Leon Ayinde gave Town’s U21s a shock early lead but Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach hit back to beat the youngsters 3-1 in this afternoon’s friendly at the ATS Sportpark in Heimstetten.
Keeper Cieran Slicker was the only member of the squad with competitive first-team experience with the Blues included in the side with Town having switched to playing their second string yesterday due to lack of senior numbers, much to the German side’s annoyance.
John McGreal’s men took the lead in only the third minute following the first serious action of the match.
Slicker was quickly off his line to the edge of his box to clear a long ball forward ahead of an attacker. His ball forward looked easy for Die Fohlen keeper Jonas Omlin but the Swiss international misjudged it and it scuffed off the top of his head, allowing Leon Ayinde to seize upon it, cut back inside and then stroke into the corner of the net to give the young Blues a surprise 1-0 advantage.
The Bundesliga side threatened for the first time in the 10th minute when a deep cross from the right reached Tim Kleindienst beyond the far post from where the former Heidenheim striker smashed a volley wide.
Town, whose youngsters were holding their own, claimed a penalty a minute later when forward Matty Roberts stole a loose Mönchengladbach pass just outside the area and went to ground as he burst past Nico Elvedi into the box. However, the referee decided the Wales U18 international had dived, probably correctly.
The German side levelled on the quarter-hour, in controversial circumstances. Gladbach took a very quick free-kick on the left, the ball was played into the area by Kevin Stöger and Kleindienst rose high unmarked to nod into his first goal for the club into the net with the Town defence and Slicker caught on their heels waiting for a whistle.
The keeper ran well out of his goal to make that point to the referee along with his teammates and was booked for his protests.
On 17, there was a confrontation between the teams after Blues midfielder Ryan Carr went in late on Stöger, who reacted angrily before plenty of other players from both sides joined in. Order was restored and Carr and Stöger were booked.
Mönchengladbach began to take more comfortable control and in the 26th minute they went in front from the penalty spot, Carr having clipped Alassane Pléa as he turned away from him on the left of the box. Julian Weigl slammed the spot-kick straight down the middle.
As the game reached the half-hour, Blues right-sided wideman Nico Valentine underwent lengthy treatment after a firm but fair challenge by Elvedi. The former England U17 call-up looked in a great deal of pain having evidently fallen awkwardly on his shoulder and was eventually taken off on a stretcher. Jesse Nwabueze took over.
Chances were far and few between in the latter stages of the half, with Mönchengladbach on top, but three minutes into injury time the ball fell to Pléa just outside the box but his strike was too close to Slicker, who saved down to his right.
Moments later, Stöger looped an effort well over from the left, then soon afterwards Blues midfielder Steven Turner was booked for a foul.
After seven minutes of injury time, largely for Valentine’s nasty looking injury, the referee ended the half.
At times, it had been an unusually feisty game for pre-season - when was the last time Town had four players booked in the first half of a friendly? - the German side perhaps having their noses put a little out of joint by the Town youngsters taking the early lead or perhaps having travelled for a game against an U21s side.
But gradually the game began to settle down into the more usual pre-season fare with Die Fohlen taking control, albeit with the Blues side competing well and looking to force and make the most of errors in the final third.
Town made one change at the break, Turner making way for Abube Onuchukwu, who joined the club from Aston Villa in the summer. The Bundesliga side swapped Franck Honorat, Stöger and Joe Scally for Thomas Cvancara, Nathan Ngoumou and Stefan Lainer.
Borussia went close for the first time following restart on 51, Luca Netz hitting a shot which Slicker saved ten scampered after on all fours without success, Kleindienst getting in a second effort which Carr turned behind.
Two minutes later, there was another dust-up, Harry Barbrook reacting angrily to Cvancara dragging him by the neck. No one else got involved and both were booked. Soon after, Ngoumou cut in from the left and shot over.
Gladbach should have added to their lead in the 56th minute when Lainer cut across from the right to Cvancara, who shot low to Slicker’s right but the keeper did well to stop it with his foot.
Within a minute, the German side had gone close again, Japanese international Ko Itakura hitting an effort which deflected to Pléa on the left of the box but the once-capped France international shot across the face and wide when he should have scored.
Gladbach added to their lead in the 63rd minute, again from a set piece on the left. Pléa whipped over a ball and Kleindienst stooped to nod goalwards with Slicker only able to help it into the net.
A minute later, it should have been four. Ngoumou was played in through the middle behind Town centre-half Jacob Mazionis but shot wide with only the advancing Slicker to beat.
In the 68th minute, the Blues made a quintuple change, Carr, Jambang, Foyo, Roberts and goalscorer Ayinde making way for Tommy Taylor, Oli Davis, Daniel Babb, Rio Morgan and Emmanuel Okonowo.
Soon after the changes, Onuchukwu became the sixth Town player to get his name in the book for a foul on Reitz.
After Borussia had made a triple change, Netz and Reitz taking over from Lukas Ullrich and Florian Neuhaus, Town swapped keeper Slicker for Woody Williamson, a Scotland U19 international replacing an U21.
More Borussia changes followed in the closing minutes as the game rather petered out with the Bundesliga side well in control.
Moments before the whistle, Ngoumou missed another opportunity to make it 4-1 having been played in on the left but again shot wide.
Gladbach were well in charge in the second half and had chances to have won more convincingly but failed to take them, while Slicker made one very good half in addition to some decent stops in the first.
The Town youngsters kept at it but were unable to carve out any serious opportunities after the break.
However, they can be pleased with their overall display, having given a Bundesliga side featuring a number of full internationals an early scare and only conceding via set pieces, the first controversial.
The Blues senior players will be in action tomorrow against Hoffenheim at the Kufstein Arena just over the border in Austria (KO 1.30pm CET, 12.30pm BST).
Town U21s: Slicker (Williamson 76), Jambang (Babb 68), H Barbrook, Mazionis (c), Ayoola, Turner (Onuchukwu 46), Valentine (Nwabueze 36), Carr (Okunowo 68), Foyo (T Taylor 68), Roberts (Morgan 68), Ayinde (O Davis 68).
Borussia: Omlin, Itakura (Ranos 81), Stöger (Ngoumou 46), Weigl (Fraulo 83), Honorat (Cvancara 46), Kleindienst (Fukuda 81), Pléa (Friedrich 81), Netz (Ullrich 76), Reitz (Neuhaus 75), Scally (Lainer 46), Elvedi (Chiarodia 65).