Image by Richard King
York City U19s picked up a point away at Solihull Moors U19s in their first away game of the 2024/25 season.
After registering a 4-1 win on opening day at home to FC Halifax Town, the Minstermen failed to carry on the momentum, falling to a narrow defeat against AFC Fylde.
Wednesday’s match saw City travel south of Birmingham to take on a Solihull side that had won two of their first three games.
A good run from Ben Farrar into the box resulted in a penalty being awarded to York after 35 minutes – captain George Grumley stepped up and dispatched from the spot, marking a second goal in as many games for the centre-back.
It wasn’t long before the hosts levelled the scoring though, sending the teams into the break equal.
The second half was crammed with opportunities for both sides, but neither managed to edge ahead.
City struck the woodwork on multiple occasions, however that was the closest they came to scoring in the 45, with the game finishing all square, despite a lively half.
The next match for the U19s is on Wednesday 25th September at home to Farsley Celtic.
YORK CITY: Carr, Tweed (75′ Baker), Shirley, Grumley (C), Crooks, Tate (56′ Roberts), Shaw (60′ Mortimer), Day, Douglas (84′ Newall), Glynn, Farrar (68′ Hope)
Head of Youth Dan Wilson offered his thoughts on the draw: “It was a really interesting game. From minute one, it was clear that Solihull had worked really hard out of possession, and when we spoke to their manager, that was the case – they tried to combat how we play, which we take as a compliment now. Teams are having to actively think about how to play against York City, which is great.
“We had a lot of chances, and I think, similar to the game against Fylde the week before where we lost, if we take some of those chances, we are out of sight before the game even gets competitive and before they start scoring.”
Speaking on the result itself, Wilson admitted, “I think it was probably a fair result. In the first half, we probably edged it and were probably unlucky to get pegged back just before half time. The second half turned into a bit of a basketball game – we’ve hit the woodwork three times and missed a couple of really good chances.
“We have also probably got Harry Carr in goal to thank for not losing the game at the same time, he made four or five excellent saves.”
Expanding on the start to the season that his side have to the season so far, he said, “The reality for us is that we are focusing on processes and styles of play, not results. I think if we were trying to focus on styles of play at U19 level, the style of play would change massively. We are not, we are trying to get players in the first team, and we have got to play a certain way and match what the first team are doing.”