Archive for category: Match Reports

City succumbed to their first defeat in six games on a grey and blustery day at the home of the league leaders. It was an even affair and ultimately the only difference between the sides was that Chesterfield have a striker in good form whereas we don’t seem to have a striker at all. As you’d expect from the divisions leaders at home, the Spireites went on the offensive first, Paul Musselwhite tipped over a powerful header and Gary Brabin headed away the resultant corner. Chesterfields shooting in the opening stages was dreadful, otherwise they may have been able to take advantage of a goalmouth melee before a Tiger hooked the ball away. The early stages saw some good technical football but it suddenly degenerated to pinball with the ball being blasted at other players for no apparent reason. City’s first attack of note came when Mike Edwards had a shot deflected but Pollitt in the home goal got down well and collected. The game was then held up for some five minutes as a section of the Tigers support responded to provocation from home fans in the Crompton Street terrace by cutting across the pitch in an attempt to maim their tormentors. Order was eventually restored by baton wielding police and their snarling dogs and the game recommenced.

Mark Greaves foiled Luke Beckett, who the Spireites still haven’t paid Chester for, before the ever unflustered Ian Goodison put a back pass to Musselwhite, our number one wasn’t quite so calm and sliced the ball out for a corner. The kick was swung in and Williams connected well with a header only for our now recomposed keeper to tip over nonchalantly. Beckett was making a nuisance of himself up front for Chesterfield but our splendid defence, Goodison and Perry especially, where handling him well. The childish Chesterfield fans took to singing ‘you run from the Scunthorpe’ at us, which raised a bit of mirth, people don’t run from Scunny, they amble away smoking Bolivian cigars, but on with the game. City won a free kick on the right which was knocked in by Philpott, Pollitt punched away under pressure from Greaves and the ball fell to Edwards who struck a low shot that the keeper clutched. Therein lies our problem, two recognised defenders comprising our attacking threat, at times we appear to have no forwards on the pitch. A few minutes later, to the amusement of the Tiger Nation, Ian Goodison wellied the ball out of the ground for no apparent reason after the ball had gone out for a throw in, our throw in at that. In light of Chesterfields sudden financial strife, they won’t have been too chuffed to lose two £50 matchballs, earlier on a City fan had gleefully hurled a yellow Ultimax out of the ground when it came into the crowd. Beckett was put through (looking miles offside) and delivered a dangerous cross which was destined for the boot of a blueshirt but Goodison got between ball and boot to head away. David Brightwell went in the book for a tortoise-reaction-time challenge before Gary Brabin tried a long range effort that Pollitt batted away. Shortly after the ref peeped for half-time, 0-0.

City kicked off the second forty-five with a strong wind behind their back. City could have used this to their advantage, but strangely decided to kick the ball forwards as hard as they could at every opportunity, the ball would then be swept out of play by the gusts. Very odd, and disappointing after a good first half where we had quelled the home sides advances and were looking to hit them on the break. City had a great chance to score from a corner when Brabin looked to smash a shot in from close range, but he pulled out at the last second after seeing Goodison in front of him, the Jamaican fumed and rightly so. Mark Greaves went in the book after a tussle, not long before City’s most fluid move. Musselwhite tossed the ball to Marcelle who brought the ball forward up the left wing before passing to Whitmore who struck a dipping shot that went just over. Chesterfields 29 (you don’t expect me to find out his name do you???) wasted a fine cross, heading wide. The run of play was swinging in Chesterfields favour now, and it came as no surprise when they took the lead, Brabin lost the ball in midfield and a cross was swung in, Perry headed away but not far enough and the predatory Beckett was on hand to fire home from 10 yards.

City tried to claw their way back in but were utterly impotent upfront, seemingly playing Gary Brabin as a centre-forward before throwing David Brown on for the ineffectual Lee Philpott. Mark Greaves went close with a back header from a free kick that went inches wide. Steve Swales replaced Jason Perry, a bold but risky move, with only two at the back now we were fucked if someone ran at Brightwell. City had a spell of pressure late on but to no avail, Chesterfield had extended their lead at the top while City fell one place to tenth. It’s no disgrace losing to the leaders, it’s just a great shame we could not take a point since they didn’t look all that good. Once again a lack of firepower was made painfully evident, maybe we should try the Spireites trick of signing a forward and not paying for him.

The Tigers played-out their second consecutive goalless draw today in this eagerly awaited clash at Bootham Crescent. The attendance of five and a half thousand, boosted by over 2,500 travelling Tigers fans, provided York with their biggest crowd of the season. The match was played in atrocious conditions and neither side could stamp their authority on the game. The first half provided chances for both teams to take the lead, Alex Mathie had York’s best chance of the half when one-on-one with Musselwhite, but the Tigers keeper stood up well and blocked the shot. Marcelle had a shot from the edge of the area but the ball was impressively tipped over for a corner by ex-Tiger Alan Fettis in the York goal. The conditions got progressively worse in the second half and the Tigers were pushed back for long periods.

