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
It was an uphill struggle for York before the game even began. They had lost two players through injury even before travelling, and attacker Ed Jones had to withdraw from the squad barely minutes before the game after injuring his ankle in the warm-up. Things then only got worse for York, going 1-0 down in the first three minutes. It got even more difficult when Leeds scored a second goal soon after. Attacker Richard Ramsbottom gave York hope when he managed to score before the end of the first quarter.
York looked to try and increase the pressure on Leeds Met with some well-executed attacking plays to find a way back into the game before half time. However, Leeds Met proved a resilient side who were difficult to break down, and they capitalised on any errors that York made. The experience of the opposition seemed to be the deciding factor between the two teams. While the majority of the York men's team have only been playing for a year, Leeds Met on the other hand boasted four club players and one former England International.
Although Boaz Eli Eli, men's 1sts' captain, was disappointed in defeat, he had many positives to take away from Leeds. York were already able to utilise some of their talented intake of freshers into the club this year, with three new players travelling in the squad, two of them managing to find themselves playing their first game for York Lacrosse. It seems that the York men's goalie crisis has subsided with fresher Ben Richards using his experience as a hockey goalie and producing some excellent saves under constant pressure from the Leeds Met attackers. He made such an impact on his debut that he was voted man of the match by the opposition. Likewise, Luke Shilling, having only started playing lacrosse this term, was handed his debut in attack and wasn't deterred when facing defenders who had been playing lacrosse for years rather than weeks.
The York men's lacrosse team knew this season would be tough given the loss of many talented players from last year. However, every week this young team seem to gain more experience and a better understanding of one another.They hope to get their home fixtures this season off to a winning start against Durham on 14 November.
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