Amaranth miss out by odd goal in York

York Corinthians 2 Amaranth Manstonians 1

A first half equaliser from Andy Mannion wasn’t quite enough to earn a share of the spoils in this afternoon’s friendly on the 4G at York College. The home side snatched victory with 5 to go in an entertaining end-to-end encounter.
Amaranth had the first chance of the game as Andy Mannion broke free of the defence on the right of the box but his cross-shot was parried away to safety by the keeper.
It was York who looked most threatening in the early part of the game and a curling effort from the edge of the box smacked the cross bar, rebounded off O’Brien’s head & Sleightholm cleared to safety. It was only a temporary reprieve as two minutes later an unchallenged cross on the left was headed home by York’s big centre forward who was causing the away defence a lot of problems.
It was a tricky period of the game for Amaranth as York started to overrun the overworked midfield and balls forward were coming straight back.
They hung in there and scored the goal of the game as a sweeping move from the back involving half the team ended with Pugh slipping in Mannion and this time the speedy forward made no mistake, beating the on-rushing keeper with aplomb.
It was almost two just before the break after the Amaranth forward pair of Pugh and Mannion broke together with Pugh electing to pass rather than take on the last defender and on the stretch Mannion’s effort was blocked by the on rushing keeper.
HT 1-1
Amaranth made four changes at the break with debutant Simon Parker taking his place up front alongside Pugh with Mannion dropping back into midfield.
The second half panned out in much the same way as first with York enjoying the lion’s share of the possession and keeping O’Brien busy and hitting the bar in a series of attacks.
However it was Amaranth and Pugh who had two great chances to take the lead. Parker twice turned the Ball round the corner, once getting clattered in the process, to set Pugh scampering through on the right only to be foiled on both occasions by the Home goalie who was out quickly to smother the danger.
The sucker punch came with just five to go as York’s man of the Match struck his second goal of the game, making himself space on the edge of the box and curling beyond O’Brien into the corner leaving the despairing keeper routed to the spot.
A late corner for Amaranth came to nothing and for the third game running, the men from East Leeds lost by the odd goal.
FT: 2-1
Team: O’Brien; Ismay (Spence HT), Wood, Jinks (Bagley HT), Sleightholm; Morley, Blaskett (Parker HT), Heaton, Whittaker (Bentley HT); Mannion, Pugh
Goal: Mannion
Assist: Pugh
Man of the Match: Wood - solid display, composed on the ball and some crucial challenges
Votes: Woody 5, Spider 4, Jay 3, Andy 1, Tony 1