The Mincermen had the majority of the possession but failed to create any clear-cut scoring chances. City did have a good chance with a Clint Marcelle diving header but he slipped and only managed to connect with his shoulder. As it was, neither team really deserved the three points and the game ended in draw. The result does however see us move up into the top half of the table again, occupying 12th place and four points off the play-off places. York move up a place to 20th.

Once again, City fell to Big Crowd Syndrome. 6,701 were present at the Ark, the highest home attendance of the season, mostly on the back of two successive away victories. And so, with optimism and hope anew, it was somewhat predictable that City would struggle. And how. After a lively opening from the visitors, City took the lead when John Eyre was felled by a crude challenge by Martyn Booty in the area. Eyre himself stepped up to take the penalty, and was slightly fortunate to score, his shot striking Southend keeper Woodman’s legs before entering the goal. The Tigers, buoyed by this rather fortuitous opening, attacked the Shrimpers goal with commendable intent, but to little avail. Gradually, as the first half wore on, the visitors gained territorial supremacy, and came close several times to equalising, their set pieces proving particularly worrying. Only a string of desperate clearance, poor finishing and superb goalkeeping by Musselwhite kept the score in the Tigers’ favour, though Goodison had an excellent chance in the closing minutes of the half to make it 2-0, a shot from an Edwards header flashing just wide.

The second half began terribly for City, the midfield completely overwhelmed, the attackers starved of meaningful possession, the defence looking increasingly uncomfortable. Former loanee Martin Carruthers struck the post with a superb volley, but five minutes later the visitors had their deserved equaliser. Yet another corner (City faced 14 in total) was swung in by Scott Forbes, and Leo Roget glanced a near post header past Musselwhite. Poor defending, but it had been coming. Visibly panicking, City very nearly sank without trace in the following five minutes. The game became a procession – Southend attacking, missing or having a shot saved, Musselwhite clearing, Southend regaining the ball, then attacking…. It took a double substitution to bring some semblance of order back to City. Brabin replaced the disappointing Philpott, while Wood replaced the isolated Marcelle. Brabin’s snarling presence shook things up somewhat, and as the game wore in, City began to re-enter a contest they should have been losing by a goal or two. The final fifteen minutes were mostly uneventful, though City very nearly snatched a wholly unmerited victory when Wood was put through by Eyre. Despite grimly holding off the thoroughly illegal challenged of two defenders, the Woodman was on hand to pluck the ball from Wood’s feet.

So, a point gained, though not earned. Nonetheless, despite playing very poorly, again the commitment was there, particularly from Brabin, who looks bloodthirsty when introduced to matches late on. Perry played quite well, but the undoubted man-of-the-match was Musselwhite.

City earned a point at Brisbane Road but could have had two more having taken the lead twice. The Tigers started brightly and after surviving an early scare from a corner, took a deserved lead on 15 minutes. Gary Brabin chipped the ball into the box following a lay off from Lee Philpott, O’s defender Harris, attempting to clear, clumsily knocked the ball beyond his keeper and Theo Whitmore nipped in to slide home from close range. Steve Harper had an effort well saved by Bayes in the O’s goal, and at the other end Bracey saved well after Garcia had beaten the offside trap (ie the inept linesman failed to flag). Towards the end of the half Orient began to press for an equalizer, they had several corners that were whipped in dangerously from the left but City somehow survived until the ref blew for the interval.

The game restarted and City once again looked strong, Marcelle and Whitmore combined magnificently to create a goalscoring chance but a fluffed shot from Tappa saw the home side break away and level the score, Griffiths slotting past Bracey after a through ball from Brkovic (missing a vowel Ahmed?). It wasn’t long though, before the Tiger’s restored their lead. David Brown had a shot from just inside the area, Bayes responded well but his palmed save lifted the ball into the path of Whitmore who headed in his and City’s second goal. Orient’s response was to replace Brissett and Brkovic with Christie and Watts. That’ll be Iyesden Christie then, a regular thorn in City’s side in his Mansfield days, so you know what’s coming. Yep, Christie equalised, with just four minutes of the ninety remaining, lashed a 25 yard drive beyond Bracey.

City tried a late substitution, replacing David Brown with Dave Brightwell, ostensibly to keep the point secure. Not so, for the lanky Brightwell was deployed as a forward, and the ball was hoofed toward him a few times, which wasn’t much use to the tiny Clint Marcelle alongside him. And so it ended 2-2, an entertaining encounter in which City worked hard. A point away from home is never a bad result, but we could have had much more. Still we await our first three points of 2000/2001, though we have at least come of the bottom of the table, we are now second from bottom. Huzzah!