Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
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
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
York's women’s hockey 1st team did not look their usual selves, facing University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) 2nds on Wednesday in their first round of the BUSA play offs and they ended up losing 4-2.
York won their Northern Conference 3B league earning them entry into the BUSA knockout competition where they got a bye straight into the second round. UCLAN won the league below so York were confident of a good match and a favourable result. However nothing seemed to go their way on the day, losing 4-2.
York started strong and were quickly rewarded with a fantastic cross into the ‘D’ swiftly put into the back of the net by Karen Wallace with a quick touch. They then continued to put pressure on the opposition with great movement around the midfield and several good chances created by the forwards.
Despite this pressure UCLAN were next to score. They had persistently challenged York, supplying a far more evenly matched game than York had expected. The continued pressure and battling paid off for them with a fantastically executed strike from the top of the ‘D’ levelling the score 1-1.
The opposition then scored again carrying the ball right up from midfield, crossing it into the ‘D’ and getting a quick touch in to just chip it past Cassie Barker in goal, putting UCLAN ahead 2-1. York came back strong however and quickly equalised with a great strike from Jo Carter leaving the score level at 2-2 going into half time.
The second half saw much of the same with York achieving most of the possession with some great play around the middle and some nifty skills from Anne Coleman creating some real chances. However York didn’t have the rub of the green and were unable to convert any of the opportunities created.
UCLAN, on the other hand, did not seem to have the same problem. They were clearly not as skilled as the York women but were all having great games, playing well together and clearly really wanted the win. This persistence and determination paid off and they sneaked a goal around the York defence following a vast run down the right hand side of the pitch, putting UCLAN ahead 3-2.
York seemed to lose it at this point, they never stopped wanting to win but it seemed the pressure and desire to win prevented them from playing their real game. A quick run from UCLAN and a couple of defending errors gave the opposition a short corner which was unfortunately saved on the line by a York foot. This awarded UCLAN a penalty flick which was converted leaving the final score 4-2.
York were unlucky to lose the game and the score line didn’t really reflect the close match, particularly in the first half.
However, on the day York lost their heads in the second half and as a result are out of the BUSA cup. It wasn't the desired ending but was still the best season the York women's hockey team have seen for years.
You must log in to submit a comment.
