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Photos: Philip Mourdijs
Goodricke strolled to victory against Langwith in the Heslington East derby. In blustery conditions the men in green totally outplayed Langwith in all areas of the park, particularly in the first half.
It was only a lack of penetration in the box and the difficult conditions, that prevented the match from becoming a rout. The result leaves Goodricke in fourth place in the table, and Langwith at the foot of the table with no points.
Straight from the off Goodricke took control, taking advantage of having a man advantage over their opponents. Rob Young had a fantastic early chance, but his shot went wide by the narrowest of margins. With the wind behind them Goodricke had the Langwith half under siege, and inevitably after 18 minutes the pressure told; a quality Dan Gorringe corner being gratefully bundled into the net by Joel Fagan.
The pressure didn’t let up, and indeed the ball barely entered the Goodricke half at all in the first half. Luke Inness and Joe Mann both had excellent chances before half-time but their shots were saved by Langwith keeper Kris Cheshire. Perhaps Goodricke’s best chance came on the half hour mark when a free-for-all in the box, involving multiple players, could have seen the ball go anywhere, but after much fumbling it was finally knocked clear .
Considering their dominance Goodricke must have been frustrated that the scoreline was only 1-0. There was a real feeling that with Langwith now playing downwind and now with 11 men, that the match was still alive as a contest. And so it proved, although Goodricke were still clearly on top in the second half Langwith did have a greater deal of the possession.
However, before Langwith could gain too much confidence, the tie was effectively killed as Young, who had been a constant threat up front all game, brilliantly intercepted a long ball from James Gutteridge and with skill, nerve, and some luck, was able to nudge the ball over Cheshire, who should perhaps have done better.
After this the game opened up with both sides having relatively equal spells of possession. Langwith did present more of an attacking danger, with stand-in keeper Zain Karbani being forced to make some gutsy interceptions.
However, despite showing more attacking zeal, Langwith never really looked like scoring despite some promising attacks, and Goodricke were able to play out the final 15 minutes relatively comfortably.
Goodricke captain Joe Mann told Vision that he had mixed feelings: “We were in control, but it should have been more, we really should have been more clinical, but it is still three points.”
Langwith captain, Matt Jones, commmented after the game: “We battled well in the first half with ten men, but we were knackered in the second half and couldn’t make the most of the conditions. We put a few balls through but unfortunately couldn’t get a decent shot on goal all game.”