Image by Tom Poole
The Minstermen won 2-1 away from home at Woking in the Vanarama National League this Saturday lunchtime.
Injury and illness amongst the camp meant City could only list four substitutions from the submitted 18-man squad.
Midfielder Alex Woodyard did however return from injury to start for the Minstermen, with Zanda Siziba and Callum Howe too coming back into the side.
Neither team took the opening 15 minutes, with an incredibly balanced game unfolding under hot opening proceeding conditions.
Our hosts won the first corner of the day in the 19th minute after good work down the right-flank saw a Minstermen block put in, with the following corner dealt with too.
Woking went closest to taking the lead in the 20th minute after a long ball over the top from Zak Bradshaw met the run of Padraig Amond, the strike beat the rushing Ryan Whitley but planted his shot onto the post.
City took the lead four minutes later through captain Lenell John-Lewis who struck through the ball from distance, that took a deflection from Luke Wilkinson, looping up and over the top of Will Jaaskelainen.
In a half of few real clear-cut chances, Dipo Akinyemi looked to change it as he raced through on the 31st minute to drill a shot which was beaten away by Jaaskelainen.
Akinyemi again looked on the front foot after the turn of the half, bursting down the left-hand flank this time in the 47th minute to meet the byline inside the area and cut the ball across, but it failed to meet a Minstermen body.
Woking levelled proceedings in the 58th minute through Ricky Korboa’s yard out finish after an initial save from Whitley, following a header and shot from Amond, wasn’t dealt with and allowed Korboa to prod in.
City had a flurry of chances in the 73rd minute as John-Lewis struck the crossbar with a header from yards out off a Ryan Fallowfield cross, Kouhyar was unable to convert the follow up after storming in then Dan Batty drilled a shot hard which was blocked away.
Woking then went the other end and replicated it in the 75th minute, striking the bar after Korboa cut inside down the left-hand side just out the area to hit on his right foot.
In the 84th minute, end-to-end activity could’ve swung the game in either direction after Akinyemi made good moves down the left but couldn’t carve the chance before Woking countered to send a Korboa header over.
Substitute and new incoming Aiden Marsh then controlled to turn on a long ball forward in the 87th minute, twisting onto his left and sending a shot inches wide with power.
City snatched all three points from Darren Sarll’s Woking in the 90+8th minute through right-back Ryan Fallowfield.
Akinyemi threaded through substitute Thierry Latty-Fairweather down the left-hand flank before squaring to Paddy McLaughlin whose effort crashed the bar, falling down to Fallowdield who tapped in from yards out to take all three points.
WOKING: Jaaskelainen, Moss, Casey ©, Cuthbert, Wilkinson (90+2’ Odusina), Korboa, Amond, Robinson (74’ Willmott), Kellermann, Bradshaw, Anderson (77’ Taylor).
UNUSED SUBS: Alexis Andre Jr.
YORK CITY: Whitley, Fallowfield, Crookes (65’ Latty-Fairweather), Cordner, Akinyemi, Kouhyar (78’ Marsh), John-Lewis ©, Howe, Batty, Siziba (70’ McLaughlin), Woodyard.
UNUSED SUBS: Watson.
ATTENDANCE: 2,806 (307 York City Supporters.)