TROMSO 0 CITY 0
Friendly
1st August 1989
attendance
City Dibble, White, Hinchcliffe, Megson, Gayle, Seagraves, Redmond, Allen, Biggins, Bishop, Gleghorn – second half subs Brightwell, Morley
FROM THE PRESS BOX
COLD SHOULDER FOR ICY BLUES!
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 2ND AUGUST 1989
Manchester City’s latest Norwegian performance was enough to drive manager Mel Machin up the not far distant North Pole.
The Blues toiled in the heat of the midnight sun where they won few new friends and certainly influenced no-one in the toughest test of their pre-season build up tour.
Yet Machin declared himself satisfied at the end of a goal-less draw. He claimed: “It was the sort of work-out we needed with players stretched to the Limit, although some individual performances left me far from satisfied.”
The Norwegians, currently joint second in their own First Division and cup winners not so long ago, were often the better side, denying City a goal for the first time in five games so far.
At times City lost their cool, with Clive Allen booked for dissent and David White for fouling. White and Wayne Biggins, who clashed angrily with the impressive and busy Erik Pederson, were both taken off for their own safety late in the second half as tempers simmered.
City abandoned the irritating habit of committing careless mistakes that had handed the opposition goals in earlier matches. Steve Redmond had a more confident game, but problems remain at right back where Mark Seagraves looks far from happy.
City’s best two efforts were again from Allen. in the 32nd minute his header from a White cross was just over the bar and two minutes from half time, he forced a majestic save from Bjarte Flem with a fierce volley.
Those two attempts apart, City rarely looked like scoring, although they were in little danger of conceding any, either, with the defence taking the honours.