Town lead Shakhtar Donesk 1-0 at half-time in their friendly at Sportzentrum Landskron, skipper Sam Morsy having netted just before the half hour.

The match was a single game played over 90 minutes rather than the previously advertised two 60-minute matches.

Ben Johnson was the only new signing starting, at right-back, with Leif Davis on the left and Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves. Christian Walton was in goal.

Skipper Sam Morsy was partnered by Jack Taylor in the centre of midfield with Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Marcus Harness behind main striker George Hirst.

Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap were on the bench, but fellow summer signings Omari Hutchinson and Aro Muric were absent from the matchday squad but at the ground having been with the party for this week’s Carinithian training camp.

Youngsters Ryan Carr, Leon Ayinde, Finley Barbrook, Osman Foyo and Jesse Nwabueze were among the subs

The Ukrainian champions, playing their sixth friendly of pre-season and keeping hold of the ball confidently in the early stages, had the ball in the net in the third minute, Lassina Traore turning home a low cross from the left but having strayed offside.

Town began to take the game to Shakhtar as rain began to fall very heavily and on 16 they created their first chance.

Hirst cut from the left of the area to Chaplin on the penalty spot but the forward’s low strike was diverted behind by a defender.

Three minutes later, Burns curled over a trademark trivela cross from the right but a defender got in ahead of Harness.

Shakhtar got back on top and in the 25th minute should have gone in front. Former Brazil U20 international Kevin seized on Davis’s poor header back to Walton from a long ball and as the keeper slipped lifted it towards goal but saw it bounce agonisingly off the bar and to safety.

Four minutes later, the Blues went in front. Tobias Vinicius took a free-kick for Shakhtar on their right and inexplicably played it aerially across his own area where Burns stole it before, while grounded, laying it back to Morsy just outside the area from where the Egypt international smashed a low shot past Dmytro Riznyk to his right and into the net.

On 34, Taylor played a ball over the top for Burns, who almost got onto it while being closely marked by a defender.

In the 40th minute, Blues captain Morsy and Shakhtar’s former Brazil U23 international Marlon were booked after a minor dust-up on the right, Kevin also playing a part before order was restored.

A minute before the scheduled end of the half, Davis sent over a cross from the left which was just too high for Chaplin at the far post.

Moments before the whistle, Artem Bondarenko curled a strike not too far wide of Walton’s right post.

Town went in a goal up via Morsy’s impressive strike, the Blues making the most of Shakhtar’s error.

The Ukrainian side had looked a team further into pre-season than Town at times but without causing the Blues’ backline too many problems. Chances were similarly few and far between at the other end but Town will be pleased with their first 45 minutes of public pre-season match action.

The Blues will make four changes with Cieran Slicker, George Edmundson, Jacob Greaves and Massimo Luongo replacing Walton, Woolfenden, Burgess and Taylor.

Town: Walton, Davis, Morsy, Woolfenden, Burns, Chaplin, Harness, Taylor, Burgess, Johnson, Hirst. Subs: Edmundson, Delap, Ladapo, Slicker, Greaves, Luongo, Baggott, Carr, Ayinde, F Barbrook, Foyo, Nwabueze.

Shakhtar: Riznyk, Traore, Bondar, Sudakov, Zubkov, Azarov, Vinicius, Bondarenko, Matviienko (c), Marlon, Kevin. Subs: Bahlai, Tvardovskyi, Stepanenko, Eguinaldo, Shved, Ghram, Hlushchenko, Pedro, Faryna, Nazaryna, Kozik, Savchenko, Pedrinho, Newertton, Franjic, Latsabidze.

Photo: ITFC

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