HYDE LEAVES IT LATE FOR YORK
JOHN Sheridan was looking on the bright side despite seeing Plymouth’s seven-game winning run at Home Park ended by a smash-and-grab raid.
Bobby Reid crowned his return on loan from Bristol City with a deflected thirdminute opener to hand the Pilgrims a dream start.
It looked like it would be enough to claim all three points until Jake Hyde bundled the ball in from close range in the 94th minute to rescue an unlikely point for the Minstermen.
Despite the late setback, Sheridan insists all that was missing from the performance was a second goal to kill York off.
He said:“I am obviously disappointed not to take the three points, but I am very pleased with the way we played. We were excellent. The biggest downer is that we did not take our chances. Some of the performances, if we would of won the game, I would be glowing about them.
“Kelvin Mellor was unbelievable, Andy Kellett and Bobby Reid were both outstanding and I thought that as a team we did everything right other than the last second.
“It is near enough the last kick of the game and unfortunately it ends up in the back of the net.
“They are all down, but I am chuffed with the way we went about how to win the game.”
Plymouth’s opener had a slice of luck about it as Reid skinned Luke Summerfield before his shot took a big deflection off Femi Ilesanmi and sailed over the head of keeper Alex Cisak.
York spurned chances to equalise in the 17th and 35th minute through Keith Lowe and Josh Carson, the latter blasting wastefully over the bar,
The irrepressible Reid almost left Coulson red-faced after he robbed the midfielder before seeing his fierce shot blocked by Cisak.
York looked more solid after the break although Reuben Reid twice tested Cisak with low drives and Lowe blocked Bobby Reid’s piledriver as the Pilgrims probed for a second. Mellor almost conjured a touch of the sublime when his delicate angled chip dropped just the wrong side of Cisak’s right-hand post.
Lewis Alessandra squandered a chance to seal matters in the 86th minute when he turned Stephane Zubar only to blaze over the top.
But there was late drama as Hyde latched on to Diego De Girolamo’s cross and, despite Luke McCormick parrying his initial effort, the striker bundled home the rebound to salvage a point.
York boss Russ Wilcox said: “We deserved a point and it is a fantastic feeling.We conceded a freakish early goal which happens when you are playing against teams at the top of the league
“But we dusted ourselves down and stayed in the match because we knew it could be game over if we conceded a second. “They are a really good side with a good manager so to nick it at the death is so pleasing because it has happened so often to us this season.”