The Men’s 1sts have progressed to a BUCS Cup Final after securing the narrowest of victories in one of the biggest games of the year. Having lost to Durham 2nds by just one goal in the league, the previous week, York were desperate to enact vengeance. Despite some impressive wins this season, the 1sts look set for a disappointing placement in the league. Winning the cup this year means everything to a good side made up of players who are almost all moving on next year.
The opening quarter was largely uneventful with both teams failing to source the precision needed to open the scoring. York looked effective in defence with goal keeper Ben Robinson looking good from the go, but York’s attack struggled to find form and failed to execute several chances at crease. Their frustration became, at times, embarrassingly apparent, with heated exchanges thrown between players both on and off the pitch. A less than impressive fifteen minutes saw the score remain 0 – 0.
From the restart York’s poor performance persisted while Durham began to threaten with a new lease of energy. Robinson was required to make several fantastic saves but a composed Durham attack eventually saw a goal effortlessly slotted in from close range. With attack still struggling, York’s immediate response was restricted to long-range efforts by midfield players Krishna Balan and Captain Phil Harrold. However, with half-time approaching there were signs of promise as Harrold began to charge hard at the Durham goal. While Balan followed suit, the second quarter ended with Durham a goal in hand.
York opened the third quarter with some strong individual running once again, but over-reliance on individuals to run the ball in kept Durham ahead. Desperate to get a grip on the game York called a time-out and Balan took a minute to remind the team of the significance of a victory. Just seconds after play was resumed, Harrold fired in the much awaited equaliser from an impossibly tight angle. After several more attempts on goal, the York defence momentarily lost concentration and gave Durham all the space they needed to sneak the ball in past Robinson’s foot. A merciless Durham then fired in goal number three while York still grieved their second. A devastating couple of minutes required a loud response from York; running in off the bench, Luke Shilling, ball in hand, showcased a superb dodge before finding the back of the net with clinical execution: 3 – 2.
A perfect start to the final quarter saw York’s David Pooley bring the scores level again with an unstoppable strike under immense pressure at crease. With everything to play for, the game reached a new level of physicality, but not long after the equaliser, Harrold found space to take York into the lead for the first time with a brilliantly clever finish. Five minutes left and just one goal behind, it was Durham’s turn to call a time-out. Durham coordinated several steady attacks in the final few minutes and once again forced some brilliant saves from keeper Robinson but time soon ran out. Robinson’s focus and composure in goal earned him man-of-the-match.
Harrold commented after the game: “We had a really shaky start, but in those final two quarters we played our game and we got the win. We’re going to be working hard and we’re going to take our best game to the final! We’ve got a really good chance at this cup!”
York will play Leeds 1sts, currently top of the league, in the final scheduled for March 23, 2011. Their last encounter was an epic 6 – 6 thriller.