Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
Andy Pakes previews this Sunday afternoon clash in the first edition of Game of the Week for 2012
Dave Hughes tells us about his sporting hero, Wes Morgan
The game proved to be somewhat of a culture shock for York after their free scoring antics in recent league matches, but the fact that they didn’t concede was undoubtedly the most pleasing aspect of their performance. After seemingly adopting a ‘we’re just going to score one more goal than you’ approach in recent games, to see York defend with both strength and skill was somewhat invigorating for fans, and it showed that there is a much sterner side to City which could be so valuable come the end of the season.
For me, the stand out performance in the match came from York midfielder Scott Kerr. Every time I watch him play I always think just how comfortable he is in possession of the ball, but yesterday he looked like a player of different class. When Wrexham broke from midfield, Kerr was superb in either breaking up their attacking play or at the very least stopping the break from advancing further and forcing the opposition to play either backwards or wide to keep the ball. In addition to his defensive play, Kerr’s positioning when sat in the holding midfield role is second to none, and the amount of times he is able to make himself available for the ball in order for York to stay in possession just shows that he plays with his head as well as his feet.
Another positive York performance came from goalkeeper Michael Ingham. Despite seeming to be a fans’ favourite, I am yet to be totally convinced by Ingham’s ability in goal, but yesterday he undoubtedly kept York in the game with a series of fine saves. He also controlled his area impeccably and nullified Wrexham’s threat from set pieces with some good catches and clearing punches. A clean sheet was fully deserved yesterday and hopefully Ingham can now carry the confidence that he gained from his display into future games.
The one disappointing aspect to York’s play yesterday was what they did in the final third. Forward Jason Walker was starved of service in the first half and seemed to be dropping deeper and deeper in order to pick the ball up. The problem when Walker drops deep in the 4-5-1 system that York play with is that nobody then holds the line, and on occasions where they did manage to put good balls into the box there was nobody to latch onto them. It would be interesting to see how Walker plays with a strike partner, and perhaps in games where York are looking to pick up all three points it would be worth operating both Walker and Jamie Reed up front to offer variation and a slightly different edge.
All in all however, I’m pretty sure that most City fans would have taken a point before the game kicked off, and it was most definitely a case of nothing gained but nothing lost. They remain in the play-offs for now and will hope to push even further up the league as we get closer to Christmas. They have the talent, they have the potential, and all they need now is the points.
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