Guiseley (U19s) 1-1 York City (U19s)

Guiseley (U19s) 1-1 York City (U19s)

National League Youth Alliance

Wednesday 19th January 2022

A competitive and feisty contest which was the proverbial 'game of two halves' saw York City come from behind to take a point against Guiseley in the National League Youth Alliance.

In my first visit to Nethermoor in five years, the hosts dominated the first period and led at half-time thanks to Jakub Hebda's calmly converted spot-kick. Having switched formation, York were much better after the re-start and equalised through Max Ezard's strike from distance on 66 minutes.

A winner didn't materialise for either time but it was a good test for two hard-working teams with players on both teams showing signs of tired legs, along with a few cramping up, during the latter stages.

The only downside to proceedings was the referee who guessed at several decisions (you can tell when it's happening!), did laps of the centre-circle because he wasn't fit enough to keep up with play, used a whistle which sounded as if it had been nicked from a bloke on Platform 3B, and got loads of decisions wrong - including a massive call where he failed to red card Guiseley's 'keeper after he came flying out his area and fouled a striker midway through the first half. 

Had the referee got it right (because it was genuinely a red card offence), things may well have panned out differently but he didn't and it perfectly summed up his unpredictable officiating.

Following a six-minute delay to kick-off in which the home 'keeper needed to go back into the dressing room and change his shirt (it clashed with the red colours which the visitors wore), things got underway and it was feisty from the start as a couple of strong tackles were put in which resulted in a yellow card apiece; fair enough, but it set a precedent.

Whilst his handling of the game was mind-boggling at times, what certainly isn't questionable is the ability that Guiseley have in their ranks. They reached the FA Youth Cup Second Round, beating Rochdale en route, and in Josh Stones and Jakub Hebda possess two strikers who've earned a string of admirers this season. They're a force to be reckoned with and are challenging for the Youth Alliance (North Division) title on absolute merit - and good luck to them with that.

They had the game's first real opportunity when a York defender was penalised for a foul on the edge of the area but the resulting effort harmlessly cleared the upright. An even more clear-cut opportunity followed on the quarter-hour mark when Lewis Cunningham's untimely slip allowed Stones to get into a one-on-one where Maison Campbell pulled off a terrific save with his legs to keep his team on level terms.

Although Guiseley enjoyed plenty of success in picking up the second balls and had quite a bit of possession in the gap between the visitors' backline and midfield, the most contentious talking point of probably the whole game unfolded on 25 minutes.

A through ball put York's attacker in the clear, only for him to be stopped in his tracks by Guiseley's 'keeper who flew off his line and clumsily took him down on the edge of the box. There was no malice intended whatsoever; it was just clumsy and late, but to people's astonishment no red card was forthcoming from the referee and Ezard's resulting free-kick was on target yet kept out.

Drama quickly unfolded at the opposite end when a left-wing cross bounced up and hit the hand of a York defender who was penalised for handball - resulting in a penalty for Guiseley. Hebda, who already has some experience in mens football under his belt, stepped up, retained his composure and placed a powerful effort past Cambell (who dived the right way) to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

There was a good feistiness about the game and it had a full-blooded nature about it. Although Guiseley were definitely on top at this point, York did conjure up another opportunity from a free-kick prior to half-time when Cunningham's 25-yard attempt was met with a decent save by the home 'keeper.

York switched to a 4-3-3 formation and properly established a foot-hold on things after the re-start. They matched the hosts' work-rate and effort, competed better and should have equalised within three minutes when Josh Knowles capitalised on a slip to get in-behind but instead skewed his effort narrowly wide.

It was an indicator of things to come and Billy Gordon's introduction off the bench increased their tenacity and enhanced their chances of getting something from the game.

Decent opportunities were at something of a premium though as the hour mark came and went; York having a half-chance at one end before Stones unleashed a speculative effort over the target at the other, whilst Campbell produced some decent commanding of his area.

The equaliser the Minstermen craved subsequently arrived on 66 minutes. Ezard, who put in a proper shift over the course of the afternoon, was allowed to drift dangerously forward with the ball midway inside the hosts' half and with the invitation there to shoot, he unleashed a thunderous right-foot drive from 20-25 yards which flew past the 'keeper and into the bottom corner.

Back on level terms at 1-1, it seemed at this point as if one team (probably York given they were in the ascendency) would go on to get the win because there was plenty of endeavour, commitment and effort on show.

As things transpired though, there proved to be only two more chance of significant note. Campbell kept out a somewhat tame flick-on header to ensure Guiseley didn't re-establish a lead, before York went much closer at the other end as Campbell long clearance was flicked on for Kyle Lancaster whose rasping right-foot effort whistled just a whisker the wrong side of the post.

Overall, a point apiece was probably a fair reflection of what unfolded though you can't help wonder how different things may have been if the referee had done his job correctly and red-carded the Guiseley 'keeper during the big incident in the first half. It was a good test for both sets of players with lots of strength and competitiveness absolutely evident which will have certainly been beneficial in the development of every player on the pitch.

Special mentions to Max Ezard who, despite tiring late on, performed well along with Billy Gordon who added a different dimension and style to York's style but impressed. Credit also to the backline for keeping Jakub Hebda and Josh Stones - two of the best strikers they'll come up against at this level, relatively quiet throughout the 90 minutes.

P.S: I hope Bob's got his whistle back on Platform 3B!