Image by Matthew Appleby
York City U19s continued their start to the 2024/25 season with a second successive draw, against league leaders Farsley Celtic.
The Minstermen started the game in the best possible way, taking the lead after 135 seconds through Ben Farrar.
An excellent first-time cross from MacKenzie Crooks on the left picked out Ben Tate at the back post, who nodded it back across goal to set up Farrar with a header he couldn’t possibly miss.
Just a minute later, the City forward burst forward down the right-hand side and came close to doubling his tallying, but a tame close-range effort wasn’t enough to trouble the ‘keeper.
The entertaining start to this game continued, with an immediate chance down the other end resulting in the leveller.
In similar fashion to York’s goal, a looping ball into the box found Farsley’s towering number nine, who leapt high enough to divert the ball over Harry Carr and into the back of the net.
Chances kept on coming for both sides, Crooks sailing a free kick over the bar for the hosts, while Carr dealt with two simple saves between the City sticks.
The young Minstermen soon found the goal that would edge them back in front on the half-hour mark. Farrar again was the player on the scoresheet, latching onto a perfect lobbed through ball from Alex Glynn, and firing home at the second attempt, having had his initial shot stopped by the Farsley ‘keeper.
The Celts looked to get back on terms pretty quickly in the second half, but a sliced effort from the left-back on the edge of the box drifted wide of the woodwork.
Another attempt to square the contest failed with Carr taking a low shot quite easily, while Farsley’s distinct penalty shouts for a foul in the build-up were waved away by the referee.
However, in the 53rd minute, the visitors got their goal, which had been coming for some time. Carr’s short pass to Tate was intercepted by a man in green, who knocked the ball forward to the number seven, and from there, it was just a simple case of dummying a couple of defenders before coolly dispatching.
It was York’s turn to threaten again shortly after that – Oz Shaw’s fierce drive at goal was blocked by a defender before Adam Tweed just couldn’t get enough force behind his follow-up, which rolled straight to the ‘keeper.
The travelling side took the lead for the first time in the game just before the 60th minute. A corner into the box bounced off a couple of players on its way into the goal, York unable to clear the ball in time.
The next moment of action came around a minute later – Farsley’s number four put in a dangerous tackle on Farrar, and there was no alternative other than an early shower for the defender.
Now with the extra man on the field, more chances began to fall for the Minstermen. Skipper George Grumley couldn’t get his free kick on target, and then a header from Donny Day also failed to test the stopper.
York were awarded with a two-man advantage heading into the final five minutes, as the Celts saw another player leave the field after a second yellow card.
Eventually, substitute Jake Roberts spared City their blushes with a 90th-minute strike to make it 3-3. An excellent ball in towards the back post from Day found Roberts unmarked, who sent a lovely volley home to level the proceedings in injury time.
Either side could have gone on to win it in the end, with a header frustrating clipping the Farsley bar, prior to a good attacking move from the visitors which saw their attacker go clean through, but hit the side netting with the final kick.
The next match for York City U19s is on Wednesday 2nd October, when they open their FA Youth Cup campaign away at Guiseley AFC (7pm kick-off).
YORK CITY: Carr, Tate, Crooks, Shaw, Shirley (70′ Baker), Grumley ©, Mortimer (60′ Roberts), Douglas (65′ Wilson), Farrar, Tweed, Glynn.
UNUSED SUBS: Newall, Wilson.