York men’s 1sts went into today’s match against Durham with the task of avoiding defeat to secure a third-placed finish; their highest ever.
With only a point separating the sides going into the last match of the season, a close game was anticipated.
Durham had the better of the opening spells, pushing York far back into their own half. At first, their attacking threat came mostly down the left flank, but Laurie Torrington’s interventions kept them from breaking through on goal.
As York’s sloppy passing continued to prevent them from gaining a grip on the match, the Durham threat intensified. The visitors won three short corners in quick succession and Sam Harriman was called upon to keep the game scoreless with a superb reaction save.
Towards the end of the half, York’s forward ventures became more frequent and more incisive, and just before half-time Richard Larkin slotted in from a short-corner: 1-0 to York.
The goal provided the home side with the confidence they needed to press forward and put Durham under pressure, and Captain Andy Harris almost added to the scoring, smashing on target from a tight angle.
An end-to-end spell saw Torrington make another important block, before Jammy Wilson fired in to double the home side’s lead.
For all York’s attempts to put the game out of sight, including another blast on target from Harris, it was Durham that scored next: 2-1.
York could afford to concede one more and still finish third, and started to defend deeper and get more men behind the ball. Nevertheless, Durham added a second with minutes to go. Jubilant cheering at their equaliser showed that this encounter was much more than two teams playing out the season’s formalities.
Durham searched for a winner but York’s defence regained composure and organisation, and kept them at bay until full-time.
Andy Harris commented: “It wasn’t our best ever game, but we’re feeling positive with finishing third – it’s the highest we’ve ever come”, adding “Durham are always a good team, and this was a good finish to the season”.