City in control

The FA Youth Cup Sponsored by E.ON
Semi-Final, First Leg 
Thursday 6 March 2008
The Stadium Of Light, Sunderland AFC
Click here for Sixth Round results

Manchester City are on course to reach the Final of The FA Youth Cup, after winning 2-0 at Sunderland in the first leg of their Semi-Final at the Stadium of Light.

Ryan McGivern was the hero, scoring both goals as the visitors showed their class, and they fully deserved to progress after showing that the academy which produced the likes of Micah Richards and Michael Johnson has plenty of young talent bubbling beneath the surface.

It was the hosts who started brightly though and Martyn Waghorn was unlucky not to keep up his record of scoring in every round, as he threatened at regular intervals against a nervous-looking visitors' backline.

But it was to be left-back McGivern who broke the deadlock after 38 minutes, although the goal had an element of good fortune about it, his strike taking a large deflection and sneaking inside Dan Staples' near post.

After Nathan Luscombe hit the post as the hosts searched for an equaliser, McGivern surely killed the tie with his second of the night on the hour mark, sneaking into the box to power a header past Staples from Donal McDermott's cross.

City saw out the remainder of the game with ease, and they will head into next Tuesday's return leg at the City of Manchester Stadium with high hopes of progressing to the Final, where they would meet the winner of the other semi-final, between Chelsea and Aston Villa.