City reserves 1, Stoke reserves 3

City's penultimate reserve game of the season ended in a home defeat to Stoke in the Pontin's Holidays League Central Division.

Both sides fielded trialists, with City having Tottenham striker Luke Medley on show while the visitors played Coventry's Arran Lee-Barratt in goal.

Ben Saynor saved an early free-kick after a foul by City team-mate Patrick McGuire but Joe Brown almost scored at the other end when Sean Robinson had to make a timely tackle.

Medley then had a shot blocked following good flick on by Brown and saw another effort saved by Lee-Barratt following a cross by Xavier Barrau.

Stoke went ahead on 27 minutes when, following a high challenge by Damian Hopkins, they were awarded a free-kick which was curled into the bottom corner by Ndiwa Lord-Kangana.

Ben Muirhead shot into the side-netting as City responded and, as they upped the tempo in the second half, Barrau and Medley combined to set up a 67th-minute equaliser as Simon Ainge headed home.

But City were soon behind again when, against the run of play, Stephen Opoka shot from 25 yards to beat Saynor then Sean Robinson volleyed the third goal from close range as Stoke turned the game on its head.

City reserves: Saynor, Swift, O'Brien, McGuire, Ainge, Hopkins, Muirhead, Penford, Medley (Harper), Brown, Barrau. Subs (not used): Mitchell, Convey, Taylforth, Morgan.