York City U19s came away from the training ground with a win and a clean sheet against Altrincham on Wednesday afternoon.
Three changes were made from the last game, with Michael Kydd, Lewis Beadle, and Adam Tweed all returning to the starting line-up.
The visitors had the first chance in the sixth minute, a looping effort from outside the box drifting over the bar.
City enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening stages but were limited to half-chances, the best of which saw Ethan Stiver fire high.
From a free-kick, Beadle opted for a low effort, but the goalkeeper read it well and made a comfortable stop.
With strong winds playing a part in the game, Alty tried to take advantage and catch Cam White off his line from a long way out, but it was caught without problem.
Sutton Greening’s whipped set-piece in the 26th minute found Elvis Hall, who stretched to meet it but diverted his effort over the bar from close range.
The Alty ‘keeper was called into action soon after when Greening threaded Tom Hewson through, his strike well blocked by the stopper.
That proved to be Greening’s final involvement, as he was forced off through injury and replaced by Jake Roberts.
Roberts made an immediate impact, scoring with his first touch to give City the lead.
A lovely move from City involved some one-touch passing, before Lucas Russell sent the ball through for the substitute to latch onto and slot into the bottom corner.
The Robins’ attempt to equalise before the break came in the form of a tame low effort from the edge of the box, which was held by White.
City came closest to adding a second before half-time, with a couple of efforts blocked inside the area.
The visitors had a similar opportunity early in the second half, with two quick attempts denied by resolute defending.
In the 68th minute, Altrincham struck the post as York continued to withstand the pressure.
The wind remained in the visitors’ favour, but they were unable to make it count, sending efforts both high and wide.
City’s best chance to extend the lead came when Ben Farrar went one-on-one with the ‘keeper. After being brought down, he quickly regained his footing to get a shot away, only to see it cleared off the line by a defender.
There was late chaos in stoppage time following a sliding challenge from Beadle. The City defender was struck in the face by the Altrincham forward, resulting in a straight red card for the visitor.
York saw out the remainder of the game to secure a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Roberts’ decisive strike and a resilient defensive display.
York City: White, Kydd, Beadle, Belleh (C), Hall, Stiver, Tweed (Kettlewell 60′), Russell, Hewson (Farrar 55′), Greening (Roberts 36′), Binns.
Subs not used: Campbell-Baldwin, Newall.
