York City stun Crewe to reach FA Cup Second Round
YORK CITY 3
CREWE ALEXANDRA 2
FA Cup First Round – Saturday 7th November
Blue Square Premier York City stunned League Two Crewe Alexandra on Saturday afternoon, surging back from 2-1 down with just five minutes remaining to earn their place in tomorrow’s FA Cup second round draw. Richard Brodie’s dramatic late goal, his second of a pulsating cup tie at KitKat Crescent, sealed York’s progress.
Collecting a loose ball in central midfield, Brodie ignored options left and right to race through a nervous Crewe defence and lash the ball past Steve Phillips, settling a game which had embodied everything good about the world’s oldest cup competition. Brodie, an England ‘C’ international, was outstanding throughout and had earlier levelled the game for York at 1-1 on 39 minutes with a superb header from Adam Smith’s inch-perfect right-wing cross.
Crewe, under the temporary stewardship of Dario Gradi, had twice been in front, firstly though Joel Grant’s well-taken goal on 33 minutes and again courtesy of Calvin Zola’s header two minutes after Brodie had equalised. Richard Pacquette, just introduced as a second-half substitute, brought the game to 2-2 with a low drive on 86 minutes before Brodie’s decisive intervention.
The Minstermen, who currently lie seventh in the Conference, four points of the play-off positions, were good value for their victory having shown plenty of ambition and artistry, to the delight of the majority of the 3,000-strong crowd.
Manager Martin Foyle maintained the prolific strike partnership of Brodie and Michael Rankine for the sixth successive fixture and both were outstanding. Rankine used every ounce of strength when receiving service form the midfield and tormented the visiting defence for the full 90 minutes. Brodie, similarly bullish and elusive, created similar problems, allowing York to convert the creativity of Adam Smith and Alex Lawless into chances.
In just the fourth minute, Brodie was hauled down by Patrick Ada while bearing down on goal, only for referee G. Sutton to penalise the striker. Seconds later and Zola had an excellent opportunity at the other end following neat inter-play from Danny Shelley and James Bailey but the 6’ 3” forward, already on 13 goals for the season, somehow blazed over.
Zola’s low effort was clutched by Michael Ingham in the York goal on the quarter-hour, but most of the play was in the Crewe defensive third. The creativity of the home midfield, particularly Lawless, caused endless complications for the Railwaymen, with the ball regularly fed into both Brodie’s feet and onto Rankine’s head. The aerial awareness of the latter was proving a tremendous asset, but his team-mates seemed incapable of reading his flick-ons.
Rankine was dragged down by Mat Mitchel-King in the penalty area but, despite loud appeals from the David Longhurst terrace, the referee awarded a goal kick to Crewe. When Grant opened the scoring, it was against the run of play, but Crewe were gaining a foothold and the same player scuffed a shot wide of Ingham’s goal shortly afterwards.
York demonstrated character, though, to equalise through Brodie’s header – the striker strained every one of his neck muscles to guide the ball home after first-class build-up from Smith on the flank. But the delirium was short-lived, Zola rising highest at the far post to nod home Grant’s ball in.
Seeking to score a match-killing third goal, Crewe were lively in the opening ten minutes of the second period, fashioning a handful of half-chances, but were toothless thereafter as York retained control. Rankine saw a goal disallowed for offside after Phillips parried a testing shot from Lawless into his path, but this only whipped up the atmosphere further.
Left alone in the penalty area, Zola uncharacteristically spurned a golden opening on 65 minutes, heading over to the great relief of a York defence caught napping. Turning the screw with a succession of corners and free-kicks, the Minstermen gradually eroded Crewe’s confidence and Pacquette’s equaliser came with an air of inevitability.
From the restart, Brodie immediately stole possession and what followed next will be fondly remembered at Bootham Crescent for many years. His wonderstrike, many fans hope, will set up a Yorkshire derby with Leeds United in the next round after they beat Oldham Athletic 2-0 at Boundary Park today.
York City: Michael Ingham, Ben Purkiss, James Meredith (Richard Pacquette 83), David McGurk, Daniel Parslow, Adam Smith (Luke Graham 86), Alex Lawless, Neil Barrett, Chris Carruthers (Craig Nelthorpe 75), Michael Rankine, Richard Brodie
Crewe Alexandra: Steve Phillips, John Brayford, Patrick Ada, Mat Mitchel-King, Ashley Westwood, Danny Shelley, James Bailey (Chris Clements 90+2), Simon Walton, Joel Grant (Luke Murphy 90+2), Byron Moore, Calvin Zola (Clayton Donaldson 90+1)
Attendance: 3,070
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