Image by Tom Poole
The Minstermen won 2-1 against Oxford City away at the RAW Charging Stadium in the Vanarama National League on a wet and blustery Tuesday evening.
Will Davies’ 90+2nd minute winner snatched all three points on the road for City after being pegged back initially in the 61st minute.
The game was eased into by both sides in the opening ten minutes, with neither side stamping their mark on the game.
Striker Dipo Akinyemi rattled the post in the 14th minute when Billy Chadwick unlocked driving space to pick out the striker down the right-hand side.
City developed to take control of the game as the half went on, containing Oxford City to very little in their attacking phases.
Multiple York City corners drew blanks as one-way traffic began to come for the remainder of the first half.
Oxford’s lone corner of the half, in the 33rd minute, resulted in an easy collection for ‘keeper George Sykes-Kenworthy.
Paddy McLaughlin drew a save from the host’s Chris Haigh between the sticks before an Oxford City body blocked out Chadwick’s 35th minute effort.
The upright was again rattled by York in 39th minute as Burgess’ shot was met by the Oxford defender, who blocked the strike onto the post and out for a corner.
An opener was eventually notched just before the half time whistle as Akinyemi swept in the opener from a handful of yards out following Chadwick’s parried effort.
The hosts responded well in the second half, putting City on the back foot and testing the Minstermen defensive uni.
Josh Parker met a well-hit cross at the front post in the 51st minute, steering just wide of Sykes-Kenworthy’s sticks.
Oxford’s up-tick in performance earned a deserved equaliser in the 61st minute as Aaron Williams-Bushell stormed into the area to latch onto a pinpoint setup.
A flurry of corners and crosses were played by the Minstermen, with difficulties in converting the chances presented as the half became tense.
Ryan Fallowfield, out of nowhere, rocked the crossbar from the halfway line in the 73rd minute before Callum Howe nodded a re-bound over.
The game looked to draw to a close as end-to-end flashes failed to produce for both sides until the 92nd minute when Will Davies hammered in to snatch three points on the road.
OXFORD CITY: Haigh, Burley, Kirby, Rody, Fleet ©, Roberts, Parker, Williams-Bushell, Carroll, Humphrey-Ewens (71’ Ashby), Fisher (46’ McEachran).
UNUSED SUBS: Toure, Fonkeu, Croker.
YORK CITY: Sykes-Kenworthy, Fallowfield ©, Crookes, Duckworth (73’ Kennedy), McLaughlin, Akinyemi (64’ Davies), Howe, Chadwick (78’ John-Lewis), Burgess, Woodyard, Smith.
UNUSED SUBS: Cordner, Barnes.
ATTENDANCE: 641 (266 York City supporters)