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Match Report: Stoke City 3-1 York City |
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By Max Benson
Three set pieces proved to be the undoing for the Minstermen who put in an encouraging performance against a near full-strength Stoke side.
After taking a shock lead through Neil Barrett’s flicked header, two immediate Potters goals followed from Rory Delap’s famous long throws.
Matthew Etherington went on to secure an unimpressive victory for the Premier League side in the second half with a superb free kick.
The game itself was delayed by half an hour with the City coach stuck in heavy weather and traffic and it is a credit to the players that it didn’t noticeably affect them against their top flight opponents.
Indeed, it felt like a game against non league rivals Histon or Kettering in the early stages with a bombardment of throw ins from Delap giving the unchanged City back line a taste of what was to come.
But it was the Minstermen who stunned the Britannia Stadium in the 22nd minute when Barrett flicked in Alex Lawless’ in swinging free kick, sending the 4,000 travelling fans into raptures behind the goal.
It was not to last.
Just a minute later, a Delap grenade from the Stoke right fell to Daniel Parslow at the back post with the City skipper only able to slice his clearance high into Michael Ingham’s net.
One became two shortly after when Delap’s throw sat up kindly for Jamaican striker Ricardo Fuller who had the simplest of chances to force past a stunned Ingham from close range.
Many would have predicted a capitulation from a Blue Square Premier side at this point but that was never the case.
Levi Mackin, who has now strung several strong performances together, hit a half chance too close to Danish international ‘keeper Thomas Sorensen five minutes from half time after a Lawless free kick was only half cleared.
The second half was always a more becalmed affair as the Potters seemed content to slow the game down with Delap’s dangerous throw-ins taking an increasingly suspicious amount of time to be taken.
Fuller headed wastefully wide from an Etherington corner moments after the break before Richard Brodie had his first genuine chance of the afternoon.
The free-scoring Geordie collected Michael Rankine’s centre but was unable to fully escape the shackles of Robert Huth, eventually shooting too close to substitute ‘keeper Steve Simonsen from the edge of the box.
The in-form front pair’s roles were reversed a few minutes later when good work from Brodie led to a Rankine shot wide from 25 yards.
The tie was put to bed just before the hour mark as Etherington’s moment of inspiration proved to be the home side's only sign of Premiership class all afternoon.
James Meredith bundled Fuller to the floor before the tricky former West Ham winger swirled his left footed free kick into a helpless Ingham’s top right hand corner.
With Parslow and Meredith understandably tiring, Ben Purkiss and Kevin Gall were introduced as former Port Vale player and manager Martin Foyle searched for a way back against his longstanding rivals.
It was nearly four for the home side half way through the second half as Fuller broke free down the right before sending a ball into the middle that the recovering Barrett did well to clear.
The comparative strength of Tony Pulis’ squad was highlighted on 73 minutes when Turkish international captain Tuncay was introduced at the expense of the anonymous James Beattie.
The former Middlesbrough forward shot high and wide ten minutes from time after wriggling free to the left of the box.
A respectable 3-1 it remained, however, and even the most pessimistic of the massed ranks of City faithful should have gone home contented.
Tuesday brings a league trip to snowy Altrincham for Foyle’s men and, after their dogged display at the Britannia, they should need little motivating with the much bigger prize of a return to the football league at stake.
Line-Ups
York City (4-4-2) – Ingham, Parslow (Purkiss 64), McGurk (Ferrell 88), Graham, Meredith (Gall 64), Lawless, Barrett, Mackin, Carruthers, Rankine, Brodie
Subs Not Used – Mimms, Gash, Pacquette, Sangare
Stoke City (4-4-2) – Sorensen (Simonsen 46), Huth, Cort, Higginbotham, Collins, Lawrence, Delap, Whitehead, Etherington, Beattie (Tuncay 73), Fuller (Sidibe 80)
Subs Not Used – Whelan, Pugh, Tonge, Wilkinson
Referee – Mike Jones (Chester)
Yellow Cards – Meredith, Graham, Mackin, Ferrell (City) Delap, Huth (Stoke)
Man of the Match – Neil Barrett
Attendance – 15,586 (approx. 4,000 City)
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Upcoming fixtures at York City FC
24th August - AFC Barrow - 7.45pm KO
28th August - Altrincham 3pm KO
4th September - Rushden & Diamonds 3pm KO
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