To put it simply, it was a day to forget for the Men’s 3rds as they crashed to a 6-0 defeat away at Sheffield. Double promotion last year, has been followed by a catastrophic start to this season as the team’s record in all competitions stands at played six, lost six. Only two members of last year’s squad remain, and the inexperience in the side which has seen a number of players step up from college level is telling.
Sheffield 4ths had been hammered 6-0 last week by York’s 1sts in the cup, but yesterday they exacted revenge, dismantling York’s defence and brutally exposing any weakness. York though often proved the catalysts for their own downfall, as a woeful second half performance saw the home side romp to victory.
To be fair to York they produced a respectable first half display, against a side which now sit top of the table. York matched their opponents for large parts of the opening exchanges, but it was Sheffield who created the better chances. They had already hit the post, when on fifteen minutes they opened the scoring, an unmarked forward sweeping home from five yards out.
Gradually the home side started to assert their dominance over the game, and York’s standout player was goalkeeper Simon Varley who prevented Sheffield adding to their lead, with a string of fine saves. At the back the likes of Andrew Lister and Aidan Pilgrim were forced into a number of last ditch tackles. The pressure told and just before half time Sheffield scored a fine second goal.
York needed to respond at the start of the second half, and for a few minutes they did. However it was only a few minutes. Lacklustre defending saw two more quickfire goals, and after that York simply capitulated producing by far their worst half of hockey this season.
Up front captain Declan Hall worked hard, and at times wingers Tom Merriman and Nick Mitchell offered an outlet and source of danger, but it was only occasional. The same could be said about the passing; the odd threatening ball was played by the likes of central midfielders Robin Willows and Dave Washington, but too often York cheaply gave away possession.
Indeed it was this failure to effectively carry out the basics which hampered York, and invited a constant barrage of shots to be directed towards the York goal. Thanks to Varley the scoreline remained mildly respectable, and without him it could easily have been double figures.
It was no surprise when Sheffield bagged a fifth, this time from a short corner despite the best attempts of Lister. Then as time ticked away the home side added to York’s woes by adding a sixth, and thankfully final goal. The final scoreline of 6-0 really did reflect the one sided nature of the game, as York failed to manage a single shot in the whole game.
A double header against Thirsk in the Yorkshire League now lies ahead of the side at the weekend, and the end of this dismal run can not come soon enough for Hall’s side. Yesterday was most certainly a day to forget as quickly as possible, and hopefully now things can only get better.
Vision MOTM: Simon Varley