Football 2nds' successful season start

Written by Mark Worrall

If the university football 1st team represents the pinnacle of campus sport, then one could say that the 2nd XI should be held in almost equal esteem. However in recent years, the team has suffered from inconsistency and a lack of depth creating a vacuum of true talent. Injuries and other commitments have a knock on effect through the football club and invariably the 2nds find that the butter just won’t spread to all four corners of their bread.

The feeling is different this year. Buoyed by an impressive 4-2 away victory at Teesside 3rds on Wednesday to start their BUCS campaign, and a strong core of experienced players, York went into Saturdays match against Leeds 2nds in a confident mood. Led into battle by captain Alex Richards, York were aware of the stern task ahead and it took them over ten minutes to settle down and start moving the ball around effectively.

The early pace was frantic at times, but York survived the opening exchanges without giving Leeds any clear cut chances, in fact, 25 yard pot shots were all Leeds feasted on throughout the first half as York took a stranglehold. Linking midfield to attack, the silky skills of Johnson began to prise apart the Leeds defence creating numerous half chances for himself and the tireless Cooper and fresher Ben Smith in attack.

After twenty-five minutes Richards earned his first brownie point as captain, encouraging the team to press onto Leeds more aggressively and swapping Molyneux for the injured Remington. This brought some much needed composure to the centre of the park, though unfortunately not in front of goal as York failed to really test the Leeds keeper before the half time whistle. York went into half time pleased to have outfought an impressive Leeds outfit and extremely keen to press on for a result which would see them notch up a 100% winning record.

York started the second half much the same as they left off the first, battling extremely hard and controlling the match through the middle of the park with ample width offered by newcomer Barnett and veteran Edwards. Leeds were beginning to run out of ideas up against the strength of York’s back three, led by the impressive Amiry in his first game back, and York began to sense that the match was theirs for the taking.

Cometh the hour, and cometh the diminutive Edwards, whose jinking run opened up a shooting opportunity 20 yards from goal. Seizing the moment he duly looped the ball over the Leeds keeper and into the top corner to give York a very impressive opener and a much deserved lead, even if the goal may have been an attempted cross. If York were thankful for that, they were even happier when defender Grayland made his way up for a corner four minutes later and scored his second goal in as many games – volleying home after displaying good strength and composure to win the ball.

Far from galvanising York, the two goal cushion seemed to surprise them, and allowed Leeds to gain a foothold in the match, pushing the York defence further and further back. Luckily for York, Leeds were as short on ideas in the final third as Louis Walsh is on new things to say every week. Long ball after long ball ran through to the solid Clitheroe in goal as Leeds ran out of ideas. It wasn’t until the last fifteen minutes when Leeds actually began to trouble the York backline, a dangerous cross finding the Leeds captain five yards from goal, where he controlled the ball and then inexplicably shot wide. A similar passage of play brought about the Leeds goal, a long ball finally finding their winger and the cross giving the striker an all too easy task to finish from three yards.

However York were determined not to throw the game away, and a last ditch tackle from Worrall saving a certain equaliser in added time summed up the commitment shown throughout the match. As the man in grey blew the whistle, York tasted victory against their close rivals for the second season running. Captain Richards was quick to identify where the match was won and lost: “The key was the attitude and the desire. Facing much tougher opponents than on Wednesday we lifted our game and every player gave 100% for the full ninety minutes. We’ve made a very promising start with 6 points from 6 but it counts for nothing unless we keep our heads screwed on and maintain the same positive attitude going into every game.”

Whisper it quietly, but the 2nd XI can hear something, a faint rumble of what they feel they deserve and are now ready to take. For too long the high standard of football played at York has been solely represented by the 1st team players and their success. If the 2nds can keep this level of performance up throughout the year, it may finally be them who fulfil their potential.

Team: Clitheroe, Grayland, Amiry, Worrall, Edwards, Richards, Johnson, Barnett, Remington (Molyneux 25), Smith, Cooper

Scorers: Edwards, Grayland

The other matches versus Leeds on Saturday were as follows:

• UoY 1sts 0 - 0 UoL 1sts

• UoY 3rds 1 - 5 UoL 2nds

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