CAMERON Sanderson’s goal could not save the York Minster Engineering League reps team from a 3-1 defeat to their Scarborough counterparts.

The defending winners retained the Ernie Fairclough Memorial Trophy thanks to goals from Shaun Exley, Danny Glendinning and Luke Jones at Pickering Town’s Mill Lane ground.

York can consider themselves unlucky, though, after controlling large periods of the game, only to see several attacks come to nothing due to wayward final balls and poor finishing.

They were also thwarted by some tremendous defending by a Scarborough back line, led admirably by Kurtis Henderson.

York started brightly and Chris Bilton was unlucky not to open the scoring when his effort was beaten away by the Scarborough keeper.

But Chris Smith and Simon Wood’s men fell behind against the run of play when a long-range free kick was parried by Michael Clancy and Exley made no mistake from close range.

York responded with Wigginton Grasshoppers’ Jamie Willstrop seeing his edge-of-the-box effort flash narrowly wide, before linking up with Andrew Simpson and Chris Dyson to carve out another opening that the latter headed off target.

More shots for Dyson, Simpson and York’s man-of-the-match Jake Duckworth followed, but failed to force a save.

With half-time looming, though, a fierce shot from Bilton proved too strong for the keeper to hold, allowing Sanderson to slide the ball home from five yards.

The second period began much the same as the first had ended.

York pressed forward again and an excellent ball from Bilton found Dyson who volleyed over the bar.

The home side’s failure to convert their chances was to have consequences though and Glenridding found himself in acres of space 20 yards from goal, before hitting a clinical strike into the bottom-left corner of the goal.

That prompted a period of disarray for York with Tommy Adams going close for the away team prior to Jones making it 3-1 when he lifted the ball over an advancing Clancy after being sent clear through on goal.

York might have reduced the deficit when Dale Holding set up former club team-mate Matthew Tiplady, but his attempt hit the inside of a post and bounced back into play.

James Edmond and Robert Chipps also went close inside the final five minutes, but Boro defended resolutely and held on for the win.