Two goals forward, three goals back

• York 1sts 2
• Central Lancashire 1sts 3

Goalkeeping mistakes saw York 1sts defeated 3-2 by Central Lancashire 1sts to make it four games without a win.

An injury-time winner by Central Lancashire meant that York were on the losing side, despite having acquired a 2-0 lead through strikers Mark Gouland and Ed Murrills.

With regular starters Henry Smith, Alistair Laird and Eddie Silson unavailable, captain Dom O'Shea decided to change to a 3-5-2 formation. O'Shea himself was on the bench, having decided to give the foot injury which had been plaguing him since the start of the season an opportunity to heal. He was joined on the bench by Kit Edwards, who recieved his first call-up to the 1sts squad.

The referee for the match was 79-year-old Laurence A. Cussons, who had been refereeing for 57 years. In the 1960s he had often taken charge of matches involving the great sides of Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham, while the shrill of his whistle had in the past made footballing greats such as George Best fall silent.

The game kicked off at a frenetic pace, with opportunities for both sides within the first 10 minutes. Good play by York found Murrills one-on-one with the Lancashire goalkeeper after four minutes, but the keeper managed to get down and make the save. Within a minute, Lancashire themselves had a shot cleared off the line, while a Gouland shot on six minutes flew just wide of the post.

The deadlock was broken just minutes later, and it was York who took the lead. Quick thinking by Witherwick saw a free-kick passed swiftly to the onrushing wing-back Evans, who took a great touch and worked his way to the right byline. A cross into the centre found Gouland waiting by the penalty spot, and he placed the ball to the right of the keeper and into the net.

Both sides continued to create chances, although it was York who had the better of the opportunities. On 29 minutes, they took one to score their second goal of the game. Once again O'Shea's choice of formation seemed to be spot on, as a long throw-in by wing-back Alex Cooper reached Murrills in the penalty area, who calmly put it away to double York's lead.

An injury to Ramsden on 30 minutes saw the experience of the referee shine through, as one of Mr Cussons' polo mints soon had the York player back up on his feet and determined to protect York's two-goal advantage.

However, as England found out against Croatia last October, the adoption of a 3-5-2 formation seems for some reason to encourage something: goalkeeping mistakes. That, coupled with the fact that York 1sts had conceded 19 goals in their seven games so far this season, meant that it was always likely that York would concede. And concede they did. On 32 minutes, a cross-shot from the right forced York keeper Emmerson to parry the ball. But unfortunately for York he failed to parry it far enough, and it fell to a Lancashire player, who gratefully banged it into the corner of the net to halve the deficit.

The goal seemed to suddenly ignite the Lancashire team, while York seemed stunned. The remainder of the first half saw Lancashire put significant pressure on the York goal, although York performed well to maintain their lead going into the break.

The start of the second half lacked the frenetic pace of the first half, with neither team really dominating the game. Seeing this, captain O'Shea decided to enter the field of play after 58 minutes to replace goalscorer Murrills, and a minute later debutant Kit Edwards was brought on for Evans.

The effect of the substitutes was almost immediate, as O'Shea's cross found Gouland, whose shot was cleared off the line by the Lancashire defence. York also had two strong penalty claims turned down by the referee, who was having a blinder, but not the kind that York were wanting.

The lack of vision of the referee soon came back to haunt York, as on 73 minutes Lancashire got the equaliser. A header from a corner was too powerful for Emmerson, who could only palm it into the net.

Five minutes later, York had a corner of their own. In the ensuing goalmouth scramble, they shot at goal three times, but all three were either saved or blocked by the Lancashire goalkeeper and his defence.

The last 10 minutes was end-to-end, as both teams pushed for the win. The winning goal arrived in injury time, and it was Lancashire who got it. A strike from 20 yards bounced in front of keeper Emmerson and through his legs to give Lancashire an embarassing and frustrating winner.

After the match, captain O'Shea said: "I think after the first goal we just relaxed having gone two nil up, so we sat back and let them get back into the game. Perhaps Andy [Emmerson] might put his hands up and say he could have done better. And then once they got a sniff they came at us a bit stronger, and we sat back more and more. But we still created a few chances, which was encouraging, but you know we’ve got to learn to kill games off. But it was a much more spirited performance than Wednesday [a 3-1 defeat to Leeds 2nds], when we weren’t really at the races for about an hour."

With regards to Central Lancashire's injury-time winner, O'Shea added: "We had it [conceding late] against Durham, and again today. Like I said, we have to learn to put games to bed when we go ahead. Again I think Emmo would probably put his hands up, and it was a pretty basic goalkeeping error. I think he knows it, but we’ll see how he comes back from it. That’ll be a good test of his character. But he was very disappointed in the changing room. But we win as a team and lose as a team, so we all make mistakes. It just happens that when you’re in goal it shows a bit more, but it’s not the end of the world."

The Yorker managed to catch hold of former UYAFC President Simon Oatridge, who gave his analysis of the match: "It was a good performance by the lads. First half was brilliant, particularly 3-5-2 worked very well in the last third. Two great goals, mostly created by the wing-backs, scored by the strikers, and captain O’Shea’s personnel selection and formation was vindicated really. Sadly, a sloppy goal before half-time changed the shape of the game. We began to lose it slightly in midfield perhaps, although Brummie Matt was outstanding. And sadly, it’s goalkeeping mistakes and just a bit of sloppiness, and the lads are dejected. But they’ve got a lot to be proud of, but sadly it’s just not the result they wanted."

Despite the defeat, UYAFC fan Phil Garlick remained upbeat: "I think York gave good commitment, but unfortunately we lost the game. However, there are a few good points in the team, and hopefully we can build on that for later success in the season."

York 1st XI (3-5-2): Emmerson, Gardner, McWilliams (capt), Rixon, Evans (Edwards 59), Cooper, Wilson, Witherwick, Ramsden, Murrills (O'Shea 58), Gouland.

Goals: Gouland 8, Murrills 29

Man of the Match: Matt Witherwick

Referee: Laurence A. Cussons

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