Toothless York are worrying for Wilcox
YORK CITY manager Russ Wilcox got exactly what he expected when his side met fellow struggles Carlisle United – a ‘desperate’ 90 minutes of football.
In a game low on quality and full of tension, the two sides played out a stalemate and each moved a point further clear of the League Two drop zone.
And the Bootham Crescent pitch became a talking point for both managers after the game, with Wilcox admitting that his team can’t play how he wants them to at home – with the Minstermen having won just two matches there all season follwing this result.
“It panned out how I thought it would, with two teams down the bottom of the league who are scrapping for their lives,” Wilcox said.
“We were nervous on a difficult pitch to say the least.
“I want my team to play football but we simply can’t at home, we have to be so much more direct.
“It was never going to be a terrific football game between two sides who are desperate for points.
“If I’m being honest, it was a desperate game. I felt there was a key foul on Shaq Coulthirst that should have been a red card, rules are rules.”
The game provided very little in the way of clear-cut chances throughout between two evenly-matched sides, and the fact it took half an hour for the first shot on target suggested just how tense the game was.
That was a huge chance for Carlisle though – a clever Jason Kennedy freekick found its way to Charlie Wyke at the back post, but he could only head straight at Bobby Olejnik.
York improved slightly after the break as debutant Coulthirst, signed on loan from Tottenham during the week, and Emile Sinclair both had chances cleared off the line.
But Carlisle scrambled superbly to keep the game scoreless, before more late pressure ultimately proved fruitless for the Minstermen too.
Carlisle boss Keith Curle was equally as uncomplimentary about the York pitch after the game, but declared himself content with a precious point on the road.
“I’m happy with a point; it’s one more than we had at the start of the day,” said Curle.
“It’s pleasing to see the players believe they can keep a clean sheet away from home.
“We told the players they wouldn’t have time to settle and take a touch too often on this pitch, and it proved so.
“It was bobbling around on the pitch all afternoon, although I don’t think it suits them either.
“It could cause them a problem in the remaining fixtures they’ve got.
“I wanted us to walk away from the game with a point minimum, and I thought we were good value for it.”