Hockey Mens 1sts
Time: Saturday 15.00
Location: JLD
Points: York 4
York 2 - Lancaster 0
Two second half goals secured an important win for York in a tight game on Saturday afternoon.
Right from the start York were on the offensive, putting a complacent Lancaster defence immediately under pressure. An early short corner allowed York to display some beautifully quick passing with the resulting shot on goal going just wide.
Lancaster, a team who are ranked a league above in the BUSA competition, were forced to work hard to repel an early onslaught from York, with the first 20 minutes of the game seeing a concerted series of ambitious attacks from the forwards.
York player Ollie Hughes came the closest to scoring when he chipped a cross onto the top of the left goalpost. James Hume also made a spectacular shot straight through the legs of three Lancaster defenders which was only barely stopped by a frenetic effort by the Lancastrian goalkeeper, which meant at half-time the scoreline was still 0-0.
Lancaster regrouped over the break, and the beginning of the second half saw a renewed spirit infused into the Lancaster team. The York team suddenly found themselves on the back foot, and play was concentrated within their half.
This pressure was bound to see results eventually, and 10 minutes into the second half, the Lancaster team spotted a gap in the York defence.
A two-prong Lancastrian attack slid through the momentarily stunned York defence lined up with the goal, and missed completely, hitting a weak chip-ball slowly forward that was easily caught up by the recovering York defender and cleared.
A brief confusion ensued, possibly exacerbated by the jeers of the York supporters, which resulted in both the Lancastrian number 8 and the York number 13, Alex Topsfield, being awarded yellow cards.
The damage this did to Lancastrian morale was palpable, and a weak Lancastrian short corner was gathered by York who drilled the ball up the field. From there, Fergus Shields flicked at a shot which was desperately parried away by the Lancastrian keeper into the waiting stick of Ben Griffiths, who slammed it easily home to open the scoring for York.
The opening goal was a blow from which Lancaster never fully recovered. Ten minutes of intense pressure from York turned the screw on the Lancaster defence as they struggled to break out of their half.
The second goal came from a spectacular run by Billy Walsh and Hughes, who ran rings around the Lancaster defence, before Hume took the pass and slotted the ball home to complete a neat attack.
With the score standing at 2-0, Lancaster knew the game was as good as over, and despite both Andy Hook and Griffiths suffering mild leg injuries, the final minutes of the game were York’s.
As the final whistle blew the Lancaster players slumped to their knees, and York were jubilant after a surprising yet convincing victory.
