Blue
Square Premier - 17th November 2007
At KitKat Crescent - Att 2,303
Report
The expected personnel changes didn't amount to much, with only
one difference in the starting line-up from last week, but the
end result was much the same. Where the differences did appear
was in formation with City initially lining up in a 4-2-3-1
before reverting to 4-4-2 and ending up as a 3-4-3, but it could
have been a dodecahedron for all the end result mattered. By
contrast, Salisbury were organised and composed and, consequently,
came away with the points.
The 4-2-3-1 manifested itself with Manny
Panther and Stuart
Elliott sitting in front of the back four with Martyn
Woolford, Nicky Wroe
and Paul Brayson
playing between them and Craig
Farrell. However, it was Salisbury who got off to a flyer
with a goal in the fourth minute as City adjusted to their new
system. Darren Kelly led with a forearm in challenging for an
aerial ball with Andy Sandell, who caused problems all day with
his movement and heading ability. From centre field and over
25 yards out, the free-kick looked tame. It never really got
off the ground, but somehow found a way through the wall and
into Tom Evans' bottom
right corner.
City were struggling to get a foothold in the game and it was
another Salisbury free-kick that came closest to registering
another goal. This time it was Darren
Craddock who went sliding in on Ian Herring, but from the
edge of the box, the free-kick this time found Evans waiting.
City's first real opportunity came from a free-kick of their
own. Matt Robinson was booked for going in studs up and the
keeper Ryan Clarke came for Woolford's cross and missed, but
his alert defence was back to cover and scramble the danger
away. This finally sparked City into life. Herring was booked
for pulling back Farrell utterly needlessly - the City man wasn't
going anywhere. Clarke was out quickly to deny Brayson a clear
chance as he and Woolford pulled all the strings. The pressure
ultimately paid in the 34th minute with City's third corner
in quick succession. Wroe's ball in found Brayson unmarked at
the back post and he made no mistake from point-blank range
to level matters. With City now operating a 4-4-2, Brayson and
Woolford combined once again with a blend of good touch and
superb pace to engineer another chance. Woolford's through ball
put Brayson away and continued his run to get up in support.
Brayson squared it back inside, but Woolford couldn't work Clarke
in the Salisbury goal, so it remained 1-1 at the break.
In an attempt to stem a growing red tide, Salisbury rang the
changes at the at half-time. Craig Richards replaced Scott Bartlett
at right-back, while Marvin Brown replaced Matt Tubbs who was
carrying a knock from the England National Game XI match in
Finland midweek, but it was City who started the brighter. Farrell
had two glorious chances that on another day he'd surely have
buried. Brayson set him clear for the first and Clarke came
out to cover well just moments before blazing over from eight
yards when he seemed to have more time than he realised. Suddenly,
the pace was electric as the game flowed from end to end. Sandell
headed straight at Evans before he had a free-kick which Evans
saved comfortably. City broke and Wroe set up Farrell for another
chance which Clarke denied once again. With ten minutes of the
half played, Salisbury restored their advantage. Matt Robinson
had two shots blocked, but the ball seemed magnetically attracted
to him as it came back a third time. This time, it found it's
way through the mel?on the edge of the box and Evans parried.
Unfortunately, it went straight to Wayne Turk who lifted it
into the roof of the net to the delight of the hardy 104 away
supporters behind the goal.
The response from Billy
McEwan was to bring on Onome
Sodje in place of Elliott with Farrell dropping into midfield
and the move immediately began to pay dividends. Sodje combined
with Panther to set up Woolford, but the shot went way over.
After Sodje had forced a corner, City broke Salisbury down the
left hand side, but this time Woolford shot straight at Clarke,
who was enjoying a fine afternoon. When Wroe fired wide after
Mark Robinson's square ball, Salisbury broke and sealed the
game from a corner. Substitute Brown nipped in at the near-post
unattended to get in front of the defence and make it 3-1 with
15 minutes left for play. This time, the response was to get
Richard Brodie on in place of Kelly and a switch to 3-4-3. There
may have been a glimmer of hope when the fourth official indicated
5 minutes of stoppage time and City managed to carve out three
chances. Brayson seemed to trip over the ball when one-on-one
with Clarke. Farrell had an effort scrambled off the line and
Brayson another shot tipped over, but it was all too little
too late.
Another afternoon of disappointment then. All credit to Salisbury.
Having only won one away game all season and on a run of no
wins in nine attempts, they could have been forgiven for coming
to the Crescent with an air of despondency, but nothing could
have been further from the truth. They denied City too many
clear-cut opportunities and were a tough unit to break down.
The players most likely to do that were Martyn Woolford and
Paul Brayson - two genuinely quick players who caused problems
all the time when allowed to run at the defence - while on another
day, Craig Farrell could have had four or five. That he didn't
was largely down to Ryan Clarke in the Salisbury goal. A win
would have put City comfortable in mid-table. Now it's a case
of wondering whose hot breath can be felt on the neck.
Ref: Michael Naylor (South Yorkshire)
The Teams
York City: Evans, Craddock (Greenwood 52),
McGurk, Kelly (Brodie 84), Robinson; Elliott (Sodje 62), Panther;
Brayson, Wroe, Woolford; Farrell
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