Nouse.co.uk » Late NUL success for Football thirds

Late NUL success for Football thirds

November 1, 2009
Henry Cowen

Arguably the best way to watch the football thirds. Photograph by Justyn Hardcastle

UNIVERSITY OF YORK THIRDS 3
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS THIRDS 2

Saturday 31st October – Northern Universities League

In a scrappy game contested by two fairly even sides, a mistake by the Leeds goalkeeper made all the difference as York’s thirds edged past their opponents in a 3-2 victory.

The ‘keeper hadn’t inspired much confidence throughout the game but it was his inability to prevent Richard Baxter’s 20-yard drive from slipping through his fingers that allowed York to draw level with 25 minutes to go and, as a result, York gained the necessary momentum to grab a third goal, and with it seal the points. A draw would have perhaps been the fairest result with the sides matched in most departments, with the exception of the dodgy Leeds custodian and the constantly threatening pace of York’s Parris Williams.

Leeds enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges with a few early chances but generally for all their effort they lacked the necessary final ball to trouble York’s steady back four. The first real effort did fall to the visitors on twenty minutes when good work down the right ended in Leeds’ athletic left-winger getting in front of his man and nodding just past the far post.

York seemed to be spurred on by this and Richard Baxter forced a corner just after 30 minutes following good work from Williams and James Offord. Williams was a thorn in the side of the Leeds back four throughout the game, his strength belying his size and his pace always proving to be a threat.

It was his good work that led to York’s opener: after holding the ball up he teed up Jack Beadle who fired in from just past 20 yards out. The opener led to an increase in the pace of the game as Leeds attempted to grab an equaliser before the break, but it was York who should have doubled their advantage and James Offord will know perhaps he should have squared the ball to his strike partner Williams, who would have tapped in. As it was the sides went in with York one-nil up at the break.

After a good start to the second-half York fell asleep at the back and Leeds equalised only five minutes after the break. A throw-in from the left eluded the solid partnership of Matt Whelan and Liam Condron and bounced to Leeds midfielder Andy Dyne, who finished clinically from just inside the box.

Instead of York responding positively to losing their lead, their heads, much like the hot air balloon above, seemed to drop rapidly; only five minutes later more sloppy defending allowed Leeds’ number nine to beat his man at the far post and head home to give the visitors the lead.

It seemed that it would be Leeds who would leave with the victory but on 65 minutes Baxter’s elementary effort slipped through the Leeds keeper and once again the scores were level. The game was then all York with a few players pulling the trigger from far out attempting to exploit the keeper’s fallibility at long shots, and a shout for a penalty and a pass-back ignored by the largely impressive referee.

With ten minutes to go Williams grabbed the goal that his performance had deserved: having cut in from the right of the box, some nifty footwork took him past a leaden footed centre half and he fired the ball into the top corner from 10 yards out. York closed out the game comfortably and they would have been very pleased with the result.

Michael Wynd had a very solid game between the posts and the back four would have been pleased with their efforts, apart from the ten minute spell where they gifted Leeds their goals. The midfield was particularly impressive, especially Beadle and Baxter, who fought hard for every second ball but were sometimes guilty of holding on to the ball for too long instead of releasing the pace of Williams up front.

Williams, who was probably Man of the Match, linked up well with Offord alongside him and deserved to be on the winning side. Overall York would have been happy with their performance, and the win topped off a solid – if unspectacular – day at the office.