Lonsdale came a distant second in the college winner’s tie with York’s Derwent side. The Lancaster league winners were missing some key players, in particular the threat posed by lethal striker Josh Duggan. As a result their team which included B and C league players looked disjointed from the outset and struggled to contain their more organised opposition.
At half-time the game was over as a contest with Derwent racing into a 2-0 lead. The Lonsdale defence looked porous in a tough first half where the midfield afforded them limited protection from the waves of black and blue attackers. The second goal proved it was not to be Lonsdale’s day as Lee Osborne punted the ball beyond his own ‘keeper as a breakdown in communication proved costly; much to the amusement of the assembled York crowd.
The second period followed a similar pattern with Lonsdale unable to string together a concerted period of possession to pressurise the Derwent back four. Even the introduction of the maverick James Brafield, an unused substitute from the university third team failed to turn the tide. Despite his talent, Lonsdale were unable to provide any service to the bustling front man and Derwent remained comfortable throughout.
With the contest drawing to a close, Derwent added a third after a fine piece of wing play resulted in a tap in for the centre-forward. It was then a case of the Lonsdale goalkeeper providing a one man exhibition of shot stopping to prevent the score line from getting more conclusive. As the referee brought the game to a halt, the score was 3-0 to Derwent and York collected another point to their overall Roses tally.
