Ruthless City too strong for Boro's battling part-timers

Radcliffe Borough offered a potential banana-skin but the Minstermen skated over the UniBond League minnows and into the second round with no shortage of elegance or ease after a devastating first-half showing.

The critics might say 'so what?'. This was a game City were expected to win comfortably against a bunch of part-timers effectively three divisions below the Minstermen.

And the hard to please would also highlight Radcliffe's plucky second-half showing that pushed City on the back foot for periods, brought a consolation goal, saw the City woodwork rattled and kept keeper Alan Fettis busier than he would have liked in the dying embers.

But at 4-0 down the non-league outfit were always going to throw caution to the wind and a sloppy ending for City should not detract from a clinical opening 45minutes, when the Minstermen showed no mercy and were professional in the extreme.

Even the staunchest of critics could not have quibbled at City's barnstorming opening - all four goals were well-worked, quality strikes sketched on the training ground That was perhaps City's problem after the break - standards had been set so high in the first they could not possibly be matched in the second. Had they been as clinical City could quite comfortably have doubled their advantage before Radcliffe had the final word.

In the end though and such is the 'anything can happen' nature of the Cup - and City's recent encounters with the likes of Hereford and Hednesford certainly bares testament that its so-called magic is no myth - City deserve praise for so comfortably coasting through.

Organised, slick and well-oiled, City had obviously done their homework on their part-time hosts and exploited the opposition's obvious aerial flaws at every opportunity.

The returning Graham Potter started the rout bang on three minutes.

Darren Edmondson, also returning to the first team, slung in a deep ball from just inside the Radcliffe half. Neil Tarrant drew three defenders and cushioned it back into the path of Potter who didn't have to break stride to sweetly volley home from the edge of 18 yards.

It was a dream start for City and one that just continued to get better and better as the half progressed.

On eight minutes, Scott Jordan floated in a free-kick and Lee Bullock sunk to his knees to send his looping header floating just wide of the upright.

Radcliffe failed to learn their lesson however and two minutes later the same combination of Jordan and Bullock united again at another free-kick and this time the latter was able to glance the ball inside the post.

The astonishment at the whirlwind opening had still to subside when City went 3-0 up with arguably the best move of the match.

Potter played in Tarrant down the left and the striker delivered a delicious, low cross with speed that was crying out for a finish.

Fortunately for City, top-scorer McNiven arrived with impeccable timing to deliver an even more impeccable finish into the roof of the net.

And still the chances continued to flow for City.

McNiven scuffed a volley wide, skewed an effort over the bar, forced Radcliffe 'keeper Daniel Hurst into two fine saves and then grazed the cross bar

You could only feel pity for Radcliffe's two centre-backs, David Bean and Simon Kelly, who were twisting and turning so much trying to cling to the City front line's coat tails that it was surprising not to see them screwed into the ground.

Jordan grabbed the fourth with a stunning, crisp right-foot volley from the edge of the area as Radcliffe were once again made to pay for failing to clear their lines.

Fettis was finally called into action on 35 minutes when he had to be at full stretch to turn Mark Dempsey's 25-yard free-kick around the post but what was supposed to be a day of celebration for Radcliffe was already a nightmare.

It could have been worse after the break only for City's unerring accuracy in hitting the target to suddenly vanish.

An off-balance Tarrant miscued an effort horribly wide after Hurst could only push Potter's stinging effort into the striker's path, Sertori headed wide from six-yards before Tarrant again flashed a shot across the face of the Radcliffe goal when he should have at least forced a save.

Hurst produced a brave block to deny Bullock, Sertori saw a second header bounce on top of the cross bar twice then substitute Alex Mathie just failed to get a touch to Chris Iwelumo's knock-down.

With more than an hour gone Radcliffe at last started to make an impression

Dempsey, easily their best player, forced Fettis into another finger tip save with a rising drive and a succession of corners suggested a goal might just be coming.

Sertori had time to clear the City lines but perhaps chose to try and play himself out of trouble.

His pass was too short for Edmondson however and when it was whipped into the centre Neill Hardy spun out of a crowd of players with the ball and in the clear and coolly dispatched it into the top right hand corner.

That blot on the City copybook threatened to become a stain as Fettis pulled-off a brilliant save to deny Hardy at the near post and then Simon Carden struck the inside of the post in stoppage time.

But it was all too little and way too late for Radcliffe and in the one sensed the final whistle was welcomed by both teams.

City had been as good as through to the second round after just 16 minutes while Radcliffe had at least erased the red faces of the first-half and had at last given their supporters something to cheer.

City Match Facts

FA Cup - First round proper

Sunday, November 19, 2000

Radcliffe Boro 1, York City 4

York City: Alan Fettis 8, Darren Edmondson 7, Matt Hocking 7, Mark Sertori 7, Wayne Hall 7 (Neville Stamp 66mins, 6), Scott Jordan 6, Lee Bullock 8, David McNiven 8, Chris Iwelumo 6, Neil Tarrant 7 (Alex Mathie 60mins, 6) Graham Potter 8

Subs, not used: Russ Howarth, Colin Alcide, Barry Jones

Bookings: None. Sent-off: None

Radcliffe Borough: Daniel Hurst, Richard Battersby, Tony Whealing (Levi Edwards 85mins), Simon Kelly, David Bean, Mark Dempsey, Ian Lunt (David Collins 80mins), Simon Carden, Scott Wilson (Eammon Kelly 80mins), Neill Hardy, James Price

Subs, not used: Ian Callaghan, Ian Senior.

Bookings: Carden 12mins (foul), Lunt 52mins (foul), Wilson 54mins (foul). Sent-off: None

Evening Press/Unique Pub Man of the Match: Graham Potter: Scored his first goal for City to calm the nerves and then continued to catch the ey with some decisive runs and crosses.

Match Stats

York

Half-time 4

Corners 4

Shots on target 9

Fouls committed 4

Radcliffe Boro

Half-time 0

Corners 5

Shots on target 5

Fouls committed 10

Attendance: 2,495

Referee: Tony Bates (Stoke-on-Trent)

City's next match: Saturday, Nov 25: Kidderminster v York City, at Aggbor-ough Stadium, ko 3pm. Football League Division Three.