Photo by Adam Davy
York City were knocked out of the Isuzu FA Trophy in the Fourth Round, following a 1-0 defeat away at Gainsborough Trinity.
Declan Howe grabbed the only goal of the game, capitalising on an error and squeezing home in the second half, to send the Holy Blues through to the last 16.
The Minstermen made eight changes from league action three days earlier, as Adam Hinshelwood handed a first start to Mo Fadera while Cameron John was back in the lineup after returning from injury.
City started well, coming close twice within the opening 15 minutes. Tyrese Sinclair’s shot from the edge of the area forced Dylan Wharton to parry behind, before a slight scramble by the goal ended with David Ajiboye unsuccessfully attempting a backheel towards the target.
Rory Watson was also tested early between the York sticks, having to palm away a well-struck effort from Ashley Jackson.
Fadera had a golden chance to give us the lead shy of the half-hour mark, as Sinclair dinked a ball across the face of the goal, but the young winger agonisingly missed the tap-in on the line.
More action down the right saw Fadera get on the end of another chance, this time advancing and driving a shot narrowly wide of the far post.
He played his part in City’s next attacking move as well, pulling the ball back to Sinclair on the penalty spot, who managed to mishit his shot upwards.
The pressure from the Minstermen continued as we headed towards the break – John formed an opportunity which was desperately cleared off the line by Gainsborough.
Ashley Nathaniel-George also saw an opportunity to strike from around twenty yards out, as he released one on the turn, but it was safely into the arms of Wharton.
City could have been goals ahead at the interval had they taken their chances, but likewise, the Holy Blues could also have been heading in with the advantage, as the final action of the half saw Jordan Helliwell beat off a couple of pink shirts and fling a shot just wide of the post.
In the opening stages of the second half, 20-year-old Fadera kept on trying to make that impact in the match, but couldn’t find a breakthrough as the ‘keeper saved his effort from an angle.
Jeff King and Sinclair also had more attempts that failed to find the back of the net before an hour had passed.
However, it was the Trinity who took the lead in the 61st minute. A misplaced pass from Watson left Declan Howe with the ball at his feet, and all he had to do was dart forward and squeeze it past the York stopper at the near post to put his side ahead.
Trailing by that goal, Hinshelwood made changes almost instantly, declaring a quadruple substitution, with the likes of Ollie Pearce, Lenell John-Lewis, Joe Felix and Ricky Aguiar coming onto the pitch.
Before those switches had come into play, Ryan Fallowfield had gone so close with a free header flying inches past the upright.
That would be the last scoring opportunity that the Minstermen would get in a while though, as Javelle Clarke’s off-target strike from range was the first of a few good openings for Gainsborough.
Redeeming himself for the earlier error, Watson pulled off a fantastic fingertip save, getting down low to turn Howe’s goal-bound drive around the post.
From the resulting corner, the goalkeeper was called into action yet again, reacting brilliantly to deny Sisa Tuntulwana’s towering header.
Eventually, the ball was back in the opposite box as we entered the final 15 minutes. A header from a man in blue looped up and almost into the back of his own net, denied by the back-pedalling Wharton who clawed off the line to leave the travelling fans wondering how their side were not level.
Final chances in the game fell to John-Lewis and Pearce, but neither of them could place their headers, which meant York City would exit the Isuzu FA Trophy at the Fourth Round stage.
The Minstermen’s next match is away at Maidenhead United on Saturday 11th January (3pm kick-off) in the Vanarama National League.
GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY: Wharton, Tuntulwana, Jackson, Conway, Lancaster, Cogill ©, Butroid, Helliwell, Clarke (89’ Stacey), Howe, Preston (79’ Johnson).
UNUSED SUBS: McLoughlin, Hornshaw, Simpson.
YORK CITY: Watson, Fallowfield ©, Sinclair, Nathaniel-George (65’ Aguiar), Batty, Chadwick (65’ Felix), John (72’ O’Connor), Fadera (65’ Pearce), Fagan-Walcott, Ajiboye (65’ John-Lewis), King.
UNUSED SUBS: Male, Hunt
ATTENDANCE: 1,726
