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York opened the scoring on fifteen minutes when winger Ashley Chambers cut in from the right and fired a low shot into the bottom left corner of the Braintree goal. The lead was doubled on the half hour mark when Patrick McLaughlin volleyed in from the edge of the area, and a tap in from centre-back Jamal Fyfield made it three. A second from McLaughlin gave York a four goal advantage before Braintree scraped one back from a tap in just before the break.
Braintree’s first goal proved to make York falter a little bit at the start of the second half, and when the visitors scored their second on 62 minutes there was a faint chance of a comeback. However, that idea was put to bed ten minutes later when a neat turn and pinpoint pass from forward Jason Walker freed Matty Blair down the right hand side, and the winger was hauled down in the box. Walker slotted home the resulting penalty to make it 5-2, and the rout was completed five minutes before the end when substitute Adriano Moke cut inside from the left and curled an unstoppable shot into the top left corner.
What impressed me most about the York performance was the manner in which they played. Braintree could have been more aptly named as “Braun-tree” for their footballing philosophy, and it seemed as though part of the criteria for making it into their squad was being over six feet three. However, York seemed determined to play round their extremely physical opponents and did so with a great deal of skill and style.
Both central midfielders, McLaughlin and Scott Kerr, were extremely impressive and pulled the strings with impeccable talent. It seemed like a deliberate plan from Gary Mills’ men to push the ball wide and stretch the play, and it definitely paid dividends. Both York full backs provided excellent support to Chambers and Blair on the wings, and they gave the Braintree defenders a torrid time all afternoon. However, York’s stand out player for me was top scorer Walker, because he repeatedly dropped off the front line into the space between the Braintree defence and midfield in the way that Wayne Rooney does for Manchester United and England. This forced one of the Braintree centre backs to go with him, which created gaps for the other York forwards to run into.
On a personal note, it was my first trip to Bootham Crescent, and after today’s performance I will definitely be returning. It was nice to experience football away from the world of fully seated stadiums and Sky Sports channels. The experience was raw and authentic, almost refreshing in a way, especially as York actually played better football than a lot of clubs I have seen in the Football League.
With a student ticket costing just £10, it doesn’t break the bank to get down and watch York City either, and it would be something that I would definitely recommend to any student who finds themselves at a loose end on a Saturday afternoon.
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