After being called off a week earlier due to the frozen conditions, the Youth Team faced GrimsbyTown at their home Wigginton Road training ground having only lost one league game there all season. This record looked likely to continue as York started off in great fashion. From the first move of the match, some good play by Tom Allan on the left hand side led to York winning a corner. From the resulting corner, George Foster-Vigors hit the cross bar with a bullet header. After being unlucky not to take the lead in just the second minute, York deservedly opened the scoring not long after. It was a great individual goal by Vinnie Dhesi, the forward collected the ball in the final third of the pitch and with some good skill he gained a yard on the defender. Without giving the defender time to get back, he stroked the ball with the outside of his boot, past the keeper and into the bottom corner. After looking in complete control, York lost their lead soon after by a very strange goal. After a weak cross was not cleared by York, the Grimsby striker struck the ball towards goal, however on its way, it deflected off a York defender, and looped into the far side of the goal, giving York keeper Tom Guildford no chance. After drawing level, Grimsby seemed to grow in confidence, and York’s task was made a lot harder shortly after when they were reduced to ten men. A through ball sent the Grimsby striker clear of the York defence and after chasing the striker down, Foster-Vigors brought the striker down. He was deemed to be the last man by the referee and by the letter of the law, he had decided he had no choice but to show a red card. However this set back did not seem to affect a very determined York side and shortly before the break, York restored their lead. Some good work from Dhesi down the York left saw a teasing cross come into the Grimsby box. The cross was met by winger Danny Coates, and after his shot was saved, Tom Owen was on hand to finish the move off. York went into half time with a vital 2-1 advantage.

York started the second half in a very similar way to the first creating an opening almost straight away. However unlike the first half, this chance did create a goal, and it was Owen’s second of the game. It was the same combination which created the second goal, and it was again some great work from Dhesi down the left which started it off. He beat two men and got to the by line, with another great cross, he found Owen to strike the ball home and make it 3-1 with a great first time finish. York continued to work hard and with good organisation they gave Grimsby very little chance to get back into the game. They did create one good chance on the break when their striker was sent clean through however York keeper Tom Guildford did very well to deny him in the one on one situation. With the game nearing its end, there was just time for substitute Danny Middleton to make it four, with a great individual goal. He picked the ball up 10 yards outside the area and drove into the box, beat two defenders and expertly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

It was a great performance by York under tough circumstances after having only 10 men for 70 minutes of the match. It will give them great confidence going into next week’s match against first placed Hull City.