Oxford United 3 York City 1: Minstermen promotion dream over

The problem for York City was it came a day later than expected with the 3-1 winning margin failing to tell even half the story of an absorbing play-off final between two clubs desperate to return to the Football League.

Oxford United may have emerged triumphant thanks to goals from James Constable, Matt Green and Alfie Potter but no one inside Wembley yesterday was in any doubt as to how close the Minstermen had pushed Chris Wilder's men.

After a calamitous start that saw York fall two goals behind inside the opening quarter, the Yorkshire side dug deep into their resolve to give Oxford an almighty scare.

They were, admittedly, quite literally given a helping hand by Ryan Clarke with the U's goalkeeper somehow managing to paw an innocuous cross from Ben Purkiss into his own net.

But that should not take anything away from the herculean effort put in by Martin Foyle's men.

After Chelsea had clinched the double 24 hours earlier with a narrow 1-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, it could have been a case of after the Lord Mayor's show for the national stadium.

Thankfully, it was nothing of the sort with the Minstermen pushing Oxford all the way in an encounter where the result was in doubt right up until stoppage time when substitute Potter rounded off a swift counter-attack with a cool finish.

The excitement ahead of kick-off had been palpable with even a sudden downpour unable to dampen the spirits of two expectant sets of supporters.

Twenty one minutes into the game, however, and there was no mistaking the sense of deflation that had descended on the 10,000 or so fans who had travelled down from Yorkshire.

Not only had Oxford taken a two-goal lead through Constable and Green to inflict an ultimately fatal blow to York's promotion hopes.

But most gallingly of all the damage had been entirely self-inflicted.

First, goalkeeper Michael Ingham unwisely rushed from his goal on 15 minutes only to be beaten to the ball by Constable.

Jack Midson then won a crucial header as Ingham tried frantically to get back in position, ensuring the ball fell to Green who hit a sublime half-volley on the turn into the net.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the goal was that Ingham had done exactly the same just minutes earlier when again trying to deal with an innocuous long ball.

On that occasion, his blushes had been spared as Simon Clist's cross was cleared but clearly the ramifications of such a narrow escape had not sunk in by the time of Oxford's opener.

With York behind, it was imperative that no further blunders were committed by Foyle's men.

Instead, what happened was Chris Carruthers missed a chance to cut the ball out in midfield before left-back James Meredith unwittingly diverted the ball into the path of Constable when challenged by Green.

The U's top scorer then did what he does best by drilling a shot beyond Ingham and into the net.

For York, it was the worst possible start and their afternoon almost got a lot worse on 27 minutes when more slack defending allowed a corner to bounce across the six-yard box for Jack Midson, unmarked thanks to Ben Purkiss having fallen over, to head against a post.

It was a major let-off and one that York duly took advantage of shortly before half-time when Oxford's lead was halved.

As with the two opening strikes, once again it was a terrible defensive howler that led to the goal with Clarke making a complete hash of dealing with Purkiss's cross.

Despite not being under any pressure, the U's goalkeeper contrived to drop the ball over his own line. Jake Wright tried in vain to clear but the Minstermen had suddenly been handed a lifeline.

To their credit, Foyle's men then gave it their all in an attempt to get back on level terms during an absorbing second half.

Perhaps their best effort came on 54 minutes when Richard Brodie's flick-on found Michael Rankine.

The York striker then showed tremendous tenacity to hold off a challenge from Jake Wright before drilling a low shot just an inch or two past the post.

There were to be more chances for York with Neil Barrett shooting over after exchanging passes with substitute Michael Gash and Alex Lawless slicing an effort wide.

But there could be no hiding the fact that Rankine's miss had been a costly one as it had been an opportunity the striker would have normally expected to convert.

Just how costly became apparent in the first minute of stoppage time when a swift counter-attack by Oxford saw Potter race into the York half.

The U's substitute then exchanged passes with Constable before finishing in style to send the 30,000 plus army of fans that had travelled to the capital from Oxfordshire into raptures.

At the opposite end of Wembley, the mood could not have been more contrasting with the glum faces indicating it was going to be a long trip back to the White Rose county with only another season of Blue Square Premier League football to look forward to.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Matt Green

A sublime finish for the first goal was followed by Matt Green then playing a major part in Oxford's second to cap a fine all-round display. His pace and direct running caused all manner of problems for York. Unfortunate to come off after being clattered by Levi Mackin.

Villain: Ryan Clarke

With Oxford firmly in control and heading for what seemed a comfortable stroll back towards the Football League, the U's goalkeeper was guilty of the kind of howler that is rarely seen outside a parks pitch on a Sunday. Under no pressure at all, Clarke managed to fumble Ben Purkiss's cross and could then only watch in horror as the ball bounced off his shoulder and into the net.

Key moment

21st minute:

Hesitant defending by the Minstermen is exploited by Oxford as Matt Green does enough to put James Meredith off when trying to clear, the ball rolling to top scorer James Constable, above, who then finishes in typically clinical fashion to effectively end the U's four-year stay in the Conference.

Ref watch

Michael Naylor: The Sheffield official had a decent game, attempting to keep the game moving whenever possible. Rightly booked Alex Lawless in the first half for a clumsy challenge on Antony Tonkin, though Levi Mackin will have later been relieved that Naylor missed his own heavy tackle that left Matt Green writhing in agony on the floor.

Verdict

After seeming to be out of the game as half-time approached, York found a way back in courtesy of Ryan Clarke's howler.

However, no matter how hard Martin Foyle's men pushed, there was to be no fairytale ending for York as substitute Alfie Potter made it 3-1 in stoppage time.

Quote of the day

Anyone who knows me will know I will be ripping the backside out of the next two weeks while celebrating.

– Oxford manager Chris Wilder's response to a question as to whether he would be celebrating promotion with a few drinks.

Next game

No idea, but one thing is for sure: York will be kicking off next season on August 14 and not August 7 due to the Blue Square Premier League starting a week later than the Football League.