York City 2, Enfield 1

FA Cup 1st round replay, at Bootham Crescent

York City's Mark Tinkler joins the attack and drifts a header wide of a well-guarded Enfield goal during the first half

Relief, not optimism, was the overwhelming emotion on a night of FA Cup under-achievement for the Minstermen.

The first round replay victory over Enfield ended a morale-sapping run of 52 long days - and even longer nights - since the last conquest. But it was a win of sheer hard labour.

Unrecognisable from the side that played with second-half conviction at Stoke City, this was York City back to their worst.

Awry passing, abysmal drive, abjectly average and all against a side that by rights should not be allowed to carry, let alone lace their boots.

No one can fairly say that, honest though they were, Enfield were tough opposition.

On paper they should have been torn apart, on grass they should have been scattered. Claiming there's little gap between the professional ranks and those of part-timers is just so much guff.

Enfield are not a good team. They work Trojan-like for each other. They battle and scrap like all good underdogs. They refuse to fold at the least threat.

But man for man, team for team, they are not in City's class. Yet, mirroring almost to the identical the events of their first encounter, City found the E's harder to shake off than moss from a riverbank stone.

And unlike at Southbury Road 10 days earlier, Enfield spent the last third of the match reduced to 10 men after have-a-whack striker John Richardson walked for two bookable offences.

Even after twice taking the lead - again shades of the first tussle when City led 2-0 - the Minstermen remained wholly disjointed, bereft of confidence.

Opening signs offered promise. Neil Woods, recalled for his first start in 10 weeks, was a conspicuous presence at the start. Sure, first-time touches enabled City to progress with threat on the edge of the Enfield danger-zone.

After 18 minutes Woods ushered in the breakthrough City's early pressure deserved. He pivoted away from his marker on the edge of the area, where midfielder Scott Jordan took a cool grand look before deliberately potting a curler around a defender and into the net.

City's pressing game in which they dictated the tempo forced Enfield into errors and scrappy clearances.

But pressure of their own, even though it looked illegal when first Steve Agnew and then Gary Himsworth were impeded on the touchline, led to an Enfield leveller.

The impressive Mark Bentley guided the ball from the tangle on to Richard Dunwell. Danger seemed remote, but when he glided past Barry Jones he exploded a shot of exceptional power past Andy Warrington's reach in off the crossbar.

City continued to push on, but their advances were being checked by the white-clad wall erected by the Londoners. And as the skid-pan surface grew slippier underfoot City's hold on the game became more tenuous.

Salvation came from an audacious source. Gordon Connelly's dinked cross was met by an attempted diving header by Cresswell. The City man, his minder Grant Cooper and goalkeeper Pape all fell to the turf.

But despite being on his haunches like an athlete on his starting-blocks Cresswell reacted with Linford Christie timing to impudently back-heel the ball with his back to goal into the opposite corner of the net. Suddenly half-time refreshment was all the more cheering.

Seven minutes into the second-half City gained numerical advantage to add to their lead when Richardson received his second caution for scything down Rory Prendergast in mid-flight. In the first-half he was booked for a hack on Mark Tinkler.

Prendergast, who had induced the foul challenge, was now revelling in ample space down the left, but his final ball alternated between good and poor.

That inconsistent supply typified City's bitty, fitful performance. And with the grizzly Steve Terry pushed upfield to lope like an unhinged barndoor amid the City defence there were enough scares for the home fans to have satisfied Alfred Hitchcock.

The biggest suspense of all was reserved for when Terry launched his mighty frame at a Darren Annon free-kick. His thunderous header left the crossbar rattling in its frame as if smacked by a heavyweight uppercut.

Maybe, just maybe, that is the turning-point City's campaign desperately seeks.

MATCH NOTES

14min: Neat pass from Andy McMillan puts Richard Cresswell in at an angle, but his low shot is well-saved by Andy Pape.

18min: Midfielder Scott Jordan curls in a 20-yard opener after good work by Neil Woods. 1-0.

26min: Richard Dunwell skips past Barry Jones and from 30 yards detonates a screamer past Andy Warrington. 1-1.

45min: Cresswell's accurate header nodded off the line by Darren Annon.

45min: Well into stoppage time Cresswell cutely backheels the ball in from close range. 2-1.

52min: Enfield's John Richardson sent off for second cautionable offence.

64min: Sweeping move featuring Agnew and Prendergast locates Woods, whose header is clutched by Pape.

67min: Crashing Steve Terry header rattles the City crossbar.

84min: Clipped cross by Connelly finds Woods, but his header saved on the line by a diving Pape.

90min: Substitute Rodney Rowe wriggles through, but when his shot is blocked fellow sub Neil Tolson squirts it well wide.

TAP & SPILE MAN OF THE MATCH

Scott Jordan.

Not only did he score the decisive opening goal, but the midfielder's passing did resemble something akin to expertise in anotherwise shabby show.

FAN'S PANEL 1998-9

'Did City deserve to go through?'

Garry Cummings, age 41

They are through but things have got to change. The confidence has gone and we were outplayed by 10 non-league men with fire in their bellies. City were rubbish.

Julian HoIden, age 31

I could not care less whether we deserved it. It would have been nice to have won with some aplomb or style, but the most important thing is we did win. And I like going to Wrexham.

Gary Duncanson, age 17

I thought they did, but Enfield gave us a run for our money and I did not expect them to keep it as tight as they did after going down to 10 men. We just about got it right.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.