York came into the match fresh off a hard fought 3-2 victory in Leeds, but could they do it on a cold rainy Wednesday night in Benton?
The answer to this question would ultimately prove to be a resounding “Yes,” as York romped to a commanding 0-4 victory. Newcastle did not go down without a fight, however, enjoying most of the possession in the match’s opening stages and heaping pressure on their opponents.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t quite capitalize on the early pressure and York began to find their feet, creating the first major chance of the game with a shot over the bar after a quarter of an hour. This led to a period of York dominance, but Newcastle’s resolute defense and pace-filled counters kept them very much in the conversation.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and York broke the deadlock from a short corner just before halftime. While the initial shot was well saved by keeper James Cameron, the flurry of rebounds proved to be too much for him to keep out and York took a narrow 0-1 lead into the halftime break.
Things fell apart for Newcastle in the second half
Things fell apart for Newcastle in the second half. York flew out of the gates with all guns blazing, creating chance after chance, and keeping Newcastle pinned back.
The watershed moment came ten minutes into the second half as York finally bundled the ball over the line, making good on the previous ten minutes of dominance. This opened the floodgates and two more goals quickly followed, putting York firmly in the driver’s seat with twenty minutes remaining.
This is not to say that Newcastle went completely without opportunities. The second half saw the trailing side squander two short corners alongside a handful of other attacking breaks. Despite these bright sparks, Newcastle was firmly outclassed for the majority of the game.
Speaking after the match, club media secretary Freddy Handy told us that “We started off absolutely incredibly, but our heads went down after the first goal and unfortunately that’s the way it goes really.”
He promised that the team would come back stronger though
He promised that the team would come back stronger though, promising that “We’ll be back, and I think we took a lot of things out of this game that we can take on for the rest of the season.”
Two other matches were played out between Newcastle and York on Wednesday. York Ladies Ones edged out a narrow 3-2 victory over Newcastle’s fourth side, and the men’s third side also found themselves defeated 1-0 on what turned out to be a productive trip north for York hockey.
The Twos return on November 2 with a Varsity Derby against Northumbria University at the fortress that is Longbenton Sports Ground. They will be joined there by the Women’s first team, who will face Oxford Brookes, where a win will see them move up to second in their division. The men’s first team, who currently sit second in the Northern Men’s first tier, are next in action on the same day away to title rivals Leeds University.