The men’s seconds team slumped to a fourth defeat in five leagues matches, at the hands of league leaders Leeds.
York won the toss and elected to change ends to benefit from the strong winds lashing across 22 acres. The conditions were causing the ball to move wickedly in the air and both goalkeepers had to be on their toes to make even the most routine saves. The home side almost got lucky when an Ali Prince corner was spilled in the area, but Leeds defenders were first to the rebound. Tom Ragan limped off holding his hamstring in his first game back in BUCS after a shoulder injury, and was replaced by Ben Smith.
The referee controversially asked the linesman, a York substitute, to refrain from giving assistance on offside decisions, and only to advise when the ball was out of touch. His decision was challenged minutes later when a Leeds striker Mike Manches was put through on goal. The linesman called offside but the referee was having none of it, and with abundant time and space, the centre-forward picked his spot and slotted past Sam Clitheroe.
While the wind was making set plays unpredictable, and most long balls ran straight through the Leeds goalkeeper, the grass was in surprisingly good condition and York looked at their best when stroking the ball along the ground in midfield. Leeds, however, were applying pressure in all areas and were making possession retention difficult. Simon Kreienbaum’s tough tackling was to thank for keeping York in the match at times.
Matt Hallam’s team-talk emplored players to take more time on the ball, and within minutes of the restart the captain picked out Richard Baxter in the area, who sent his header just wide. Early signs were positive but any attempt at a comeback suffered a setback when Manches added a second with a stooping header.
Will Taylor found Ali Prince in the box, but Prince’s shot was scuffed. The feeling that it was not York’s day was compounded when Taylor was allowed to dribble into the opponent’s area, but appeared to be caught in two minds and dinked the ball into the keeper’s hands. Alex Tringham, Ali Prince and Ben Smith all had half-chances that were either saved or went wide, but nothing to worry Leeds too much.
The visitors added a third with the last kick of the game, Elliot Harland taking a one-on-one comfortably to make it 3-0. Hallam believed the score didn’t reflect the balance of the game, and thought the result might have been different had the team not been so depleted by injuries. The York seconds now find themselves in no-man’s land on three points in League 5B: six points adrift of fourth-placed Newcastle thirds, but nine points ahead of last-placed Hull thirds, who after three games and two forfeits find themselves rooted to the foot of the table on -6 points.
Elsewhere, Lasé Laleye scored as the fourth team’s drew 1-1 with Huddersfield seconds to consolidate their mid-table position in 6B, and the third team enjoyed a 5-1 rout against rivals York St John fourths. The first team travelled to Leeds where they were edged out 2-1, leaving them second from bottom. It seems they’ll have their work cut out for them in the quarter-finals of the cup against Newcastle fourths, who beat Sunderland firsts 9-0.