York men’s 3rds took on Sunderland 3rds off the back of thrashing Sunderland 4ths 6-2 last week, giving them confidence despite missing several key players, including keeper Jonny Sim and captain Matt Bainbridge.
They started brightly, James Offord charging down the opposition keeper’s kick, the ball ricocheting out for a corner which was subsequently headed over by Dave Lewis. The home side were playing a high tempo game, and it paid off after just six minutes, Jon Gill’s beautifully weighted through ball met by Offord on the half volley, the ball sailing into the top corner from 25 yards out.
After the opening goal, Sunderland woke up from their slumber and began to threaten, particularly from set pieces, a header just going wide of debutant keeper Dave Marshall’s goal. At the other end, Offord nearly made it 2-0, latching onto another through ball and poking the ball past the onrushing keeper, only for the ball to be cleared off the line by the Sunderland defender.
Indiscipline from York started to come to the fore, the defence and midfield giving away foul after foul, and the flatness which came with the drop in performance told after half an hour, in freakish fashion, a Angel Sahi back pass bobbling horribly in front of Marshall who swung and missed at the ball which rolled slowly into the net, the goal reminiscent of Paul Robinson and Gary Neville for England a few years back.
York did not concede any more before half time despite being on the back foot. Jonny Hyde came off injured, causing Bainbridge, watching enthusiastically from the sidelines, into a reshuffle with Gill dropping back into defence.
Harsh words from Bainbridge at the interval had York playing with visibly more urgency as the game restarted, but they were to fall behind after only two minutes play, the centre backs allowing Sunderland’s central midfielder far too much time to lash home on the half volley from the edge of the box, a sweet finish but poor defending from the home side.
Gradually however, York really took the game by the scruff of the neck. Craig Dean’s point blank miss with his head from Gio Pilides’s free kick began a spate of chances. Pilidies, given a freer role by Bainbridge for the second half, began to run proceedings, getting into the box and setting others up. Dean had a 30 yard drive comfortably saved by the keeper at head height before ghosting in at the back post from a corner and firing a half volley miles over from just five yards out.
The game also got feisty at one point in the second half, a challenge on Matt Darling provoking anger from the York left back, a few players from both sides beginning a shoving match with each other, before things eventually calmed down. The energy and desire to turn the game around was evident here, as it was in the general second half performance.
York got their just rewards around the 65 minute mark, another freak goal levelling the scoreline. A through ball brought the Sunderland keeper rushing out to clear, but he only succeeded in striking the ball against the defender who could not get out of the way, the ball presenting itself to substitute Harry Bradshaw, who made no mistake from five yards with an empty net in front of him.
York really pushed on after the equaliser, Pilidies missing a golden chance a few minutes later after terrific work by Bradshaw to win the ball back in the corner and cross for the central midfielder to fire straight at the York keeper from the edge of the six yard box. Bradshaw then found himself in acres of space at the far post but managed to head straight at the keeper again from six yards out.
Bainbridge was kicking every ball on the touchline, and he was cursing his side’s luck a minute later when Dean cut inside on the edge of the box and curled one into the far corner, only for the Sunderland keeper to redeem himself with an incredible diving save to tip it round the post.
It was all York in the last 10 minutes of the game as they really turned the screw, and the deserved winner finally came as a Dean corner was headed home by captain for the day Jon Gill, cueing wild celebrations on the touchline. That was how the game ended, the 3rds now having won two out of two.
Bainbridge was absolutely delighted afterwards, saying “First half we weren’t really in it, but second half we were absolutely superb. When Gio (Pilidies), our man of the match got his foot on the ball, we created so many chances to win it. We really shouldn’t have left it so late, but the win is richly deserved. I cannot fault anyone today”.