Jovan Malcolm’s missed penalty saw City miss out on the chance to claim a bonus point in the EFL Trophy group stage after a 1-1 draw with Rotherham. For the third game in succession, a decent first-half showing from City was followed by a less impressive second-half display, as Zech Medley’s headed opener was cancelled out by a Jili Buyabu strike. While the overall performance was an improvement on last week’s loss to Newcastle U21, there will be some concerns about the impact of the game on the Minstermen’s defensive depth after Medley and Jack Hunt were forced off with injuries.
Head coach Scott Lindsey made just one change to the York side that lined up against Newcastle U21 the week before, with Frankie Maguire making his first start for the club in place of Ollie Pearce. Rotherham boss Alex Bruce named a strong side, as well as a bench including several first-team regulars. Maguire looked to have a chance to open the scoring early on when Joe Felix’s cutback from the right found him inside the area, but Rotherham’s Kian Spence slid in to avert the danger.
City made the early running, with Felix combining effectively with Jovan Malcolm on the right to cause problems for the Rotherham defence, but they could not turn territorial dominance into efforts that troubled Millers goalkeeper Ted Cann. Dipo Akinyemi’s strike from the edge of the area flew well over, as did a header by Malcolm when he connected with Arthur Read’s corner. Read then fashioned a chance for himself after outmuscling Spence, but his left-footed shot deflected wide. Rotherham’s only real chance of the half came when Marvin Kaleta emerged with the ball after a tussle with Medley then advanced towards goal, but he dragged his shot well wide.
The game took on a stop-start rhythm as the first half wore on, with injuries forcing off Ewan Otoo for Rotherham and then City’s Jack Hunt. The relative strengths of the two benches were reflected in the players who came on in their stead: while Rotherham introduced Denzel Hall, signed a year ago from Heerenveen having made 29 appearances in the Dutch top flight, Lindsey threw on 18-year-old forward Ben Farrar to play in an unfamiliar left wing-back role. Farrar applied himself well to the task, though, making use of his pace at times to neutralise the visitors’ attacks down the right.
With the half threatening to peter out after those stoppages, Maguire showed neat footwork before sending a chipped attempt towards goal that Cann palmed over the bar, and it was from the resulting corner that York broke the deadlock. Read, showcasing again his accurate dead ball delivery, sent in an inswinging cross from the right, and the unmarked Medley rose to nod home into the far corner. There was still time for a further forced substitution before the break when the Millers’ Fábio Tavares went down injured and was replaced by Aaron Nemane, but City took a deserved 1-0 lead into the interval.
As in last Tuesday’s defeat to Newcastle U21, York couldn’t maintain their first-half superiority after the break, and on 57 minutes Rotherham were level. A headed clearance by Ash Palmer was pounced on by Millers midfielder Josh Austerfield - introduced as a half-time substitute - and he played the ball forward to Kaleta whose one-touch pass set Buyabu through on goal. The loanee from Sheffield United made no mistake, sending a low finish past a static George Sykes-Kenworthy and into the far corner of the net.
The momentum had shifted towards the visitors, and this was compounded when further substitutions changed the make-up of the two teams: Rotherham introduced first-team regulars Paul Mullin and Ossama Ashley, while City blooded academy players Ollie Belleh and Luka Ozisik. Bruce’s side twice came close to finding a winner late on, first when Jayce Fitzgerald’s well-struck free kick from range hit the side netting, then when Buyabu fired over after being sent through on goal by Mullin’s lofted pass. In stoppage time, there was a fresh injury concern for York when Medley was forced off with a hamstring issue.
The match ended level after 90 minutes, meaning that for just the second time since moving to the LNER Community Stadium, City would take part in a penalty shootout on home turf. The first six spot-kicks were all converted. For York, Read sent Cann the wrong way, Akinyemi hit his penalty straight down the middle, then young Ethan Stiver calmly found the bottom left corner, while Sykes-Kenworthy got close to Mullin’s strike but was sent the wrong way by Fitzgerald and Rafferty.
Someone had to miss eventually, and the culprit this time was Malcolm, whose stuttered run-up was followed by a curled attempt that struck the right-hand post. Hall converted for Rotherham, then Farrar did the same for York, but Buyabu sealed a 5-4 win in the shootout and a bonus point for the visitors by beating Sykes-Kenworthy for a second time, sending a confident finish into the top right corner.
The match is unlikely to live long in the memory of the 1,955 fans in attendance, other than for witnessing the novelty of a penalty shoot-out taking place after a group stage fixture. There were some positive signs to take from York’s performance, particularly in the first half, with Read’s solid display perhaps giving Lindsey food for thought about his midfield selection for Saturday’s game with Gillingham, and the likes of Felix, Malcolm and Maguire showing plenty of industry if not quite finding an end product to match. Plus, the value of more minutes against senior opposition for young prospects like Stiver and Farrar cannot be understated. City will just have to hope that the injuries sustained by Hunt and Medley can be shaken off as quickly as fans forget this game.
