Manchester City Res 1, Rovers Res 1

RESERVE team boss Terry Darracott was delighted with his young guns after an impressive performance against a strong City side.

Craig Hignett stole the headlines after scoring a goal on his comeback following his three month injury lay-off. But Darracott was also full of praise for the way some of his younger charges performed against a City side containing the likes of Ian Bishop and Shaun Goater.

"I said to our lads before the game 'this is a good test for you because they are a strong side," said Darracott.

"But I was delighted with the way we went about it and I thought we deserved to win it in the end."

City had the better of the openings in an entertaining first half as Gareth Taylor went close with a hat-trick of chances. But it was the impressive Hignett who fired Rovers ahead on 42 minutes, bursting clear from the halfway line before firing past Richard McKinney with the aid of a deflection.

That lead only lasted a minute, however, before Taylor headed his team back level.

But Rovers looked the more likely side after the break and Burton O'Brien was denied a winner by a brilliant save.