Stoke City: Balotelli junior finds it tough at Burton
ENOCH Balotelli, the teenage brother of Manchester City star Mario, was a surprise inclusion in a young Stoke reserve side at Burton Albion last night.
There was a deft touch, a piece of showboating and a couple of theatrical slips on the greasy surface as the striker got used to life amid Midlands football's second string before withdrawing with cramp on 81 minutes.
The 19-year-old, born in Ghana and brought up in Italy, has been in England with his brother, aged 21, who was on the bench for Manchester City in last night's Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
Balotelli junior had interested Napoli at one point, but has been training with Stoke's youth team for three weeks.
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Academy coach Dave Kevan said: "He's been with training with us for a while and it was good to give him a run out.
"He's a good boy but a little bit raw at the moment. We'll see how things go."
Danny Higginbotham, Stoke's only senior player, continued his recovery from cruciate ligament injury with a composed performance at centre-half for an hour.
Kevan said: "It was great to give Danny more game time and it was just precautionary that we took him off.
"It's a fantastic learning process for the boys to have someone of his calibre playing with them. He's great with them, his attitude is first class."
It was an even first half for the Potters against a Burton side featuring lively former Stoke youth prospect Jimmy Phillips and ex-Port Vale striker Justin Richards, who somehow contrived to miss a sitter from only a yard out moments before half-time.
Higginbotham had the first opportunity when he stuck out a leg to connect with Flo Cuvelier's low free-kick after five minutes, sending the ball floating on to the top of the net.
Andy Musungu pushed hard down City's left and sent a cross flying across the face of goal but just out of reach of Balotelli's long legs.
Balotelli then got a touch on a ball that seemed to have gone past him to send through Cuvelier one-on-one, bringing the best out of Albion keeper Tom Turner.
Two minutes later, the ball fell for Balotelli just outside the centre circle and, with a flick of the inside of his heel, he was suddenly goalside of the tight-marking Kristian Ramsey-Dickson. He seemed to have surprised even himself, though, and the defence had recovered before he could capitalise on 35 yards of free space, instead opting to thread in Musungu, who drove an ambitious shot over.
Phillips twice tested young City keeper Dale Eve, but it was team-mate Richards who had the most gilt-edge of chances in first-half stoppage time.
In a goalmouth scramble, the ball seemed to drift between the powerful forward's legs just in front of goal when only a touch was needed to bulge the net.
Bermudian Eve, Stoke's youngest ever international, was called again to tip Andres Gurrieri's sweet drive on to the bar before the break.
City emerged with a greater tempo and Higginbotham almost broke the deadlock when he belted a 35-yard free-kick on target. But Phillips came even closer, forcing Eve into a brilliant save before smashing the rebound on to the bar.
Higginbotham made way after 59 minutes before Burton struck the woodwork again, with a looping cross-cum-shot from substitute Dominic Allen. Neither side could muster a breakthrough, however, as the game fizzled out without a goal.
Burton Albion: Turner, Corbett, Blanchett, Pirrie, R Austin (Harness, 46), Ramsey-Dickson, Austin, Dyer, Richards (Allen, 70), Guerrieri (Munn, 46), Phillips. Not used: Poole, Slade.
Stoke City: Eve, Roberts-Nurse, King, Dawson, Parry, Higginbotham (O'Reilly, 59), Agbaje, Cuvelier, Balotelli (Scott, 82), Moult, Musungu (Richardson, 46). Not used: Clarkson, Nardiello, Scott.
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