Luckless City crash out

FA Cup second round at Racecourse Ground

Weather: Whiplash winter Wrexham winds

THE lie that fortune favours the brave was cruelly exposed to York City's abject despair at Wrexham.

York City goal scorer Scott Jordan challanges for possession with a Wrexham opponent

After their second round FA Cup exit the Minstermen's wounds were even more painful, the numbers game savaging them with an unremitting vengeance.

Ten seniors wracked by injury ended with eight men still out of the City line-up that took to the Racecourse Ground. Then it became two more down as City closed the tie smacked by two red cards.

The second suffered in the dying embers of a fiery tussle for defender Martin Reed was, in truth, a long time coming. The first for Mark Tinkler, in essence, did for City at a time when they were contemplating another profitable north Wales excursion.

Never could a turning-point have screeched out its influence. It was of finger-nails on the blackboard cringe-worthiness.

Under the rigorous letter of the law referee Frazer Stretton was between a rock and a hard place when a ferocious shot from Neil Roberts cannoned off Tinkler's elbow as it orbited towards the City net.

If the official deemed it was a handball offence then the penalty was two-fold - a spot-kick and a red card for the City stalwart. So it proved, but how Tinkler was supposed to avoid a strike detonated from point-blank range was beyond even the most neutral observers.

The punishment did not fit the crime and certainly did not echo the game's rambunctious spirit, of which City were the major contributors when reduced to ten men.

Up against the odds the visitors were stoic in trying to hold on to parity, gallant in then attempting to force their way back once Wrexham went ahead with a goal that was no stranger to controversy.

The first 20 minutes was evidence of two sides propping up the feeble form table. City, adrift in anchor spot in that particular guide, were not surprisingly tentative in their unfamiliar in a foreign land format, that included a debut for 17-year-old Lee Bullock.

Wrexham, just above their opponents in the form stakes, were nervous in approach, despite going within a yard of scoring after a mere 17 seconds, Karl Connolly's intuitive volley flying a whisker wide.

City's game-plan was to stifle their hosts for the opening spell in which Bullock proved himself a tidy operator.

Then came the first genuine clout. Minutes after Neil Tolson's header was clutched by Mark Cartwright, Gordon Connelly shuffled the ball to Scott Jordan, and with laser-like accuracy, he lashed a skimmer low into the net.

City's glee lasted six minutes. As the ball was pulled back Peter Ward's fizzer was guided away by Reed. Roberts fastened on to the rebound, the ball hammering Tinkler as he lunged.

Frantic protests were waved aside as a stunned Tinkler walked. Seconds later Roberts scuffed in the spot-kick.

Maybe the dismissal had a sense of inevitability about it. Stretton was the referee who sent off Rodney Rowe in the mistaken identity appeal at Millwall, while Tolson also saw red in City's last appearance at Wrexham last April.

Regrouping at half-time Bullock was sacrificed, replaced by Graham Rennison. His only senior experience was 30 minutes at Luton last season when he was sent off on his debut for deliberate handball.

The switch signalled City's brave intent of playing with three centre-backs.

However, with Tolson now in midfield after a brief patrol in central defence, leading scorer Richard Cresswell was left to roam alone as he did in Tolson's enforced absence eight months earlier.

Pressure inevitably cranked up. Jones impressively oversaw the task of steadying the rearguard heroics of the likes of Garratt, Rennison and Reed, whose average age was just 20.

Meanwhile, Mimms - hands adhesive at every corner - shattered home hopes with two saves denying the predatory Karl Connolly, one a fantastic flying leap to his left.

But the duel ended in the striker's favour in the 72nd minute, though even home press-men agreed Connolly appeared at least a yard offside as he lashed Roberts' instant knock-down past Mimms.

City gamely, valiantly, manfully tried to claw back. But cushioned by that lead Wrexham played keep-ball, wisely stretching the Minstermen to lung-snapping distraction.

Reed's dismissal for a half-way line hack on Roberts just piled on the misery. But City's cup hopes dissolved like a snowflake on a lake once Tinkler suffered the worst of a red-letter daze.

MATCH NOTES

1min: Karl Connolly whips in a volley just a yard wide.

16min: Bobby Mimms gathers a corner at the second attempt under pressure from Connolly.

21min: Barry Jones' cross is flick-headed by Neil Tolson. Former York junior keeper Mark Cartwright gathers to his right.

25min: Gordon Connelly teases a pass to Scott Jordan, who slams a 28-yard shot into the net. 0-1.

26min: Mimms makes fine diving save to block Neil Roberts' shot.

31min: In a frantic melee Mark Tinkler is sent off after being judged to have handled Roberts' goal-bound shot. Roberts scores the penalty. 1-1.

58min: Mimms ideally placed to pull down rising shot from Connolly.

59min: Mimms makes flying save to his left to tip over Connolly shot from 15 yards.

72min: Slick move by Wrexham ends with Connolly cracking the ball past Mimms. 2-1.

74min: Dave Brammer's long-ranger belter is beaten away by Mimms.

79min: Cresswell gets in a great cross, but Tolson's volley screws off target.

89min: Martin Reed becomes the second City player sent off for an uglylunge on Roberts.

FAN's PANEL 1998-9

'Did Mark Tinkler deserve to be sent off?'

Gary Chatterton, Age 31

I don't think he did deserve to be sent off. The penalty was sufficient punishment. I think the referee's assessor should be looking at the referee, who is the worst I've ever seen.

Julian Holden, Age 31

No chance. The ball was blasted at him from five yards and just hit him on the elbow. He could not get out of the way.

Gary Duncanson, Age 17

Yes. Having watched it on video he did seem to get both hands behind the ball. The rules say that if it's going in and it strikes your hand then it's a sending off. It maybe a wrong rule but it was still the right decision.

TAP & SPILE MAN OF THE MATCH

Bobby Mimms:

His busiest and his best game yet in City's colours. But for him second-half resistance would have been to no avail. Excellent.

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