United showed intent from kick-off, with Sam Mather’s neat footwork taking him past a couple of markers before a well-weighted pass teed up James Scanlon to shoot when cutting in on his left. His effort went over.
Despite that early promise, City found a better rhythm from then on. Divine Mukasa’s right-footed curling strike was easily saved by Will Murdock, but the attempts that followed offered a greater threat. Stephen Mfuni’s marauding run from defence set up Ryan McAidoo to shoot, but the City man watched United skipper Jacob Devaney block. The Irish youth midfielder, captaining the Reds from defence, put in another fantastic block only a minute later, this time just a yard off the goalline, to deny Ashton Muir.
The onslaught didn’t stop there. City striker Justin Oboavwoduo pounced on a loose pass back towards United’s goal, but Will Murdock tipped his one-on-one effort just round the right post. After a slight lull, City watched with frustration as Reigan Heskey, Mukasa and Oboavwoduo all failed to convert decent opportunities, or were met by solid United defending.