11:00am Wednesday 26th March 2008
By Andrew Simpson
WHEN things are going well you can get greedy.
Before this game Vics would have signed up for a point - even more so at the interval - yet the feeling at full time was they might have pinched a victory.
They would have robbed nothing if they had.
The hosts, particularly their hard-to-please supporters, were happy to hear the final whistle after a stirring final quarter in which Vics crafted and wasted a clutch of chances.
No matter, the excellent Michael Byrne had rescued a point that will be precious in the final reckoning.
His first touch to spin away from his marker onto Ryan Brown's pass was excellent, he then drill an angled shot past City keeper Tom Evans to score the goal Dino Maamria's men had been threatening.
There followed three glorious opportunities to add another.
Matthew Crowell thought he had scored after curving his shot goalwards from Jamie Mullan's pull back but Evans was brilliant to paw the ball clear.
Within a minute Byrne fluffed the best opening.
Cortez Belle's cross came off Danny Parslow and fell for Byrne, unmarked inside the six-yard box, but he snatched at the chance and slapped his shot into the floor and wide of the upright.
Sub Aaron Burns then danced past Parslow before hammering his drive into the side netting from an acute angle.
Earlier York had begun brightly and scored within 11 minutes.
Mark Robinson had time to measure a cross from the left that Onome Sodje failed to control but, in doing so, flicked the ball to Richard Brodie and he finished with aplomb from close range.
The same player then spun Michael Welch in inside the box from Martyn Woolford's corner but the defender, still wearing his protective face mask, recovered to block the shot.
There followed a moment of controversy when Woolford caught Joel Byrom after the Vics man had beaten him to a bouncing ball. A furious Maamria demanded punitive action from the referee as Byrom limped off to be replaced by forgotten man Michael Carr.
Evans was almost left red faced as his woeful clearance fell to Darryn Stamp 40-yards from goal. His instinct to return a first time shot was almost rewarded with a goal.
Carr shot wide at the other end before Welch smuggled Sodje's centre clear as Manny Panther prepared to pounce.
Brodie brought a smart save out of Ben Connett soon after the restart, the Vics' stand in keeper tipping over after the York goalscorer made room to shoot.
Vics had more possession after that without creating enough danger, that was until Byrne's brilliance sparked a late rally.
Star Man: Matthew Crowell - Michael Byrne and Cortez Belle were equally valid contenders, but Crowell has been a revelation since his return to the team. Gave the back three protection with his tenacity and ability to break up opposition attacks, but also used the ball well to launch Vics raids. Desperately unlucky not to cap an impressive display with a goal late on.
YORK (3-5-2): Evans (GK), Parslow, McGurk, Craddock, Purkiss (Fortune-West 72), Elliott (Wroe 58), Panther, Woolford, Brodie, Sodje
Subs not used: Mimms (GK), Boyes, Lloyd
Goal: Brodie 11
VICS (3-4-1-2): Connett (GK), Meadowcroft, Belle, Welch, Mullan, Crowell, Byrom (Carr 27), Byrne, Steele (Burns 81), Stamp
Subs not used: Horrocks, Williams, Bowler
Goal: Byrne 73
Referee: Peter Quinn
Attendance: 1,941 (69 from Northwich)
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