York City will not be returning to Wembley in the FA Trophy final this season after being knocked out by Barrow last night.

The Minstermen went down 2-1 in the Holker Street quarter-final, leaving Martin Foyle’s men without a victory for four games.

Substitute Richard Pacquette netted for the visitors on 70 minutes after Barrow had seized the initiative through first-half Phil Bolland and Jason Walker efforts.

The Bootham Crescent club then bombarded the Bluebirds’ penalty box but could not find a second goal to bring the tie back to North Yorkshire. City manager Foyle made four changes to his side following Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Eastbourne.

Jamie Clarke was handed his debut in midfield with Ben Purkiss, Djoumin Sangare and Kevin Gall also earning recalls to the starting line-up.

Dropped trio Daniel Parslow, Michael Gash and Neil Barrett were all named on the bench, while Luke Graham was not included in Foyle’s squad of 16.

City striker Michael Rankine wastefully blasted a free-kick straight into the home defensive wall with the first chance of the night before Barrow broke the deadlock in the fifth minute.

Paul Rutherford raided down the right wing and delivered a dangerous cross to the near post, where Bolland stole in front of Sangare to head the Cumbrians in front from five yards.

At the other end, an off-balance Rankine sliced wide from the edge of the box but hopeful long balls from Purkiss were the height of City’s first-half creative efforts.

Michael Ingham tipped a Carlos Logan free-kick over his bar after Sangare had wrestled Walker to the ground and the City ’keeper then reacted quickly to save from Bolland after he had dropped Rutherford’s in swinging corner.

Centre-back Sangare, enduring a nightmare return to the Minstermen back four, then conceded a calamitous penalty.

The Frenchman’s poor clearance only found Logan on the right flank and, when he returned the ball into the visitors’ box, Sangare clattered into Walker with a waist-high challenge.

Walker made no mistake from the spot on 35 minutes, stuttering deliberately to delay his kick before placing the ball beyond Ingham’s dive to the right.

Winger Logan also drove over from 30 yards before Sangare almost made amends with a header from Chris Carruthers’ cross that narrowly cleared the bar.

City started the second half in similarly sluggish fashion and, following a series of needlessly conceded free kicks from the visitors, Levi Mackin picked up his eighth yellow card of the season.

On 59 minutes, Carruthers’ feeble 20-yard attempt failed to stretch home ’keeper Tim Deasy and, soon afterwards, an unimpressed Foyle made a triple substitution.

Michael Gash, Pacquette and Neil Barrett were all introduced with Carruthers, Rankine and Mackin making way.

City’s substitutions appeared to have the desired effect with Barrett going close from 25 yards before Pacquette reduced the deficit on 70 minutes.

The ball broke to Pacquette after a determined Sangare bulldozed his way through the middle of the park and the former Havant and Waterlooville striker sidefooted confidently past an advancing Deasy from ten yards.

City then threw caution to the wind in an all-out onslaught to force a replay.

Aside from a Blundell raid on the counter-attack that James Meredith expertly snuffed out, the Minstermen were camped in the home side’s half for the final 20 minutes.

Adam Smith, though, disappointingly missed the target after tiptoeing into an excellent shooting position on 89 minutes and Pacquette also saw a stoppage-time effort bounce wide after he lifted the ball over an advancing Deacy.


Match facts

Barrow 2 (Bolland 5, Walker 35 pen,), York City 1 (Pacquette 70)

York City: Michael Ingham 6, Ben Purkiss 6, Djoumin Sangare 5, David McGurk 7, James Meredith 6, Adam Smith 5, Levi Mackin 6, Jamie Clarke 6, Chris Carruthers 5, Kevin Gall 5, Michael Rankine 5.

Substitutions: Michael Gash for Carruthers (64, 6), Richard Pacquette for Rankine (64, 7), Neil Barrett for Mackin (64, 7). Not used: Josh Mimms, Daniel Parslow.

Key: 10 – Faultless; 9 – Outstanding; 8 – Excellent; 7 – Good; 6 – Average; 5 – Below par; 4 – Poor; 3 – Dud; 2 – Hopeless; 1 – Retire.

City’s star man: David McGurk – maintained his usual standards.


Barrow: Tim Deasy, Simon Spender, Paul Jones, Phil Bolland, Gareth Jelleyman, Paul Rutherford, Robin Hulbert, Andy Bond, Carlos Logan, Jason Walker, Gregg Blundell (Simon Wiles 88).

Subs (not used): Stuart Tomlinson, Mark Boyd, Darren Sheridan, Dave Bayliss.


Booked: Sangare 34, Mackin 55, Ingham 87.

Referee: Michael Naylor (Sheffield).

Attendance: 1,525 (66 from City).

Shots on target: Barrow 4, City 2.

Shots off target: Barrow 1, City 11.

Corners: Barrow 5, City 4.

Fouls conceded: Barrow 13, City 17.

Offsides: Barrow 1, City 2.