This term, we have experienced the second White Rose Varsity tournament
against the University of Hull, some captivating (albeit snow-hit) college
sport and a dramatic finale to the BUCS season.
And my inaugural topic this week concerns BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport). The men’s
football 1sts’ season ended in agony last Wednesday when, needing just a point
to survive in their BUCS Northern 2B League, Hull scored a late screamer to condemn York to a 3-2 home defeat.
The disappointment at the final whistle was unlike anything
else I have witnessed covering games for Vision.
Every player looked utterly devastated, most of all captain Dan Turley, who led
his team through the mist straight to the pavilion dressing room, shunning any
post-match interviews.
You could argue York only have themselves to blame. One win,
six defeats and three draws was simply not good enough and relegation was
deserved. In addition, the side threw away an opportunity to secure their
safety in their penultimate match, playing out a drab 0-0 draw against Leeds 2nds on Sunday. |
| Tom Clarke's goals are vital for York (Photo: Oliver Todd) |
But if you look at the bigger picture, you’ll soon realise
that York have been rather unlucky on a number of levels.
Firstly, the wintry weather that hit York mid-way through
the term has upset the players’ routine. The frost and heavy snowfall forced
match postponements for both BUCS and college matches. You cannot underestimate
college football as a way for the players to build up their fitness and get
their touch back after the Christmas break.
And you would think that reaching the semi-finals of the
Northern Conference Cup would remedy this problem, but no; it may well have
been detrimental to their league performances. It was clear the fixture list
was becoming quite busy by the latter half of the term, with the team juggling
both league and cup games in a limited period due to the previous snow chaos.
I suspect several players may have put extra effort into the
cup games, and, due to fitness shortages, may have not recovered in time for
the equally-crucial league matches. So basically, the team was initially playing
too little and then too much, which can be very difficult for the players to
adapt to.An even bigger issue for the team has been missing key players at key times. The most obvious example is highly influential striker Tom Clarke, who was missing for the final two crucial league matches.
It's a shame Clarke was unavaible at this time - he had to go home early for some unexplained reason - because when Clarke plays well, York play well. The
former Yeovil Town man is masterful at finding those priceless pockets of space
between the opposition’s defenders and midfield line, much like Wayne Rooney for
Manchester United. He then tends to spread play wide to the likes of Dan Jones
or Dan Atherton on the wings, who just love to run at the full backs, and from
there you get chances.
But without Clarke, York struggle massively. On countless
occasions during the final two league games, the ball was being pumped
aimlessly upfield many of the players, especially central midfielder Matt
Mawdesley. It was clear the rest of the team had lost confidence when they were
in possession as they knew there wasn’t a Mr Reliable up front to show for the
ball and help them out.
Other key players who have been missing at times this season
include Phil Taylor, who missed the entire Autumn Term due to an ankle injury
and Dan Atherton, who had a stop-start Spring Term.Although Taylor’s best position is up front, he can also be highly effective as a central midfielder. In the Varsity win against Hull in February, he was a delight to watch with his range of passing and calmness in possession. His understanding with Ash Daly and Clarke further upfield was reaping rewards in many areas of the pitch.
Unless he had picked up a knock or something prior to the final match against Hull, it was therefore quite puzzling that he was left out of the starting lineup. In short, I bet York would have performed far better with him in there from the start of the autumn, because the central midfield positions were a bit unsettled; even Dan Turley was forced to fill in at times.
Atherton’s absence, meanwhile, has deprived York of some trickery down the left wing, forcing the deployment of either Jack Beadle or Ollie Harrison. Both have their qualities, but from when I’ve watched them, I feel at times they lack the composure and overall consistency of Atherton to both drive past defenders and deliver the killer ‘final third’ pass.
It’s a shame York have not been able to be firing on all cylinders from an attacking perspective (12 goals from 10 games) because defensively they aren’t too bad. Tom Brandreth and Oscar Lynch have formed an efficient partnership, and you’re guaranteed a cool head from Dan Turley at right-back. Conceding 18 goals in 10 games should not be an insurmountable statistic come the end of the season if you’re doing the job at the other end.
Despite the immense disappointment of relegation, I am confident that York will bounce back next season and win promotion. And nothing would be better to begin this road to recovery than a victory over Lancaster at Roses in May.
BUCS Northern Conference 2B - final table:
1
|
Durham 1st
|
10
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
13
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
2
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
21
|
30
|
2
|
Sheffield 1st
|
10
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
11
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
15
|
8
|
7
|
1
|
2
|
12
|
22
|
3
|
Leeds Met
Carnegie 2nd
|
10
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
9
|
3
|
0
|
2
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
-1
|
15
|
4
|
Hull 1st
|
10
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
10
|
1
|
0
|
4
|
9
|
13
|
2
|
1
|
7
|
-8
|
7
|
5
|
Leeds 2nd
|
10
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
17
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
2
|
1
|
7
|
-18
|
7
|
6
|
York 1st
|
10
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
6
|
10
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
8
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
-6
|
6
|
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