It wasn't supposed to be like this. York's first game as a football league club in over a decade should have been a celebratory occasion, a chance to pick up where we left off with the momentum from last season’s heroics and a sense of unity between club and fanbase. Instead, the night ended with the Minstermen faithful chanting for the title-winning manager who was sacked a week ago for reasons that are still unclear.
The shock of the new was everywhere you looked. A new competition for the LNER Community Stadium, emphasised by the advertising hoardings for Carabao Lager. The new man in the York dugout. And even a new-look playing side: only five of the eleven selected here started the game against Rochdale back in April, with Male and Fagan-Walcott having left and Kitching, Boateng and Stones missing through injury. Even among some of those who retained their place there may have been thoughts of new competitors for their position, with Ben Brookes surely unable to ignore the arrival of a new expensive left wing-back just hours before kick-off in the form of Harry Boyes.
Scott Lindsey's first team selection as head coach didn't feel too far from the kind of line-up his predecessor might have selected, with a similar 3-4-2-1 shape, but there were a couple of interesting choices. Dipo Akinyemi was chosen to start up front in Stones’ absence, with Ollie Pearce continuing in his more withdrawn role from last season. Ollie Banks, used almost exclusively in attacking midfield by Stuart Maynard, was selected further back at the base of midfield alongside Alex Hunt, while new midfield recruits Arthur Read and Mark Shelton sat on the bench.
Crawley, fielding a number of debutants themselves, edged the opening exchanges, and City's new keeper Alfie McNally was called into action on 10 minutes to save Malcolm Ebiowei’s low strike from the edge of the area. But York began to grow into the game without creating too much in the way of clear-cut chances: both Pearce and Akinyemi found themselves in good shooting positions but were crowded out by Crawley defenders. Zech Medley showed his aerial threat, rising highest to meet Alex Hunt’s corner, but his header drifted just wide of Vito Mannone’s goal.
Then, on 24 minutes, Medley was at fault as the visitors opened the scoring. He failed to track the run of Crawley right-back Kellan Gordon, leaving Gordon free to advance down the wing before sending in a low cross that Italian striker Gianni Di Biase fired home from close range at the far post. City had McNally to thank for keeping the score at 1-0 just minutes later, as he reacted quickly to palm Ebiowei's goalbound shot around the post. Medley again looked better going forward than defensively in York's only other real opening of the first half, as he exchanged passes neatly with Pearce before sending a cross into the 6-yard box that was blocked.
Akinyemi had cut a frustrated figure in the first period, receiving little service and having limited involvement in build-up play. A few minutes into the second half he had a chance, though, as he met a Brookes free-kick with his head, but the effort was too close to Mannone. Brookes’ deliveries from the left were of mixed quality, and he was replaced by Alex Newby not long into the second half. Crawley made a triple change, meanwhile, most notably replacing goalscorer Di Biase with the more experienced Danilo Orsi.
Both sides were thwarted by the woodwork either side of the hour mark. First, Crawley's left winger Stephen Duke-McKenna was found by a superb crossfield pass by Klaudio Krasniqi, and managed to evade the challenge of Morgan Williams and get a shot away that deflected onto the post. At the other end, Zech Medley continued to be the main character among City's side, meeting Alex Hunt's corner with a thunderous volley that rattled the underside of the crossbar.
Joe Felix was introduced in place of Jack Hunt soon after, and his energy made a difference to City's attacking thrust on the right flank: he slipped both Joe Grey and Alex Hunt through into excellent crossing positions, but the final ball continued to elude the home side. Another chance from an Alex Hunt corner arrived, as a header back across goal found its way to Pearce, but he could only nod the ball into the side netting. Greg Olley was called into action from the bench, with Akinyemi making way and Grey being pushed further forward.
It felt like York had the momentum and were the likelier team to score, with Crawley's possession much lower after the break. But it was the away side who got the next breakthrough: Louie Watson capitalised as City failed to clear their lines, and while he was able to get a shot away which flashed wide, Zak Johnson's late challenge was deemed worthy of a penalty. Orsi stepped up to take the spot-kick, sending McNally the wrong way to seal the win and book Crawley a date with Watford in the 1st Round on Saturday.
As the tie petered out, the York fans - until then quiet rather than restless - made their discontent clear. The chant of “Stuart Maynard’s barmy army”, such a cry of togetherness last season, took on an entirely different tone. While the players applauded the fans as usual after full time, Scott Lindsey walked straight down the tunnel, sensing the mood among fans may not have been receptive to his presence, even if the situation is not of his making. In his post-match interviews he was keen to take positives from the performance where possible, and stress that the real season begins in just under two weeks.
Certainly, it would be unwise to read too much into one game where key players such as Stones and Kitching were absent. It would also be unfair to judge Lindsey too harshly for a performance put in by a side that he's spent very few days on the training ground with. And there were some positives: York improved in the second half and started to dominate the ball, McNally looked solid enough on his debut and couldn't do anything about either goal, and Felix's cameo gave encouraging signs that he can become an important player for us once more.
But the concerns were clear enough to see. The lack of fluency in the final third was a strangely unfamiliar sight: indeed, it's the first game York have failed to score in since Solihull Moors at home last September. City struggled to create anything of note from open play, with their best chances coming from set pieces. Akinyemi's second debut didn't give much weight to the idea that he can slot in seamlessly to replace Stones when needed. The deeper role occupied by Banks didn't nullify his creative threat entirely, but whether he has the required legs to be effective there remains open to question. And defensively we looked alarmingly open at times, particularly down the left side where neither Brookes nor Medley convinced with their positioning.
It's early days for Scott Lindsey at York, and the visit of Bristol Rovers for the start of the League Two campaign will be a fairer test of where his side are at. It's to be expected that any new manager will need time to successfully impose his methods onto the players. We all remember Adam Hinshelwood's first four games in charge, and how unrepresentative they were of his overall time in charge. But with the mood music still uneasy after Maynard's sacking, Lindsey may not have the luxury of time that most new coaches would be afforded. It will take a much more impressive start to the league season than what was served up in this game to start turning down some of the noise.
Lineups
Goalscorers
Crawley: Di Biase (24), Orsi (86 pen)
A good objective report thank you. Vastly better than we get from The Press. What a joy to see Felix back in action.