 |
| CITY
| 3-2
| Everton |
| Tolson 35, Bull 57,
Murty 86 |
|
Rideout 24, Speed 90 |
| Attendance: 7,854 |
|
 |
City win 4-3 on
aggregate
CITY: Warrington,
McMillan, Hall, Pepper, Sharples, Barras, Murty, Randall, Tolson, Bull,
Stephenson. Subs (not used):
Bushell, Clarke, Cresswell.
Booked: Barras (foul) 46.
Everton: Southall,
Barrett, Hinchcliffe, Unsworth, Stuart, Rideout (Branch 46), Speed, Limpar,
Kanchelskis, Parkinson, Hottiger. Subs (not used):
Gerrard, Jackson.
Booked: None.
Referee: Stephen
Lodge (Barnsley).
Shots on target: CITY
5, Everton 2.
Corners: CITY 1, Everton 1.

[ Photos on this page available from the Evening Press. For more information,
contact: photosales@ycp.co.uk
]
York City completed another miraculous cup giant-killing act
by defeating Everton 4-3 on aggregate after a sensational 3-2 win at Bootham
Crescent in which they totally out-played their Premiership opponents.
Having drawn
at Goodison after a solid defensive display, City were boosted by
the early
news that both Craig Short and Duncan Ferguson would not
play for Everton in the second leg of the tie owing to injury but
all the same, Everton's side still included eight full
internationals including the entire defence. Meanwhile for City,
Wayne Hall was recalled at left back in place of the injured Gary
Himsworth.
The voiciferous sell-out home
crowd could sense a shock coming early on as City started brightly, playing
some fantastic flowing football and clearly unsettling the Mersysiders. The
game was little more than a minute-old when Graeme Murty, whose pace was
causing Everton all kinds of problems, made a surge towards the visitors'
penalty area and sent an intelligent ball through to Neil Tolson that was
cleverly intercepted by Earl Barrett and City followed that attack with
another as Everton gave the ball away cheaply in midfield and Adie Randall
seized the opportunity to run at the Everton defence, jinking past Mark
Hottiger before unleashing a superb low drive that was well saved by Neville
Southall.
However midway through the first
half Everton gradually settled, although they were still second best to a
rampant City, and mustered some shots on Andy Warrington's goal as Gary
Speed - one of the worst players on the pitch, wasted a couple of chances
before former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis got away from
Wayne Hall and sent a shot racing across the face of goal. Shortly
afterwards, Everton took the lead against the run of play as Joe Parkinson's
shot hit John Sharples and Paul Rideout was first to the loose ball to hook
home and put Everton in front.
City
took that set-back on the chin and fought back immediately to
equalise as they piled on the pressure and drew themselves level
after 35 minutes when Andy McMillan's free-kick forced Southall to
punch clear under pressure from John Sharples and when the ball fell
at the feet of Adrian Randall he showed great skill to take himself
clear of the Everton defence before sending an inch perfect low
cross into the penalty area for Neil Tolson to crash the ball home
from a few yards out and suddenly, City's dream of another major cup
upset didn't look so unlikely - especially as they kept up their
unrelentless siege on the Toffeemen's goal and should have
deservedly taken the lead minutes later as Paul Stephenson saw his
low cross well cut out by the Everton defence before he sent a low
shot into the side netting with Neil Tolson unmarked in the middle.
The second half was to be even
better for City as they carved out chance after chance against their
Premiership opponents which was to see City go on to earn a deserved win. It
was Everton who were first to threaten, however, as substitute Michael
Branch's pace and skill caused the City defence problems and the 17-year-old
sent a looping shot just over the bar after a superb mazey run. That proved
to be a rare Everton attack, however, as City got their game together and
took a fully deserved lead when, after Tolson initially shot wide, City
continued to venture forward and an exquisite pass from Andy McMillan found
Paul Stephenson who twisted and turned before sending a superb curling shot
against the post from the edge of the box but fortunately for City Gary Bull
pounced to despatch the ball into the net from close range for his first
goal of the season.
On the back of that boost, City
went in search of more goals as stunned Everton made the costly mistake of
allowing City to play their routine low passing game and the Minstermen came
agonisingly close to extending their lead moments later as McMillan linked
up with Murty and his brilliant run and skill set up Nigel Pepper and his
cracking low drive was well saved by veteran keeper Southall before McMillan
sprayed another glorious pass out to Tolson who saw his breath-taking lob
float just over the Everton bar.
Everton,
facing defeat and humiliation suddenly woke up and began to venture
forward but
found City's defence in inspirational form whilst their
shooting was nothing short of wayward as Speed, Kanchelskis and
Limpar wasted good chances before little Michael Branch took a
tumble in the City area which referee Steve Lodge chose to quite rightly ignore. In the
meantime City had one last attack up their sleeve as Wayne Hall fed
Stephenson and his brilliant turn and cross-field ball sent Graeme
Murty away as he muscled his way past Andy Hinchcliffe to stab the
ball past Southall from 10-yards.
The goal brought a huge sigh of relief to the Bootham Crescent
faithful - despite a backheeled goal from Gary Speed in the last
minute after Michael Branch's shot had be
en deflected, everyone in
the crowd knew it would be City who were to progress to the third
round of the Coca Cola Cup. City went on to draw Leicester in the third
round but went down 2-0 at home to the eventual winners in a hard
fought contest. Still nobody could deny that City deserved glory
against Everton as chants of 'are you Scarborough in disguise' rang
around Bootham Crescent.
Here is the ITV 'Late Night Goal'
commentary from the game by John Helm, as Graeme Murty cuts through the Everton
defence to put York 3-1 up and seal City's win. It can be a bit difficult at
times to make out exactly what John is saying due to all the whistles from the
Longhurst stand with the game at 2-1 in the 89th minute. He says "They
really have battled their socks off York City. Stephenson - he's played
well...and he angles a great ball through the middle for Murty. There's trouble
here for Hinchcliffe. Murty goes on and on and on and on and into the net and
York City are surely going through to the next round of the Coca Cola Cup. The
name is Graeme Murty."