Pre-match news
City are in town to open the New Meadow. Despite it being a difficult place to find - those that have swarmed around tunnel to catch a glance of the City squad and of course Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Well for his first visit to Shrewsbury, the new Blues boss confirmed he will field two teams and former Shrews keeper Joe Hart will play the second half.
Martin Petrov makes his City debut and Geovanni is handed a first start on British soil.
The Match
City sported their purple away kit for the first time (you either love it or hate it) and it certainly spurred them on in the early stages with Martin Petrov looking particularly lively in the opening exchanges.
But it was the home side who mustered the first shot on goal in the tenth minute. Mark Pugh’s lame effort never troubling Schmeichel though.
Twenty minutes in it was City who put together a great move involving Sun, Petrov, Ireland and Geovanni who eventually whipped a shot just over from 25-yards out.
That was just a sighter from the Brazillian who a minute later fizzed a shot from a similar distance which clipped the crossbar and flew over.
The game kept up it’s lively pace and on 23 minutes Symes should have made it 1-0 to the home side, but he could only send a header wide from the left-wing cross.
With Geovanni clearly enjoying the Shropshire sunshine he turned provider for Bianchi with a clever back heel moments later. The Italian striker though kept his head down and drilled the ball over the bar.
City were playing some slick football with Petrov, Geovanni and Ireland happily roaming all over the pitch during the first half an hour.
It was sizzling football at times with Ireland, Johnson, Petrov and Geovanni all performing Harlem Globetrotter-esque flicks and back heels throughout the first 45 minutes.
With the silk came the steel and Geovanni earnt himself a booking for a second rash tackle of the night three minutes before the break.
The only thing lacking was a greatly-deserved goal and it looked like being one of those nights as Bianchi and Johnson both had shots cleared off the line in the same scramble before Town went up the other end and gave Schmeichel another scare.
HALF TIME: Shrewsbury 0-0 City
A full team of changes at half time from the Blues boss and a very warm welcome for Joe Hart from the whole ground.
Almost immediately the changes paid off. Paul Dickov made the most of a slip by the Town captain and put the ball across for Georgios Samaras. Unfortunately, the Greek striker couldn’t beat Garner to celebrate with the travelling Blues behind the goal.
Despite the early chance, City’s fresh team were taking their time to settle and the home side could sense it and applied their own touch of pressure.
The skills of the first half had desserted City and the Shrews carried a greater threat during a quieter second period.
But with eight minutes left City broke up the pitch and broke the deadlock. A fantastic cross from the right by Samaras was headed home from close range by Bernardo Corradi to give the Blues a deserved lead.
City doubled the lead and wrapped up the game in the final minute when Paul Dickov fired a low drive beyond Garner after a neat one-two with Corradi.
FULL TIME: Shrewsbury 0-2 City
