York City U19s couldn’t get the start to 2026 that they wanted, despite scoring four times against AFC Fylde on Wednesday.
Dom Zubrickas earned his National League U19 Alliance North debut, starting between the sticks for the first time.
City had an early opening inside two minutes, as Tom Hewson tried to chase onto a through ball but was denied by the Fylde ‘keeper, who raced off his line.
The next chance came in the form of a Fylde goal on 17 minutes. A cut inside from the byline allowed a yellow shirt to bend the ball high into the corner.
A matter of minutes later, the Minstermen were handed the opportunity to level after a foul was judged to have been committed in the area.
Sutton Greening sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to grab his ninth of the campaign.
Straight from the restart, the Coasters piled on the pressure with a quick succession of chances blocked and saved, with City riding out the scare.
Fylde regained the lead just before the half-hour mark, the striker receiving the ball in the box and coolly rolling it into the bottom corner.
That advantage was short-lived, with Michael Kydd popping up to make it 2-2. Eddie Kettlewell made an adventurous run from inside his own half before being stopped five yards from goal, but the loose ball fell kindly for Hewson to set up Kydd for a point-blank header.
However, Fylde once again moved ahead with a superb strike in the 39th minute.
Chances continued to come, with Zubrickas forced to turn a shot around the post and a header cleared off the line. Another scramble inside the York box followed, involving a flurry of efforts, but City managed to defend.
Unfortunately for the Minstermen, they went in at the break 4-2 down after a stoppage-time penalty was converted by the visitors.
Fylde went close early in the second half, curling a shot wide of the far post before flicking a free kick narrowly past the goal frame.
City were given hope in the 57th minute when Josh Binns pulled one back. A cut-back from Kydd was laid off by Greening, allowing the number 11 to drill a deflected effort into the bottom corner.
Greening went agonisingly close to an equaliser just three minutes later, floating a free kick inches wide of the post.
But the next goal in the game would go the way of the visitors, as a low cross was turned home to make it 5-3.
The Coasters struck their sixth in the 69th minute, with a corner eventually worked into the net, before extending the cushion further six minutes later.
Ollie Belleh netted a late consolation for City, slipping the ball past the ‘keeper from a tight angle, but it proved too late for any further response.
Cam White made an excellent stop at the death, denying Fylde with a strong hand.
York City: Zubrickas (White 46′), Shaw (Baker 59’), Beadle, Belleh, Newall (Roberts 59’), Russell, Kydd, Kettlewell (Campbell-Baldwin 51’), Hewson (Stiver 46’), Greening, Binns.
