Another home defeat for York but performance warrants more
YORK PLAYED OUT a 3-2 defeat at home to Sunderland in bitterly cold conditions, with a blustery north wind causing difficulties and a result which did little to warm the heart. However York’s players should be cheered after a promising performance which should have delivered the three points.
On paper the loss appears to be just another nail in the coffin for York’s footballers after a dismal run, but the match itself told a very different story. In fact, it was York that dominated large spells of the game and had the strike force converted some early chances they could have gone on to pick up that elusive first victory in a season which has had few positives.
Pardeep Singh was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance early in the first half, when he found himself with just the keeper to beat. But assuming he was offside, like everybody else on the pitch did, his casual finish failed to beat the keeper.
Having failed to take advantage of some good spells of pressure it was instead Sunderland that took the lead on the half hour mark. A lapse of concentration allowed one of the Sunderland strikers to beat the offside trap and latch onto a superb through ball before rounding the York keeper and seeing his shot stopped only by a superb goal-line clearance by Andy Hobson. York breathed a sigh of relief, but from the resulting corner Sunderland nodded home the opener and despite the good start York were behind.
For once York responded well and they continued to create the better chances until they were rewarded with a fine equaliser just before half-time. Hobson received a throw-in from the left and put in an excellent right-footed cross which was flicked beyond the Sunderland defence by Dan Williams. Paul Heggarty sneaked in and lobbed the ball over the oncoming keeper with the deftest of touches. 1-1 at half-time and York looked the more likely to come out after the break and win the match.
But nothing has been that simple this season for the 1sts, who remain rooted to the bottom of the BUSA Northern Conference Division 2B with just one point. York failed to clear from a harmless Sunderland attack minutes after the restart, and instead gifted a Sunderland midfielder the chance to fire in a shot which deflected past the helpless keeper Matt Belk, in for the injured Ben Macpherson. York heads dropped and it was soon 3-1 with a hint of bad luck again. The York defence was opened with a great through ball, but after Belk had made a good stop, the rebound fell kindly for the Sunderland forward who rolled the ball into the empty net.
York finally found their voices again and had a late surge in the final twenty minutes. Ryan Heaps’ introduction at half-time provided a headache for the Sunderland defence, and he was instrumental in creating a couple of opportunities for Matt Martin who was prevented from scoring only by the side-netting and a desperate last ditch tackle from a Sunderland centre-half.
York were able to reduce the deficit when they were awarded a penalty after Heaps was wrestled to the floor in the box as he controlled a pass. Singh coolly converted the spot kick, and at 3-2 there was suddenly some urgency about York’s play again.
However it was too little too late, and having had the better of their opponents for much of the game, York’s players and spectators alike were left pondering how they had come away with nothing. Sunderland were a side that were there for the taking, and had this season gone a little differently York could have won comfortably.
But the problem once again is confidence, and this was a game which York really could have done with winning with important matches in next week’s Varsity event and of course Roses creeping up very quickly on the calendar.
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