YORK City are heading into their final game of pre-season off the back of another win, this time 1-0 at Ossett United.
It was not a vintage performance and was, at times, a hard watch. The Arsenal-like insistence on Kurt Willoughby walking the ball in for the winner was one of the few attractive moments of play.
However, against a lower-league side with a mix-and-match York team, it could have been predicted that this would have been City's most scrappy and most disjointed display of pre-season to date.
York faced a couple of dangerous moments, with Archie Whitfield and Reon Potts putting on a show for their parent club, but by and large were comfortable on a nondescript evening.
This was a much-changed York side from that which beat Middlesbrough on the Tuesday previously. Just four of the starting 11 remained for the trip to Ossett.
Sam Fielding kept his place at centre-half, partnering a trialist, with Michael Duckworth at right back, Mackenzie Heaney in attacking midfield and loan striker Mark Beck getting another run-out up front.
New signing Harrison Hopper came into the starting 11 off the bench along with striker Willoughby and keeper Ryan Whitley.
Aside from a handful of familiar senior names, assistant manager Micky Cummins and youth team coach Tim Ryan led out a side of Academy players, youngsters and trialists. New youth side graduates Jonny Haase, Jack Degruchy and Luke Jones started on the bench.
City loanees Whitfield and Potts started for Ossett.
The stand-out feature of an attritional opening quarter of an hour was seeing how York would cope with the least breathing room they have yet had in pre-season against a primed and physical Ossett. With the team consisting of as many fringe players as it did, the fixture gave the impression of war-gaming a worst-case scenario injury crisis in the middle of the Christmas period.
In circumstances like these where the midfield resolutely refused to impress, the man to shoulder responsibility should be the target man, and imposing loanee Beck did a decent job of taking the ball in and holding it up. He did, however, fail to attack a far-post header midway through the half.
City’s best penetration came down the right, where Luke Knowles looked bright. He got on the end of an excellent Whitley ball forward but his attempted lob from a tight angle was miscued.
Michael Woods should have put York ahead just after the half-hour. Willoughby did well to hold off a defender and tee up Heaney for a ball into the area, from where Woods skied his effort on the turn.
York were enjoying most of the ball but were unable to put any convincing spells of possession together. On the occasions Ossett got forwards, Potts, Nash Connolly and Whitfield looked decent. Whitfield, in particular, gave Hopper a tough time on the ball and, robbing him of possession, came close to creating an opportunity on goal.
By the half-time whistle, there had been limited fluency and fluidity, and precious few chances on goal to speak of.
Ossett opened the second half with a meaningful chance, second-half substitute Cameron Clark came inches away from getting his boot onto a pass slid in behind.
Paddy McLaughlin, on for Knowles, returned the favour for York, cutting in from the right after persistent work from Hopper and curling a low effort which was tipped away by the Ossett shot-stopper.
Eight minutes after the break, Willoughy broke the deadlock. Woods brought in Heaney’s ball over the top, drew the home keeper and laid off Willoughby to walk it into the empty net.
City, and the game as whole, had perked up by the hour mark, the visitors looking a lot more assured in possession and playing faster, more intricate football. The final chance was still lacking but was a lot closer in coming than in the first period.
Former Minsterman Jake Teal did very well to deny Jonny Haase shortly after his second-half introduction. Hopper curled an inswinger to the back post, where Haase rose and made weak contact but got to the rebound and, from mere yards out, Teal got his body in the way to turn Haase’s poked effort around the corner.
York: Whitley (Campbell 62), Woods (Dale 73), Fielding (Owen 73), Duckworth (Sheppard HT), Hopper (Lancaster 73), Heaney (Degruchy 62), Willoughby (Sheppard 62), Knowles (McLaughlin HT), Trialist ‘A’, Trialist ‘B’ (Trialist ‘C’ 73), Beck (Jones 62).
Goals: Willoughby (53)
Ossett: Teal, Trialist ‘A’, Hardaker, Hogg, Killock, McGiven, Connelly, Whitfield, Potts, Haswell, Chipamaunga. Subs: Trialist ‘F’, Clark, Trialist ‘D’, Trialist ‘E’, Hussain, Levi-Lewis.
Attendance: 502
Match stats for Ossett / York
Shots (on target): 6 (1) / 12 (4)
Corners: 4 / 5
Offsides: 1 / 6
Fouls: 6 / 6
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