Bootham blockbuster

No wonder yo-yo's are back on the go.

Swish - York City roar to 2-0 up. Swish - York City fall to 3-2 down. Swish - York City swing back to 3-3. Swish, the men in red almost pull off a shock triumph.

What a game. No-one could afford to blink for fear of missing the next incident, the next goal, the next heart-stopping or pulse-quickening moment.

This was football at its brash, breath-taking, brilliant best - a million miles away from a certain clash at Wembley at the very same time.

And hands up all those who opted to tune in to pallid England rather than visit the Crescent. Well, tough. All those Sky-fed absentees were served dismal fare. The dish of the day was between City and Luton Town, who contributed just as stoutly as their hosts to a quite fulminating encounter.

From a start as electrifying as a fence surrounding a top-secret military establishment to a finish as high-energy as Blue Peter's John Noakes in his plucky pomp, this game had everything - goals galore, quality in passing and movement, individual grace, even a handbags at ten paces scrap. Phew.

That it all finished all-square was arguably a fair outcome given the bewildering, switchback nature of the tussle.

It would have been harsh on City for their start and then powers of recovery to have come away with nothing. Equally it would have been grating had Luton not mustered any profit from their adventurous approach.

But City should be left with the more painful rump after their respective bout of kicking themselves. While the Hatters may claim any team who scores three goals away from home deserves some reward, City know they should not have let slip a two-goal lead amassed in the first, frenzied ten minutes.

Just 24 seconds was needed for the net to bulge and how sweet that prospect was to the hosts.

Usually prone to yielding early goals City tore a gaping hole in Luton's defence. At the hub of the shock-start was Richard Cresswell, who was the zealous, zestful zephyr that ripped rings through Luton all afternoon.

Latching on to a Neil Tolson nod-down he detonated a technically-perfect volley that Luton goalkeeper Kelvin Davis somehow pawed away. But in rushed Scottish flier Gordon Connelly and the rebound was tucked away.

But even better was to come. Within 10 minutes Connelly's beamed pass located Cresswell down the right.

As he sped into the area Tolson peeled away for a pass. But confident Crezzie opted to smash a drive of wild-velocity high into the rigging.

A season ago the youngster might well have opted to find a team-mate. Not now. Certainty is coursing through the striker.

Unconfined joy flooded through City fans. There was even an 'Alan, Alan give us a wave' - a goodwill chant, directed at the manger, that of late has had all the rarity of Dodo droppings.

But just as the disbelieving home support chorused their acclamation at a job well done the roof began to creak. Luton were far from finished and purposefully set about their own restoration prompted by Northern Ireland international Phil Gray.

His first-time cross from the right was the ideal invitation for Stuart Douglas to stoop and head low past Bobby Mimms, and then just before half-time Gray rolled a defence-slicing pass into the path of the impressive Sean Evers to slot in a leveller.

Within 10 minutes of the re-start and the Hatters headed their hosts. Defensive beacon Steve Davis arrowed a pass to Douglas. When his rippling shot was parried by Mimms Gray executed the rebound. As a Minsterman's thing it was just liked that annoying advertisement - 'oh no, slippage'. What looked a formality was now a forlorn vista.

The game had definitely lurched in Luton's direction. But this is a City ensemble, who besides protecting a five-match unbeaten run, are not too easy to brush aside. Back they came, pepped up by the twists of Rodney Rowe and the steadiness of Wayne Hall.

Rowe it was who unlocked the visitors' defence with a pinpoint pass that Cresswell seized on like the man in form he is to notch his seventh goal of the campaign.

Danders up, City laid a hell-for-leather siege. Chances rained in on the Luton goal but, despite a restrictive foot injury, goalkeeper Davis was inspired, not least when he made a stupendous save to deny Neil Thompson's fizz-ball free-kick. Yo-yo, ho-ho-ho.

MATCH NOTES

1min: Richard Cresswell's fierce volley is beaten down by goalkeeper Kelvin Davis for Gordon Connelly to rifle the ball in. 1-0.

11min: Connelly frees Cresswell down the right. He cuts inside lashing a venomous left-footer high into the net. 2-0.

22min: Luton danger-man Phil Gray dinks in an exquisite cross expertly nodded in by Stuart Douglas. 2-1.

29min: Mimms reacts smartly to parry a deflected Steve Davis drive and then Mitchell Thomas heads wide from Evers' cross.

43min: City's middle buckles to Gray's astute pass, Evers collecting and scoring with ease. 2-2.

53min: City exposed by Gray, but Douglas sweeps ball wide as Mimms advances.

55min: Davis nudges the ball to Douglas, whose shot on the run is blocked by Mimms but Gray lashes in the rebound. 3-2.

64min: Superb move started by Thompson, into Rodney Rowe, whose slide-rule pass is seized on by Cresswell for his second of the game. 3-3.

71min: Barry Jones pops up at the far post but his header clasped by 'keeper Davis.

73min: Tinkler tests Davis' reflexes with low shot, similarly McMillan seconds later.

76min: Davis pulls off stunning save from Thompson's blunderbuss free-kick.

80min: Thompson's laser cross finds Tinkler, but his header lacks placement.

90min: Thompson dips a pass into Rowe's path, but as he shoots Alan White dispossesses him.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.