York City continued their charge towards the top spot with the three points here this afternoon but they were made to work for it – and were extremely fortunate to keep a clean sheet after Josh Passley’s goal was scrubbed out by referee Alan Dale in circumstances that were best described as contentious.
Josh Wright might have named an unchanged side from last week’s trip to Rochdale but was forced into a goalkeeping change, signing former Maidstone and Braintree goalkeeper Lucas Covolan on an emergency basis after Mark Cousins’ concussion diagnosis.
The Fleet certainly looked the part for the opening 45 minutes and fans could have been confused about who was in promotion form and which team was bottom of the table. Alex Lankshear took the game to York down the left early on before George Moncur’s free-kick landed just out of reach of a red shirt inside the box.
York’s only real threat came with 20 minutes on the clock as former Fleet loanee Ashley Nathaniel-George brought a good save from Covolan before Ollie Pearce put his effort off target.
Franklin Domi made himself a couple of chances but couldn’t keep two efforts on target. As the half-hour approached, Moncur whipped a dangerous ball into the area to pick out the head of Tom Dallison and his touch on to Toby Edser was in a dangerous position but the Fleet skipper’s contact was too light and York cleared their lines.
At the other end, Tyrese Sinclair’s headed effort at the far post could only find the side netting but as half–time approached, Fleet looked like the side with more belief. And they should have gone in ahead, a corner from Moncur met by Josh Passley who climbed highest to nod the ball out of Harrison Male’s reach. The Fleet had celebrated, the goal was announced and the scoreboard turned to one-nil, all before referee Dale had decided he was going to chalk the goal off for presumably Edser standing in an offside position in front of Male.
A slow start to the second-half was soon more of a feisty affair with Dale issuing more yellow cards, having begun reaching into his pocket early in the first-half. Covolan saved well from Sinclair on 51 minutes, just after Anthony Stewart had headed another Moncur corner into the goalkeeper’s hands.
York were getting nowhere and brought on their six-figure signing Josh Stones on 52 minutes although he was well-marshalled by Mustapha Olagunju on the occasion he did battle forward and get sight of goal.
And the visitors took the lead on 65 minutes when they were awarded a penalty after Olagunju’s challenge on Pearce and the league’s leading goalscorer stepped up to convert.
Tensions rose as a nasty challenge from Malachi Fagan-Walcott on the edge of the box left Lankshear needing treatment while appeals from Fleet players went unheard.
Fleet continued to press and another Moncur set-piece set Dallison up for a close-range header that went just over the bar. But York clinched the points on 77 minutes when Joe Felix found space to cross down the left and Pearce’s powerful run and finish made it 2-0.
The red shirts put the pressure on in the final stages of the match and Rakish Bingham saw a shot blocked inside the area while Chapman was hauled over on the 18-yard line as Fleet continued to send in set-pieces but without reward for a really good effort against one of the National League’s leading sides.
EUFC: Covolan, Passley (Chapman 60), Stewart, Olagunju (Manktelow 81), Dallison, Lankshear, Bolger, Edser (Samuel 78), Moncur (Bingham 90), Domi, Cosgrave (Thomas 60). Subs not used: Aoraha, Firth
YCFC: Male, Felix, Fagan-Walcott, Howe, John (Luamba 89), Sinclair (Fallowfield 76), Hunt, Nathaniel-George (Stones 52), Armstrong (John-Lewis 52), Batty, Pearce. Subs not used: Watson, Richardson, Aguiar
Attendance: 1,745
Photos: © EUFC/Ed Miller
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