York City U18s bowed out of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night, falling 4-1 to Bradford City U18s at the LNER Community Stadium.
Tim Ryan fielded a similar side that ran out winners over Stockport Town in our last FA Youth Cup game, as Eddie Kettlewell replaced Jake Roberts in the solitary change.
Bradford City replicated that, with their lead coach Steve Nichol opting to swap out Thomas Cissa for Jacob Tighe.
The first chance of the game fell the way of the designated home side, Bradford. A nutmeg from Leeroy Gomes found Oliver Hewitt, who whipped a teasing ball into the area, but no one could get on the end of it, and City would clear.
In the eleventh minute, Oscar Lunn struck the side netting, getting onto a corner at the near post, as the Bantams continued to threaten.
The hosts kept pushing and forced Campbell White into action on multiple occasions.
Gabe Holt tested the York ‘keeper with a powerful long-range strike tipped over the bar, before Jack Ryder went close with a shot that glided narrowly wide and hit the net support.
White was called into another save to palm an angled effort over as the hosts piled on the pressure.
Soon enough, though, that pressure told in the 30th minute.
Some slick play down the right saw the ball come out to Hassan Ayub, who put the cross in, which was headed down into the path of Harry Parr, who finished calmly from close range to put the Bantams ahead.
The young Minstermen responded with their first notable effort of the game, as Sutton Greening received the ball on the edge and opted for a curler, which was ultimately well wide of the intended target.
But Bradford didn’t let the one-goal lead last long, as they went down the other end and made it two.
Holt capitalised on a loose ball at the back and took a touch before lofting it into the net from outside the box.
A golden chance for City forward Ben Farrar came next, as he managed to beat the ‘keeper to the ball, and after rounding him, he took a goalbound shot, only to be superbly denied by a man in claret.
Farrar didn’t have to wait long for redemption, however.
Pressing high, he stole the ball off Hewitt at the back and won City a penalty, after being hacked down in the box by the defender.
Greening stepped up as usual, and on this occasion, the goalkeeper made the stop, but City’s number 11 was on hand to smash home the rebound.
That’s how the first half concluded, with York pulling a goal back just before the break to halve the deficit.
Bradford looked to reassert control early in the second half, with Joel Martin taking on a couple of City players before forcing White into another solid stop.
Jake Roberts was soon introduced for the Minstermen in place of Donny Day, and he almost made an instant impact.
Latching onto a long ball, he raced through and fired straight towards Alfie Venners, who stopped it with ease.
City enjoyed a positive spell, having the better of the chances in this stage of the game.
Lucas Russell and Farrar both recorded efforts, but neither could find the equaliser, before Greg Baker headed wide at the back post from a corner in the 75th minute.
Two minutes later, Bradford were awarded a penalty.
Parr grabbed his second, slotting it into the bottom right corner, and sending the ‘keeper the wrong way.
Roberts came agonisingly close to setting up a tense finish, breaking into the box and firing inches wide of the far post, as we entered the last five minutes.
The Bantams wrapped up the tie deep into stoppage time when Parr completed his hat-trick, tapping in at the second attempt after White saved his initial effort.
Bradford City: Venners, Tighe, Gomes, Ryder, Lunn (C), Hewitt, Ayub (Cissa 59’), Goodall (Mboma 74′), Parr, Holt (Mohamed 56’), Martin.
Subs not used: Robinson, Gaitely, Paul, Ackroyd.
York City: White, Kydd, Beadle, Belleh (C), Baker, Shaw, Kettlewell (Campbell 79′), Russell, Farrar (Stiver 83′), Greening (Hewson 72′), Day (Roberts 54′).
Subs not used: Zubrickas, Binns, Newall.
Attendance: 901.
