Agnew spurs City revival to avoid taking wooden spoon

York City 0, AIRDRIE 1

Snooze control to black and blue out of control yanked a nondescript Anglo-Scottish clash out of York City's reach.

Both sides were stumbling along in a non-event of a first-half when a penalty and a punch-up awakened crowd and teams briefly from their slumber.

By the finish of the flare-up each outfit was a man down - City's captain for the day Steve Agnew and Diamonds' defender Jimmy Sandison both sent off.

The skirmish, which at one point had substitutes and management teams on the pitch, some bristling, others peace-making, erupted after Sandison tackled Agnew and then became the filling in a sandwich between City's newcomer and Alan Pouton.

Agnew and Sandison walked, to the dismay of rival managers City's Alan Little and Alex MacDonald.

Such an outburst had been so totally out of synch with the action that preceded it and followed as, down to ten men apiece, the game died a death in the second-half, the respective depleted ranks visibly tiring and out of ideas as well as energy.

The only talking point of the first-half before the maul to arms was the penalty incident in the 41st-minute upon which victory ultimately hinged.

Andy Warrington came to the edge of his area to challenge Gareth Evans. He faltered rather than fell, but the spot-kick was awarded.

Warrington guessed the right way again, but Gordon Connelly's penalty was battered, not Batty, to nestle into the net.

Few could carp at Airdrie's eventual win. They were brisk and competent, other than failing to supply airforce leader Steve Cooper with an adequate service.

Apart from sparks of class from pre-dismissal Agnew, City lumbered off the pace. Richard Cresswell had the best chance after being brilliantly put clear by Wayne Hall, but his toe-poke was blocked by veteran 'keeper John Martin.

YORK CITY: Warrington, McMillan, Thompson, Pouton, Jones, Agnew, Himsworth (Dawson 46min), Tinkler (Garratt 75), Woods (Rowe 61), Cresswell (Tolson 62), Hall.

AIRDRIE: Martin, Stewart, Jack (McCann 21), Sandison, D Farrell (Black 63), Johnstone, Connelly, Wilson, Cooper, Evans (Moore 61), Smith.

Referee: Craig Barker (York).

Attendance: 549.

Williams cracker clinches it

BARNSLEY 0, SCARBOROUGH 1

One of German goalkeeper Lars Leese's magic moments of Barnsley's solitary top-flight season was defying a Liverpool attack of Owen, Fowler and compatriot Riedle.

Yet he could do nothing about the 53rd-minute incision from raider in chief Gareth Williams as Scarborough got City's tournament off to a seaside special.

Williams, who had a curling shot pawed clear by Leese in a first-half of one clear-cut opening for each of the protagonists, finally hit the mark eight minutes into the second-half. It was a route one approach alien to Boro's admirable passing game, but it was so effective.

A lump upfield from 'keeper Tony Elliott was misjudged by Tykes defender James Dudgeon. Williams, top scorer on the east coast with 14 goals last term, buried the ball under the Leese hand system. A one-two literally out of the blue sky.

On possession it was no less than Boro deserved. They passed and played with neatness, suiting former City left-back Paddy Atkinson right down to the lush turf he once graced. But for all the movement Boro's Elliott was the more engaged 'keeper. He made four smart saves to foil Barnsley ranks brimming with teenagers and trainees.

His most notable stop was reserved for second-half substitute Curtis Bernard. Clad in Ronaldo-type boots he sped through past Boro's Frenchman Alex Marinkov only for Elliott to smother.

Boro also benefited from the experience of 'trialist' Jamie Hoyland. He is likely to sign for the club as the replacement for veteran Ian Snodin, whose appointment as Doncaster Rovers' new player-manager is days away from confirmation.

Barnsley: Leese, Sidebottom, Bassinder, Goodyear (Bernard 54min), Crookes, Gudgeon, Gregory, Kennedy (Parkin 46), Rose (Ravenhill 64), Smith, Bagshaw.

Scarborough: Elliott, Hoyland (Carr 67), Marinkov, Worrall, Lydiate, Bullimore, Russell (Jackson 46), Brodie (Robinson 54), Williams, Campbell (Tate 60), Atkinson.

Referee: Tony Harteveld (York).

Agnew spurs City revival to avoid taking wooden spoon

YORK CITY 3, BARNSLEY O

Powers of recovery were demonstrated by York City to ease away from wooden spoon embarrassment in the four-team tournament.

Pre-weekend grand plans would have pencilled in the Minstermen for an appearance in yesterday's final. But Airdrie scuppered that design with their Saturday scrapped-out success.

