Looking fresh faced after some bruising defeats earlier in the season, York University Men’s 1sts took to the pitch yesterday against Durham’s fourth team and secured a morale-boosting 2-0 win.
An early break by Larkin nearly put the home team ahead after five minutes and there were several more shots on target, or more often, slightly wide. Although the team’s fitness levels perhaps struggled to match the opposition’s, their pace and passing were excellent throughout the game. The use of a sweeper was successful, opening up the field of play, and as a result York dominated possession. Defensively, York were not as tight as in other areas of the field, and during Durham’s few breaks in play, there were some nail- bitingly close moments, although in spite of this Nick Latcham gave York the lead in the first half. After a fantastic pass from the right he created space directly in front of the goal, and with an elegant flick, the ball soared passed the Durham keeper, Andy Patterson. The only disappointment of the first half was that York had only got one goal.
The second half’s action was similar; the home side dominated possession but the atmosphere was tense, perhaps because of the insecurity of a 1-0 score line. But a great drive and pass from fresher Laurie Torrington to Latcham secured the game with the second and final goal, taken from a difficult wide angle.
With victory secured, York kept possession for the last twenty minutes, playing in a similar manner to the first half. A great win and another three points in the bag.
