U15s Wakefield 1-7 York

York travelled to Wakefield and continued their run of good form. In what turned out to be a very entertaining game, a bright and energetic start for York saw Ben Armitage fire in a shot that went over the crossbar. Dom Weston saw plenty of the ball early on, also going close with a left footed strike. After ten minutes, a foul on Weston on the edge of the area led to York taking the lead. Seb Holowkiewicz’s hard and low free kick beat the wall and keeper to put his team 1-0 ahead. York moved the ball quickly on the slick surface and were soon two goals to the good. Holowkiewicz’s deep corner was met perfectly by Jack Cottam, who headed home at the far post. York were enjoying themselves and playing confidently. A Ben Garbutt-Smith run at pace saw him play in Harry Fort, whose shot was well saved. Fort then returned the favour and set up Garbutt-Smith but his attempt at goal was also saved by the Wakefield keeper. Adam Nganga, looking skilful and tricky on the right, put in a cross, Garbutt-Smith shooting narrowly wide. York were well and truly in the ascendancy when Wakefield capitalised on an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration to score and half the deficit – their striker found himself through on goal and beat the advancing York goalkeeper Jacob Bryant to score. This only served to spur York into a further flurry of attacking football. Weston fired the ball across goal and found Nganga who hit the post. Nganga then beat four men on a fantastic run of pace and power before going close with a left footed drive. York’s third came about when Nganga played a lovely weighted ball into the feet of Weston who tucked the ball past the keeper with a sublime flick of the right foot. 3-1 to York and well deserved. A nice piece of close skill in the area and a left footed hook from Nganga was pushed out by the busy Wakefield keeper before Holowkiewicz’s corner was put narrowly over the crossbar by Garbutt Smith. York’s desire to push home their advantage saw them finish the half on the attack. Cameron Wakerley got on the end of Bryant’s long kick, beat his man on the edge of the area and shot with his right foot but saw the ball clear the crossbar.

Half time score 3-1 to York.

Second half and more of the same intent and drive from York as they looked to put the game out of reach. Fort hit a shot that skimmed the crossbar before a long throw from Billy Hobson found Weston who skilfully picked out Garbutt Smith. His cool, side-footed finish into the bottom corner gave the keeper no chance and the big striker a deserved goal. 4-1 to the visitors. Nganga beat three men after cutting in from the right. His left footed shot was saved but Garbutt Smith was alert and pounced on the rebound to score his second and his team’s fifth. 5-1. Garbutt Smith wasn’t finished and he completed his hat trick when he headed home at the far post following a delicious left footed chip across goal by Hobson. A Wakerley cross was then headed against the crossbar before the same player laid a pass off to Holowkiewicz. The skipper struck a vicious right footer which the Wakefield keeper saved with a spectacular dive. Fort curled a left footed effort just over before a forceful, determined run from defender Alex Gilbey, bursting from half way and beating three men, created a chance for Nganga. Unfortunately for York, his effort was just off target. Weston rounded things off for York with just under five minutes remaining when his deflected shot spun up and looped over the beaten keeper for his second and York’s seventh.

Final score: Wakefield 1-7 York

Man of the Match: Ben Armitage – tackles, energy, good awareness, tidy footwork. A confident performance in the midfield engine room to help build the foundations for a dominant team display.

Scorers: Holowkiewicz, Cottam, Weston (2), Garbutt Smith (3).

Strong performances also from a number of players including Harry Fort, who kept things ticking over with his tidy passing and prompting in midfield; Alex Gilbey, who is finding good form on his return from injury; and Seba Holowkiewicz, who was involved in a lot of what was good about York today.