York City 1, Bath City 0 (From York Press)

Match report: York City 1, Bath City 0

11:14am Wednesday 14th September 2011 in Match reports By Dave Flett, Sports reporter

SUBSTITUTE Jamie Reed grabbed York City a precious three points against bottom-of-the-table Bath with his first goal of the season.

Reed secured a 1-0 victory with his 88th-minute volley bringing a satisfactory end to an anxious evening at Bootham Crescent.

Earlier, City had wasted the opportunity to take a first-half lead when Jason Walker missed a penalty.

But Bath midfielder Ben Swallow also saw his 75th-minute spot kick saved by Michael Ingham in a pivotal moment in the contest.

City made four changes from the side that started Saturday’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at Tamworth.

Captain Chris Smith was dropped to the bench after conceding two penalties at the Lamb Ground, while Lanre Oyebanjo was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Matty Blair was among the substitutes too, while Adriano Moké failed to make the squad of 16.

Winger Danny Pilkington was handed a full debut with Daniel Parslow, Jamal Fyfield and Andre Boucaud also earning recalls and Scott Kerr donning the armband.

The game kicked off after a perfectly-observed minute’s silence in the memory of former City ’keeper Mark Ovendale but it was the visitors, with the wind behind their backs, who began brightest.

Passing and moving sharper than their hosts, Bath cut through City far too easily in the early exchanges with Lee Phillips driving across the face of Michael Ingham’s goal after combining well with Joe Burnell.

The lively Swallow also produced a 25-yard drive that Ingham pushed around his right-hand post for a corner.

A stray pass by McGurk then saw Burnell loft the ball into City’s penalty box, where Phillips header had Ingham back-pedalling to tip over.

Phillips went on to twice call Ingham into action from 20 yards while the Minstermen, struggling to penetrate in the final third of the pitch, mustered their first shot on 33 minutes with Ashley Chambers’ scuffed volley greeted by sarcastic applause and cheers from the home crowd.

Centre-back Fyfield then headed over from four yards shortly afterwards following Chambers’ corner before City squandered a great opportunity to take a lead into the interval.

Referee Richard Clark was handed an easy decision when Charlie Clough’s sliding challenge in the first minute of stoppage time hacked down Jon Challinor in the box following a cute through ball by James Meredith.

Walker, though, sidefooted well over the middle of Glyn Garner’s crossbar and City were booed off at the break by certain sections of the Bootham Crescent crowd.

The home side started the second period in a more determined fashion, however, with the tempo of their play noticeably higher and their ball retention better.

Within two minutes of the restart, Challinor’s stinging drive was parried by Garner before Walker, following up, was flagged offside.

Chambers also sprinted onto a Walker through ball but Garner was quick off his line to smother the former Leicester striker’s shot.

After a long spell of possession on 73 minutes that tested the patience of some supporters, Kerr inadvertently found Walker but he dragged a great chance across the face of goal.

Two minutes later, the Minstermen were relieved to still be on level terms after Ingham rushed 15 yards off his line to bring down Swallow, who had charged clear on goal through the right channel.

Clark pointed to the spot again and cautioned Ingham when many feared a red card for the former Northern Ireland international.

The City ’keeper went on to redeem himself by diving low to his left to hold on to Swallow’s sidefooted spot kick.

Mills then threw on Reed and, within three minutes of his arrival, he claimed the only goal of the game.

Adjusting his body well, Reed volleyed into the roof of the net from seven yards after fellow replacement Liam Henderson had failed to make proper contact in front of goal following Matty Blair’s corner.

Match facts

York City 1 (Reed 88), Bath City 0

York City: Michael Ingham 8, Daniel Parslow 6, David McGurk 7, Jamal Fyfield 7, James Meredith 6, Andre Boucaud 6, Scott Kerr 6, Jon Challinor 6, Ashley Chambers 6, Jason Walker 6, Danny Pilkington 5.

Subs: Liam Henderson 6 (for Challinor, 69), Matty Blair (for Pilkington, 74), Jamie Reed (for Chambers, 85). Not used: Chris Smith, Patrick McLaughlin.

Key: 10 – Faultless; 9 – Outstanding; 8 – Excellent; 7 – Good; 6 – Average; 5 – Below par; 4 – Poor; 3 – Dud; 2 – Hopeless; 1 – Retire.

City’s star man: Ingham – kept City in the game and made up for his only blemish with the penalty save.

Bath City: Glyn Garner, Sekani Simpson, Gethin Jones, Charlie Clough, Paul Stonehouse, Marley Watkins, Joe Burnell, Marc Canham, Adam Connolly, Ben Swallow (Josh Egan, 85), Lee Phillips (Mark Preece, 80). Subs (not used): Jim Rollo, Jamie Cook, Jason Matthews.

Booked: Watkins 27, Clough 45, Ingham 75.

Sent off: None.

Shots on target: York 4, Bath 7.

Shots off target: York 5, Bath 4.

Corners: York 10, Bath 4.

Fouls conceded: York 10, Bath 8.

Offsides: York 2, Bath 1.

Referee: Richard Clark (Northumberland).

Attendance: 2,030 (21 away fans).