RateTheRef

... give up, would be my normal wimpish conclusion. Having wasted £12 and 6 hours previously only to be turned away at the gate of the Academy Stadium, I had not tried again, but on this occasion print at home tickets were available, so the trip was undertaken once more to

Wednesday 19th September 2018
UEFA Youth League
Manchester City   1   v   4   Olympique Lyonnais
Petr Ardeleanu; Tomas Mokrusch, Petr Caletka (Czech Republic). 4thers Martin Coy

With Lyon in all tangerine, an official did the rounds after 9 minutes with white bibs to cover the stewards' orange jackets. City conceded a free-kick on the corner of the penalty area on the quarter hour, the shot coming back off the bar. Just three minutes later a foul in a similar position, but three metres further forward  resulted in a yellow card for a City player. This time the kick was whipped across to the far post where the Lyon number 6 arrived with a superb header to give his side the lead. Two minutes later the lead was doubled. To their credit City continued to play patiently from the back and on the half hour the keeper was rounded as he came out, but a defender got back to clear off the line. There was a yellow card for the Lyon number 10 for a tug back just outside the penalty area.

CIty started the second half in a more direct fashion and great work by their tricky number 7 - with the good Mancunian name of Carlos Podeva - set up a colleague to pull a goal back. They pressed for an equaliser and another tug earned a yellow card for the visiting number 17, while the Lyon keeper made several brilliant reflex saves. It had become apparent that City's weakness was at right back and Lyon exploited this twice in the last few minutes, while their number 12 saw yellow for clattering an opponent from behind.

Mr Ardeleanu is very tall and consequently slightly ungainly, Michael Barrymore style, but his long legs did allow him to be well up with play throughout - not that difficult in the first half with patient build-ups. There was nothing for him to get too excited about - the cards were all expected in European matches, if possibly the odd one might not have been shown in a lesser match. A solid display, with nothing obviously wrong. He did what was required and if the only complaint was the showing of cards without making the recipient clear, then he has done a decent job - in a relatively undemanding match.

It appears, incidentally, that last season's use of the same Observer for the Youth and Senior matches has been abandoned.

It was a pleasant change to see some very classy touches on an excellent surface, somewhat different to the usual offerings at Brighouse Town, but at least Brighouse offers better pies than the gooey concoction on sale here.

Another whole £1 was invested in a ticket for

Wednesday 7th November 2018
Uefa Youth League
Manchester City   4   v   1   Shakhtar Donetsk
Adrien Jaccottet (Switzerland); Vital Jobin, Jonas Emi. 4thers: Martin Coy (again!)

To deal with the most important matter first: this time the pie was avoided in favour of chicken and leek casserole with crusty bread, which turned out to be very tasty.

With just one point from their three games hitherto, City's prospects of advancing beyond the group stage appeared minimal (at best!) but they started in good form beneath leaden skies and pouring rain. They spent the first quarter hour camped permanently in the Shakhtar half, but their only effort on goal came when a header was acrobatically tipped over for a corner. The visiting number 8(?) received a yellow card for a foul before his side finally managed an attack on 17 minutes, a City defender miskicking a clearance, which looped to an opponent who put in a long low shot, the keeper diving, but merely helping it on its way into the net. Normal service was resumed, with City attacking constantly, making great progress on the flanks, but high balls into the area were doomed to fail, while low crosses succumbed to weight of numbers, longer efforts being off target. There was a yellow for the City number 6 before the break, which once again saw the rain ease.

An early corner in the second half produced a great save from the visiting keeper, but a minute later City equalised with a shot from 30 yards. They had another chance just before the hour, the keeper rolling the bal lout, a defender being dispossessed but the ball was put wide. The pace on the left wing was causing the Shakhtar right back problems and on 62 minutes resulted in a penalty and yellow card. The kick was very coolly converted to put City ahead. A beautifully worked move then ended with a shot against the post, but goals three and four were not long delayed, while M. Jaccottet gave his yellow card a last airing in the direction of the visiting captain, whose foul actually did himself more damage than to his opponent. A good win, which should perhaps have been even more decisive, but probably comes too late in the campaign for City.

M. Jaccottet had been seen once before - in Belfast a few years ago - and had created a favourable impression. There was little in this match to cause him difficulty and his decision-making was sound: a number of early free-kicks established his requirements and then a more relaxed approach developed. Four yellows were issued in all, justifiably if not obviously essential in a couple of cases. It remains to be seen whether he will follow Mr Ardeleanu, the referee above, into the Europa League group stage.