A slow start by City to their match at Palmerston North's Memorial Park against Redsox cost the Wanganui side, who conceded two goals in the first fifteen minutes.
And that start along with the home side being awarded two penalties, were the difference in the 4-2 loss. Manager Glenn Grahamsuggested that had the City competed equally with the hosts, bar that stuttering start, then the goals from Jordan Joblin-Hall and Kyle Graham-Luke had the visitors well in the match. Goalkeeper Kevin Keegan had a top performance in goal and saved one of the spot kicks, but Graham pointed out it was the earlier goals that had set the side back against a Redsox side desperate to keep in touching distance to league leaders PN Marist, who were not in league action at the weekend due to a Chatham Cup quarter-final.
There was better news in the Western Premiership when Wanganui Athletic 1sts resoundingly saw off North End Reserves 3-0 in the main Wembley Park fixture on Saturday.
After a first round which had seen Athletic struggling to find the net, the side has been scoring freely of late and the result creates a healthy buffer for the locals from their opponents who now hold the bottom spot.
City Reserves will be looking to tidy up their act after falling to the experienced Redsox A's 4-2 at home on the weekend.
Guilty of gifting possession to a team that will punish any side, City were lethargic in the first half too many times giving up easy possession and poor decision making.
Although there was improvement in the second stanza after gifting the Manawatu side a 3-0 lead going into the break, the locals struggled to peg back the deficit.
