Robert Eagle - hit a post from 30 yards

A goal just fifteen minutes into the game was enough to send City out of this season's F.A. Youth Cup at Southampton on Wednesday night. Up against one of the cup favourites, who had two players with Premiership experience in their starting line-up, it was always going to be difficult for David Williams' side at St. Mary's. Nevertheless the lads gave a good account of themselves and it might have been a different story if Robert Eagle's late strike had not come back off the woodwork. Williams elected to go with just one up front and five in midfield, three of which were schoolboys. It was one of these schoolboys in the shape of Michael Spillane who had an early crack at goal with a 25-yard effort that was comfortably saved by McNeil in The Saints goal.

The decisive goal came on fifteen minutes when the home side were awarded a free kick that was sent hard and low into the area. Unfortunately City keeper Joe Lewis could not gather the ball in what were greasy conditions and when the ball fell kindly to Craig Richards he had the simplest of tasks to slot the ball into an empty net from just ten yards. City's only other effort of note in the first half came on 39 minutes when defender Adam Gusterson raced forward, beating two defenders, before unleashing a fierce 30-yard shot that McNeil had to fumble away at the expense of a corner. Gusterson was in the thick of the action on the hour mark when he needed to leave the field for lengthy treatment to a head wound before returning some minutes later heavily bandaged in much the same way as Mattias Jonson did against Spurs on Boxing Day at Carrow Road. City might have forced the game into extra time on 76 minutes when Eagle let fly from thirty yards with a shot that looked a goal all the way only for his effort to strike the post. Despite Lewis going up for a corner in the dying minutes it was all to no avail as referee Wendy Toms blew for full-time. City will however not have to wait long to exact some revenge as Southampton visit Colney for an Academy game this Saturday (1pm kick-off). City Line-Up: Lewis, Cave-Brown, Jarvis, Gusterson, Halliday, Howlett, Muddel [Daley 85], Spillane, El Ouargui, Martin, Eagle. Subs Not Used: Herbert, Smart, Bexfield, S.Willis.

Report from Michael Fields via John Landamore.