By Alex Finnis
A determined York 3rd XI were unfortunate to go down 3-1 to Teesside’s 4th team on a freezing November afternoon on 22 acres, despite having the majority of both the territory and the possession, as the speed of Teesside’s breaks repeatedly caught them off guard.
York controlled the game from the start, playing the ball neatly along the floor and forcing their opponents back into their own half, but their lack of cutting edge in the final third meant that all this domination and pressure was rendered irrelevant when the final whistle blew.
Ten minutes into the first half Teesside struck with the first of their three sucker punches, as a rapid break down the right ended with the ball being bundled past a helpless Toby Owen into the back of the net.
York had chances to get back into the game; captain Angus O’Brien rounded the Teeside goalkeeper before having his shot blocked from a tight angle and Gio Pilides forced a full-stretched fingertip save from his long range effort following some great skill from Josh Brownlow to create the space, but then Teesside hit the home side on the counter again. Toby Owen had already pulled off one impressive low save minutes before, but he was unable to prevent the second goal as Teesside broke with pace down the left wing this time, catching York short at the back and enabling a simple ball to be put low into the area and slammed home to widen the gap to 2-0.
The second goal seemed to deflate York and the game began to even out as the first-half drew to a close, but they came out with a renewed determination after the break and finally found a way through the Teesside defence. Striker James Offord carried the ball well down the right flank before putting a pin-point cross into the feet of an onrushing Angus O’Brien who tapped in simply from a few yards out.
York continued their good start to the half with a prolonged period of pressure, dominating possession, but once again they lacked that all-important killer instinct. Several of the half’s more penetrative moments came from substitute Will Taylor, who on one occasion tricked his way past two defenders before being denied by the goalkeeper from an angle, and also provided a delightful cross from which Nick St. George couldn’t quite get his shot past the resolute Teesside defence.
York’s best opportunity to equalise came from a set-piece though: Luke Inness pumped a free-kick long into the area and found Josh Brownlow, who fired a tricky volley just over the crossbar from no more than four yards out. Just as it seemed as if the home side may be able to finally find a late equaliser though, Teesside once again struck on the counter, scoring from close range and killing the game off at 3-1 in the process.
York can consider themselves unlucky to have conceded three goals against the run of play. However they must also reflect on the obvious lack of a cutting edge which would almost certainly have allowed them to convert their overall dominance into that all-important win, and the vital three points they so needed to climb the table.