Pre-season 2010: Birmingham City 0-1 Real Mallorca, Barrow AFC 2-1 Bolton Wanderers - Ben Foster's home debut ends in defeat

Blues fire blanks and lose out to Nsue while Trotters XI lose...

7 Aug 2010 18:22:00

By Andy Street

More On :  Barrow, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Mallorca
Ben Foster, Manchester United (Getty Images)


With the start of the Premier League season only a week away,  Birmingham finished their pre-season preparations with a 1-0 home defeat to La Liga side Real Mallorca. Meanwhile, a Bolton Wanders XI side lost out 2-1 to non-league Barrow AFC.

Birmingham City 0-1 Real Mallorca

Birmingham City finished their pre-season campaign with a narrow 1-0 loss to La Liga's Real Mallorca at St. Andrew's thanks to Emilio Nsue's second half goal.  Birmingham had the upper hand for much of the match and on any other day might have come away with a win. 

Ben Foster made his first home appearance for the Bluenoses, but fellow recent signings Nikola Zigic and Enric Valles were only given places on the bench, however, as Alex McLeish instead opted for a striking partnership of Cameron Jerome and Garry O' Connor.

Ahead of their Premier League season opener against Sunderland next weekend Alex McLeish also gave a surprise start to Craig Gardner at right back due to injuries incurred by Stuart Parnaby and skipper Stephen Carr.

City were quickly into the action with Cameron Jerome's 25-yard shot after good work from Garry O'Connor but his skyward shot was never going to trouble Dudu Aouate.

In an end-to-end start to the match Gonzalo Castro was put in behind the Blues' defence and crossed to Sergi Enrich but his -was poorly directed effort was never going to trouble new boy Foster.

Castro was an influential figure in the early stages of the match and tested Foster once from distance before sending another rasping shot just a fraction wide of the Birmingham goal.

Meanwhile, Seb Larsson's brilliantly directed free-kick after quarter of an hour provided Jerome with a relatively simple chance that was mis-hit at the far post and Scott Dann blasted over from the resulting confusion in the box.

Foster's home debut was keeping the former Manchester United goalkeeper busy and he did well to parry out Castro's 30 yard free-kick. Enrich was then handed a golden chance with a free header from the following corner but his tame effort didn't really trouble Foster.

Mallorca, who have recently been ardently protesting UEFA's decision to ban them from this season's Europa league, could also have had a penalty in the first half after Victor Casadesus went down after Gardner's challenge but Chris Foy waved away the Spaniards' appeals.

However it wasn't all Mallorca as the Premier League side also came close when Keith Fahey's shot from outside the area fizzed past Aouate's post before O'Connor also came close with the home side starting to find their stride.

Just before half-time Mallorca were leading a charmed life as Roger Johnson's header from another good Larsson free-kick rebounded back off the crossbar.

New signing Zigic was brought on for the second half whilst Murphy and Lee Bowyer also took to the field with O'Connor, Dann and Fahey taken off.

Jerome was closer to the mark than he had been in the first half when his blasted effort from just outside the area found the side-netting.

However, the scoresheet was marked after 63 minutes when Casadesus' pull back found Nsue whose cool finish easily beat Foster.

The new Blues keeper could prove to be a shrewd acquisition by McLeish on this form as he stopped Mallorca doubling their lead shortly after with a smart save from Castro who was put clean through.

Kevin Phillips, ever the danger man despite his advancing years, could have scored after beating Aouate to Gardner's cross but his looping header didn't really come close.

Zigic could have had the dream home debut when the ball broke after a penalty box scramble but Ivan Ramis late block stopped the Serbian with the goal gaping.

Despite James McFadden's late half volley coming fairly close, Birmingham couldn't find the net and will be hoping their Premier League campaign is not equally profligate, a worry that may be heightened by Kevin Phillips' late injury which saw the experienced marksmen limp off.

Birmingham: Foster; Gardner, Ridgewell, Johnson, Dann; Larsson, Ferguson, Michel, Fahey, O'Connor, Jerome
Subs: Maik Taylor, Murphy, McFadden, Mutch, Valles, Bowyer, Zigic, Phillips

Barrow AFC 2-1 Bolton Wanderers XI

A Bolton XI side lost 2-1 to Barrow AFC at Holker Street ahead of next week's Premier League season opener against Fulham.  Despite going into the game against the East Midlands Counties Football League side as the favourites, Owen Coyle's side were deservedly beaten thanks to goals from Mark Boyd and Jason Walker.

Barrow were ahead after only four minutes when Mark Boyd's unconventional 20-yard free-kick found the bottom corner underneath the Bolton wall.  The home side were by far the stronger team in the first half against a weakened XI side for the Premier League club.  Despite their superiority, however, the home side could not double their lead ahead of the half-time whistle and went into the break with a solitary goal lead.

However, much in the same way as they had started the first half with a bang, so too did the second half see an early goal for Barrow.  Triallist left-back Andrew Nicholas' pass to Jason Walker was smashed home by the striker, who famously scored against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last year.

It was not all bad news for Bolton though, as Danny Ward capped a decent performance with a goal that halved the deficit for a young Bolton side comprising of mainly academy and reserve team players. The goal after 68 minutes saw the forward break into the box and find the bottom corner beyond Alan Martin with a smart finish.  

Martin had a fairly busy second half and made a fantastic save from Ward, looking to double his goal tally, and keep Barrow, whose side featured a number of traillists, in the lead.  Yet for all Ward's efforts and pressure from Bolton towards the end of the match, it was the hosts who came away with a morale boosting pre-season scalp ahead of their opening league fixture against Histon.

Bolton Wanderers XI: Lainton, Riley, Blakeman, Connelly, Eckersley, Basham, Sheridan, Grocott, Obadeyi, Ward, O’Halloran.
Subs: Bennett, McGeechan, Stayte, Burns, Duyile, Odelusi.

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