Josh Grant returned to the side at left back.

Aria Asqari retained his spot at right back following his brace in Central’s previous fixture, whilst captain Daniel Dolling lined up alongside Adam Gunel at the heart of the Central backline.

Bamba Fall slotted back into midfield after his absence against Altrincham Hale, with Elvis Amoakwa who maintained his position following consecutive goals in Division One.

Kaine Martin started just in behind the front three, which consisted of Nuno Mendes-Delgado on the left, Luca Navarro on the right and Ruben Lawal through the centre, replacing Dennis Raposo who was unavailable.

A quick start by Central saw Lawal and Dolling go close. The Central striker was first freed down the right flank in acres of space, with Martin onrushing into the box to aim at, Lawal attempted to square but his cross was blocked and sent out for an early corner.

From the resulting corner, Dolling was found at the near post with a clear sight at goal, but his punt was skewed into the side netting from close range.

However, despite being quick out the blocks, Central weren’t the side to strike first blood. A miscommunication between Dolling and Grant saw the ball fall into the path of the De La Salle forward down the right. The striker unselfishly squared to his partner Robert Cooke, who was able to bobble his effort past North to give the away side the lead inside ten minutes.

Going behind early forced Tomkinson into action. The Central boss deemed a change in shape was needed following his sides sloppy start. Navarro was moved into midfield from the right to provide another body, whilst Lawal shifted out to the right with Martin through the centre.

Minutes later the home side had their best moment of the game so far. A searching switch by Navarro out to the left found Delgado racing down the flank. The winger set it back to Amoakwa who clipped a cross to the back post where Asqari was waiting, but on the volley, he could only drill his effort wide.

But it was another Central error that gave them a mountain to climb. A poor clearance put it on a plate for Theo Barr in the red and black strip, who guided his effort into the far corner to double the visitors’ lead.

It was a tough opening to the game for Central, who had struggled to get a foothold in the match. Despite their lead, the away side hadn’t created much prior to the opener but showed why they are the leading scorers in all six divisions.

The home side were not about to give up however and responded well. First Delgado found space inside the box and looked set to pull one back for Central but was denied by a spectacular reaction save to preserve De La Salle’s lead. From the corner Asqari rose highest with a good opportunity, but he could only head straight at the keeper.

In what was already a frantic opening 20 minutes to the game, Central grabbed a timely goal to halve the deficit.

Dolling delivered a chipped ball aiming for Lawal, who got a helpful touch on that put Martin in behind. The Central man didn’t need to control it as the forward produced a cheeky first-time lob that dropped into the back of the net.

The goal however didn’t change the flow of the match, as De La Salle continued to have the better of the openings.

Just after the half hour mark the number 10 had his first chance of the half. A neat bit of link up play saw the ball find its way to the dangerous number 11, who smartly chested it down to his strike partner, however his effort on the half volley flew just wide of the upright.

Just a few minutes later North was worked for the first time, plucking out a terrific stop from a direct free kick that was arrowing into the top corner.

The half rounded off with few clear opportunities, Navarro hit a difficult volley that drifted wide in the final minutes, but it was ultimately the last action of the first period.

A competitive half, and an eventful one to say the least. Central began slowly and inadvertently gave too many openings to the Division Two side that saw them trail by two goals to nil. The hosts did grow into the half and brought the game back to 2-1, setting up an interesting second half.

The visitors got the ball rolling again and the second period, like the first, got off to a rapid start. Just minutes in Grant picked up the first booking of the game, following a foul on his opponent on the left. However, that was the least of Tomkinson’s worries in the half, as Central switched off once again.

The constant threat throughout for De La Salle was Barr, who was keen on putting consistent pressure on Central’s back four and was successful on numerous occasions.

This time it was the number 8 of De La Salle who penetrated through Central’s midfield, beating Navarro before playing a slide rule ball beyond Gunel and into the path of Barr, who had caught Asqari napping at the back post. The forward with great composure held off the retreating Asqari, before poking it past North to restore the away sides two goal advantage.

All three goals were frankly avoidable for Central, with the defensive solidarity and compactness that had been renewed in these past few weeks nowhere to be found.

For Tomkinson it must have felt like a step forward and two further back, as his team failed to show their full capabilities on a consistent basis, a recurring issue that needs to be resolved ahead of the new season.

The remaining 40 minutes of the match saw the game slow down, with the hosts struggling to come up with any response of note, whilst the visitors were content to defend well and hold on to their lead.

A few substitutions and a booking for Martin across this period was the only noise in the rest of the half, a half which drifted away from Central, as hopes for another cup run this season fell away.

There could be no qualms or questions about the result in the end. The Division Two side were simply the better side on the day, and fully merited their victory as they progressed on in the Murray Trophy.

For Central it was a difficult day, and a tough pill to swallow after their recent resurgence in the league. Post-match Tomkinson said he was keen to see which of these players “can and do what we need them to do” whilst stating that the focus is now on the new season, with just four fixtures remaining.

Moving past the defeat, Central will now move their focus back onto Division One, as they make their first trip of three in their final four games.

Central will visit second from bottom Hindley Juniors, the first of their remaining fixtures to be played out in April. This period will be an important one for the club, as they will seek answers for their difficult season and what can be done to develop ahead of their pre-season.