Football 1sts review of the season

After only just gaining promotion from BUSA 4B the previous year and an exodus of experienced players, many predicted a season of struggle for the football first team. However, the end result was a phenomenal campaign that included another promotion as champions and a run to the quarter-finals of BUSA knockout; the only aberration being a controversial defeat to Lancaster at Roses.

Hopes were raised after an opening day BUSA victory at Northumbria 2nds, but any optimism was rapidly extinguished by a 6-0 reverse away to Leeds 1sts in NUL. The team did show impressive character four days later in recovering to go top of BUSA 3B with a gritty 2-1 win against TASC.

Despite playing attractive football, York threw away the lead in three of the next four games, winning none of them. A crucial 3-0 triumph at home to Durham 2nds, including goals from defenders Andy Rixon and Shaun Evans, proved to be the catalyst for an amazing run of results.

A tremendous 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions propelled the team to the top of BUSA 3B, a position they never relinquished. Promotion was secured (or so they thought) with a 2-1 victory over nearest rivals Leeds 2nds in front of a sizeable home crowd.

Two set-pieces – a major source of goals throughout the season – proved to be the undoing of their Yorkshire rivals, and the win allowed for a comfortable final-day win at Durham 2nds. Attentions then turned to the BUSA knockout competition and NUL. The White Rose progressed to the quarter-finals of the former with successive home wins over Stirling 2nds and 3rds, whilst defeats of Bradford and Hull 1sts secured a mid-table finish in NUL.

The run of 9 consecutive wins ended in cruel fashion as UCLAN 1sts eliminated the team from BUSA knockout. Having led through a Dom O’Shea header, a goal in the last minute of extra-time handed the opposition a 2-1 victory in an enthralling game. The misery of the loss was compounded soon after when BUSA forced the team into a promotion play-off away to Newcastle 1sts.

Refusing to feel sorry for themselves, York took an early lead only to be pegged back in a dramatic second-half. Had the legendary Chris Kamara been in attendance, cries of “unbelievable Jeff!” would have reverberated around the ground as Murrills notched a dramatic late winner to finally confirm promotion.

After a 1-0 win over Lancaster in the indoor fixture, marred by a serious injury to Tom Wilson, York entered the Roses grudge match in confident mood. With the game poised at 1-1, York were by far the dominant team until goalkeeper Emmerson was controversially sent off ten minutes before half-time. Lancaster capitalised on their numerical advantage to hit three second-half goals and secure a fortuitous 4-1 win. Though undoubtedly feeling aggrieved, the match did not diminish what had been an amazing season.

The find of the season came in the form of Alex Cooper, who filled the troublesome left-back vacant after a serious injury to Ian McKellow. After a starting the season as an orthodox full-back, the switch to a 3-5-2 formation provided Cooper with extra license to trouble opposition defences with his marauding, energetic runs from wing-back. An ever present throughout the campaign, he deservedly picked up the player of the season award.

Two players who did not make a single first-team appearance between them the previous season also proved integral to the team’s success. Andy Emmerson solved the goalkeeping problems of the previous year, appearing in all but one match and recovering from some early mistakes to have an outstanding season. After a quiet first term, midfielder Tom Wilson was in superb form creatively until injury ruined his chance to display his incisive passing and telling throughballs at Roses.

Consistent team-selection fashioned a strong defence which conceded just 11 goals in the final 15 games. This sequence included 6 instances in which they shutout the opposition completely, with the team conceding more than 1 goal on just two occasions. They were protected by combative midfielders Andy Ramsden and Greg Gardner, with both taking turns to partner captain-elect Mat Witherwick in the middle of the park.

Normally a winger, the mercurial Henry Smith demonstrated great versatility by filling the right wing-back role with some aplomb.

After topping the goalscoring charts in 2006/2007, captain Dom O’Shea operated in a different, but equally effective, role. Playing all of the previous season as the archetypal centre forward, O’Shea gave way to Mark Gouland (15 goals) as leading goalscorer but his supreme technical ability and strength were effectively utilised from a deeper-lying position.

Both were ably supported by Ed Murrills, making the step up from the second team. Murrills weighed in with a number of vital goals, including the winner in the promotion play-off, and the team did not lose in any of the matches in which he was on the scoresheet.

The last four seasons represent a case of two steps back, two steps forward for the football first team; the back-to-back relegations to BUSA 4B have now been cancelled-out in impressive fashion. York’s previous spell in BUSA 2B yielded just one point from a possible thirty.

A repeat of such a disastrous campaign is unlikely, but new captain Mat Witherwick must surely realise the enormous challenge facing the squad. However, if he can sustain the momentum generated by outgoing skipper Dom O’Shea, a third consecutive season of achievement may be on the horizon for the White Rose.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.