City were not countenancing a second slip-up in the Sunday opener against teen appeal Barnsley.

From minute one a much-changed side laid siege to the Tykes goalmouth and had chances been taken the margin of victory could have been double figures rather than just 3-0.

Saturday's sluggishness - compounded by the greater fitness of the Diamonds, who are deeper into their pre-season preparations - was brushed aside by a zippier approach from the hosts.

At the heart of the revival was midfielder Steve Agnew. Dismissed against Airdrie after only half a game he responded energetically and with no little elegance. His first full 90 minutes on home turf was one of authority.

City were also aided by the appearance of a brace of 'trialists' in wing-back positions - on the left Rory Prendergast playing against his old club and on the right, Bermudian David Alleyn making his debut after being released from Livingston. Their presence and comfort in possession afforded a stronger balance to City, who hemmed in the Oakwell youngsters from virtually start to finish.

The one surprise was that both teams were deadlocked at half-time. City trialist 'keeper Matthew Boswell had just one token shot to save, City meanwhile peppered Tykes' custodian Tony Bullock, who was as alert as a ferret. Of five saves in the first-half the best was a double-stop to deny Neil Tolson, while Lane's 20-yard skimmer hit the base of an upright.

One-way dominance continued after the break, Bullock beating out Alan Pouton's penalty after Lane had been felled. But the cracks were beginning to fissure. When substitute Richard Cresswell was bundled over Agnew arrowed in a 64th-minute spot-kick.

Two minutes later City's first-year professional Martin Garratt was in glee kingdom after a goal combining power and placement screamed from 20 yards into the roof the net.

Veteran Neil Woods then wrapped up the win with an expert finish volleying the ball less than a second after it had come off his chest.

York City: Boswell, McMillan (Reed 66), Thompson (Rennison 53), Pouton, Tinkler, Garratt, Lane (Dawson 75), Agnew, Tolson (Woods 61), Rowe (Cresswell 61), Prendergast.

Barnsley: Bullock, Crookes, Bassinder, Ravenhill, O'Callaghan (Parkin 55), Dudgeon, Bagshaw (Kennedy 57), Cataroche, Bernard, Smith (Siddall 64), Goodyear (Rose 20).

Referee: Craig Barker (York).

Attendance: 608.

Seasiders are spot-on after ex-City man Cooper misses in shoot-out

AIRDRIE 4, SCARBOROUGH 4 (Boro won 5-4 on penalties)

What drama and what an unhappy return for former York City aerial ace Steve Cooper.

Airdrie's 'Cooperman', who soared north of the border from Bootham Crescent four seasons ago, had the ideal chance to seal tournament conquest.

Had he converted the fifth penalty in a tense shoot-out honours would have gone to the Diamonds. But Cooper's spot-kick sailed over the crossbar, as high as one of his prodigious leaps.

Five penalties later Scarborough's French import Alex Marinkov hammered the Seasiders to victory. Ces't la vie, so to speak.

The shoot-out twist and turns mirrored the see-sawing nature of the previous 90.

Boro made the early inroads, swarming all over Airdrie, Wayne Bullimore's corner lashed in by Liam Robinson and then ex-York City starlet Chris Tate spearing a pass into the path of Gareth Williams to sweep home.

Black-shirted shadows of their previous encounter with City Airdrie were reeling. But enter Cooper.

Just before half-time a scramble following a goal-line clearance of a Cooper header led to Kenny Black smashing in a penalty. Just before half-time Cooper's presence paved the way for a Jimmy Sandison leveller.

Hardly had the second-half started when Gareth Evans nodded Airdrie ahead and though Bullimore's penalty brought Boro back Cooper delivered another looping header to sail into the net.

It needed a mix-up in the Airdrie defence to let in Steve Brodie to make it 4-4 and drag the goal-fest into a spot-kick test, which Boro passed no thanks to Marinkov's cool and successful efforts from two other City old boys Neil Campbell and Paddy Atkinson.SCARBOROUGH: Buxton, Jackson, Atkinson, Worrall (Russell 56), Carr (Radigan 63), Marinkov, Robinson (Brodie 56), Hoyland, Williams, Tate (Campbell 56), Bullimore.

AIRDRIE: Martin (Thomson 46), Stewart, Johnstone, Sandison (McCann 46), D Farrell, Black (Taylor 46), G Farrell (Connelly 46), Wilson, Cooper, Mackay, Moore (Evans 46).

Referee: Tony Harteveld (York).

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