Absolute must-win games are really nothing new for the Minstermen over recent years, so we travel back to April 2013 and a vital meeting with Plymouth Argyle at Bootham Crescent.
Absolute must-win games are really nothing new for the Minstermen over recent years, so we travel back to April 2013 and a vital meeting with fellow League Two strugglers Plymouth Argyle at Bootham Crescent.
A scintillating opening-half display from a revitalised York City earned them their first victory for three months in their absolutely crucial relegation encounter with Plymouth Argyle at Bootham Crescent.
The hosts went in front when Ashley Chambers claimed his ninth goal of the season after a superb move midway through the first-half before local hero Richard Cresswell soon added a second.
Their success marked a first win in charge for new manager Nigel Worthington and finally ended a dreadful sequence of sixteen games without a victory for his side, who as a result moved within a single point of safety and just one win behind six other clubs.
Worthington earlier named an unchanged starting eleven as they attacked towards a large bank of travelling supporters in a bumper holiday attendance during the opening half.
The pressure was really on the home side in a simply must-win game for them and they began well with Chambers immediately forcing goalkeeper Jake Cole to block with his feet at his near post following a good break from Lanre Oyebanjo.
On loan winger Josh Carson then collected an early booking for bringing down Argyle loanee Jason Banton before the lively Chambers drilled wide from distance after neat work by Cresswell.
But Chambers was to make no mistake on twenty minutes when a superb interchanging of passes ended with him expertly curling his finish into the bottom corner.
Fired-up York were totally overrunning their visitors and teenage midfielder Tom Platt then saw a shot deflected behind after Cresswell nodded back Carson’s cross.
And they were rewarded again just ahead of the half-hour when Chambers’ corner was met by Platt’s header being blocked on the line before the ball was knocked back across for Cresswell to steer in a close-range header for his second goal in three games.
Home midfielder Adam Reed was forced off the pitch for treatment but soon returned to allow Platt to slice wide while Jack O’Connell covered well following a rare move in the opposite direction.
The Minstermen were absolutely rampant and Chambers came within inches of a third goal just before the break when his shot flew wide of the far post before the visitors had Joe Bryan cautioned as they tried desperately to keep their opponents at bay.
The second-half was to prove a much more scrappy and even affair with the visitors making a couple of early changes in a bid to find a way back into the contest.
York skipper Chris Smith was forced off for treatment but bravely returned to continue the fight as his side kept their relegation rivals at a safe distance.
In fact the Pilgrims were restricted to a couple of quick corners midway through the second-half, until Maxime Blanchard glanced a header beyond the far post before Carson struck wide in reply.
That prompted a couple of changes from the hosts with Michael Coulson and Jason Walker replacing goalscorers Chambers and Cresswell – although they were very understandably now concentrating on holding precisely what they had.
Plymouth’s Conor Hourihane was narrowly over with a 25-yard volley before substitute Ronan Murray shot straight at Ingham, but their opponents were always worthy winners following their superb first-half display.
York City: Ingham, Oyebanjo, Smith, McGurk, O’Connell, Parslow, A. Reed, Platt, Carson, Cresswell (Walker 76), Chambers (Coulson 76)
subs (unused): Jameson, Allan, McLaughlin, McDaid, Blair
Goals: Chambers (20), Cresswell (29)
Plymouth Argyle: Cole, Blanchard, Wotton, Branston, Bhasera, Bryan, Hourihane, Young, Banton (Harvey 54), Cowan-Hall (Murray 66), R. Reid (Chadwick 53)
subs (unused): Gilmartin, Berry, Nelson, Gurrieri
Ref: T. Harrington (Cleveland)
Att: 4,682 (671 Plymouth)
Video Link: YorkCityTV
