Rangers 0 York 2 (aet)
Stafford Rangers bowed out of the Setanta Shield at the first hurdle – but not without another impressive performance from Neil Grayson and Kevin Street's revitalised team.
Stafford Rangers bowed out of the Setanta Shield at the first hurdle – but not without another impressive performance from Neil Grayson and Kevin Street's revitalised team.
They were only undone in extra-time by a York City side who created a new club record of six consecutive away wins.
Had this been a Blue Square Premier fixture, Rangers might grudgingly have accepted a point as bare minimum reward for their efforts.
During the 90 minutes of normal play, Rangers came the closest to breaking the deadlock – and no-one knows that more than co-caretaker manager Street.
Early in the second half, David McNiven played a delightful return pass to Street, who then failed to beat York keeper Tom Evans from just a few yards.
And Rangers will also be reflecting on the first half header from Jemiah Richards that was cleared off the line by Anthony Lloyd.
Considering the Setanta Shield would hardly top either club's list of priorities, the teams managed to give a healthy 500-plus pre-Christmas crowd good value for their reduced price admission.
And all Rangers fans among them must have been quietly pleased with what they saw. Street and Grayson are drumming home the passing game message, which is producing the chances at the right end. The fact that they didn't score against York was just one of those things.
Veteran Grayson and midfielder Sami Mawene were only a whisker away in either half in a shoot on sight policy.
At the back, things are looking good, too.
Richards stepped in for the injured Jimi Sangare to partner Wayne Daniel and together they did the business, at least for the period of normal time.
Keeper Danny Alcock pulled off a couple of fine fingertip saves from Emmanuel Panther and Martyn Woolford just after the break, although his man of the match award from the sponsors seemed a little generous, alongside lots of other contenders.
It was the extra-time that finally did for the part-timers. Just eight minutes into it, Nicky Wroe slipped a pass to fellow substitute Richard Brodie, who slotted York ahead.
Grayson then had one window of opportunity to take this fourth round tie to penalties, only to drag his shot across the face of the visitors' goal, where a defender gratefully booted it clear.
With Rangers flooding forward in search of an equaliser, Wroe also supplied the pass, deep into added time, that enabled Onome Sodje to put a totally false complexion on the scoreline.
Rangers: Alcock, Sutton, Daniel, Richards, Potter, Flynn, Street (Hopkinson 118), Draper (Arnolin 76), Mawene, Grayson, McNiven (Hamilton 94). Subs: Ingram, Allen.
York City: Evans, Craddock, Parslow, Kelly, Elliott, Panther, Woolford (Wroe 69), Purkiss, Lloyd, Sodje, Farrell (Brodie 61). Subs: Mimms, Beardsley, McWilliams.
Ref: P Curry (Ashington). Att: 515.
