Central United completed their participation in the 2008 Manchester United Premier Cup with two wins from two on Day 3 at the tournament.
First up was San Diego Surf, the American champions. Central took the lead early through captain Thomas Spragg only to concede a goal shortly after. The second half saw Spragg add a second as Central took control of the match. Unable to convert their advantage with a third goal which would have killed off the game, disaster struck right opn the final whistle with the Americans snatching a late equaliser. This sent the match into a penalty shoot-out. Central who had spent a great deal of time pre-tournament preparing for this possibility made no mistake when it counted. All five of their penalty takers converted and it was left to goalkeeper Alex Carr to provide the heroics with the all-important save that saw Central United claim their first scalp of the tournament.
Their final game was the play-off for 17th and 18th position and Central made no race of this match-up against Villa 2000 of Indonesia. Goals to Matthew Rowlands, Joseph Dan-Tyrell and captain Spragg saw Central run out comprehensive winners by 3-0.
Thus, the team finished with a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses to claim 17th spot (of 20) at this prestigious Under 15 international tournament. This is the same position the club finished in last year however significant progress has been made by the fact two draws were attained this year in what was a fiercely contested group phase.
FC Atlas, who topped Central’s group take on Brazilian team Fluminense overnight in the Final to be played at Manchester United’s famous Old Trafford Stadium. (This will be played as a curtainraiser to the senior pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Juventus).
Central United’s full tour record was as follows:
Warmup Matches:
vs Chadderton FC won 7-1
vs Blackburn Rovers (U16 Academy) lost 0-4 vs Nottingham Forest (U16 Academy) won 2-0
MUPC Tournament:
vs Middlesbrough FC (Eng) drew 0-0
vs FC Atlas (Mexico) lost 0-2
vs SuperSport United (SA) drew 0-0
vs Juventus (Italy) lost 0-3
vs San Diego Surf (USA) drew 2-2 (won 5-4 pens) vs Villa 2000 (Indonesia) won 3-0
Tour Record:
P9 W4 D2 L3 GF14 GA 12