York City 2 Newcastle 1

By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor

At Bootham Crescent

 

 

York City 2 (Straker 16, Trialist A 20)

Newcastle United 1 (Perez 75)

 

Newcastle United suffered a 2-1 defeat away at York City in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday night.

Two goals in four first-half minutes from Anthony Straker and Trialist A gave the League Two side a comfortable lead at the break.

And although Ayoze Perez halved the deficit midway through the second period with his first goal of the pre-season campaign, the Magpies were unable to get back on level terms.

Straker edged York ahead when he fortuitously scooped the ball over goalkeeper Karl Darlow from close range, before an eye-cathcing 25-yard curler from the Minstermen's trialist doubled their advantage soon after.

Aleksandar Mitrovic, Siem de Jong, Rolando Aarons and Yoan Gouffran all went close for Newcastle, but it was Perez who finally found a way through the stubborn home defence with a close-range finish.

That set up a dramatic finale at Bootham Crescent, but United couldn't conjure up an equaliser in front of more than 2,000 travelling supporters.

United roared out of the traps and captain-for-the-night Siem de Jong drew a fine save out of Scott Flinders inside the opening minute, with the stopper then smothering Aarons' angled effort from the resulting corner.

Soon after, Mitrovic rose highest to meet Shane Ferguson's inswinging free-kick but couldn't direct his header on target.

The visitors were dominating proceedings and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would break through.

But, on 16 minutes and completely against the run of play, York took the lead.

Marvin McCoy's cross from the right deceived everyone and landed at the feet of left-wing back Straker, who had beaten the offside trap and snuck in behind the Magpies' defence.

From six yards out, Straker's attempted control only succeeded in sending the ball looping over Karl Darlow and fortuitously into the back of the net.

If there was more than a touch of luck about their opener, the Minstermen's second goal - just four minutes later - was no fluke.

Their Trialist picked up the ball wide on the right, drove inside and planted a superb left-footed shot right into the top corner, beyond the despairing dive of Darlow.

Newcastle's response came through Perez but the Spanish starlet couldn't sneak an effort home through a crowded penalty area, while Yoan Gouffran fired well over the top from distance.

Aarons had already scored one spectacular overhead kick during pre-season - against Portland Timbers - and almost grabbed another on 39 minutes but, after de Jong's headed fell kindly into his path, the youngster's acrobatic strike was saved by Flinders.

And Aarons came agonisingly close to halving the deficit a minute before the break as he crashed a header against the crossbar from Mehdi Abeid's corner.

The second half was just two minutes old when a short corner was worked out to Gouffran on the edge of the area. The Frenchman worked space for himself before sending a drive goalwards which looked to be heading into the far corner until the intervention of Flinders' fingertips.

And the former Hartlepool stopper was called upon again from the resulting corner, claiming a downward header from Mitrovic.

The Serbian international was desperate for a goal on his first appearance in the famous black and white stripes, and almost got that in the 51st minute, impressively controlling Perez's inch-perfect dink over the York defence but firing narrowly wide across the face of goal.

Just before the hour-mark, Flinders was equal to another Gouffran long-ranger, while Bigirimana planted one wide having cut in off the right.

The pressure was building and Perez finally found a way past Flinders in the 75th minute.

Mehdi Abeid's deep corner was nodded down by Jamaal Lascelles and Perez took a touch before sneaking a shot home from a tight angle.

As the seconds ticked away, de Jong struck wide from 25 yards and Lascelles nodded over the top, and that was Newcastle's final chance on a disappointing evening.

 

York City (5-3-2): Scott Flinders; Marvin McCoy (Femi Ilesanmi 67) , Keith Lowe (Eddie Nolan 67), David Winfield (Josh Carson 67), John McCombe (George Swan 67), Anthony Straker (Trialist B 67); James Berrett (Lindon Meikle 67), Luke Summerfield (Callum Rzonca 67), Russell Penn (c) (Tom Platt 55); Vadaine Oliver (Ben Godfrey 67), Trialist A

Sub not used: Michael Ingham

 

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Karl Darlow (Rob Elliot 46); Gael Bigirimana, Lubomir Satka, Jamaal Lascelles, Shane Ferguson; Mehdi Abeid, Yoan Gouffran; Rolando Aarons (Olivier Kemen 58), Siem de Jong (c), Ayoze Perez; Aleksandar Mitrovic (Lewis Suddick 70)

Subs not used: Rob Elliot, Louis Johnson

 

Referee: Scott Duncan

Booking: York City - none; Newcastle United - none

 

Attendance: 5,406 (2,048 Newcastle)