There was no FA Cup fairytale for St Ives Town last Saturday.
Their record-breaking run in the famous competition came to a predictable – and ultimately emphatic - end at higher-level York City.
Ricky Marheineke’s side were beaten 3-0 by their National League North hosts in a third qualifying round clash which attracted a crowd of 1,243 to Bootham Crescent.
Saints fell behind to a Jake Wright goal after nine minutes – a breakthrough which was sandwiched by excellent chances at the other end for young defender Jarvis Wilson.
He headed a Robbie Parker free kick over the bar 90 seconds before the hosts hit the front and then came within inches of an equaliser when steering a shot wide from another set-piece delivery from the Saints skipper.
A fine Sam Wilson save then denied York frontman Adam Burrow a second goal, but he was powerless to prevent the same City player from settling the tie after the break.
Burrow headed in a David Ferguson delivery in the 50th minute and then put the result beyond doubt when collecting an Alex Harris pass, turning smartly and firing into the roof of the net six minutes later.
Veteran substitute Jon Parkin fluffed a glorious chance to rub more salt into the Saints’ wounds while George Bailey went closest to a consolation when fizzing a late shot just wide.
“The boys gave their all,” insisted Marheineke. “We can never question the attitude, application or togetherness of this group of players.
“We knew it was going to be tough against a higher-level team and York were clearly better than us over the course of the 90 minutes.
“But I’m still a little bit disappointed with the manner in which we were beaten. The opening goal looked to be offside and conceding twice in the early stages of the second half killed the game.
“The fans gave us great support and got right behind the team, and the chairman laid on some great preparation for the players.
“It was an occasion we’ll all remember and we’re certainly proud to have reached this stage of the FA Cup for the first time.
“But it’s a day which ends in disappointment as we couldn’t get a result on the pitch.”
The loss of midfield star Tom McGowan to suspension hit Saints hard. He was banned after picking up two cautions in previous rounds of the FA Cup.
And Marheineke believes yellow cards show to skipper Parker and Owen Wallis for dissent during the game at York also had a big impact on the outcome.
He added: “They questioned a decision the referee got wrong, he didn’t like it and started banding about cards, but I’m not sure that is dissent in all honesty.
“What it did do was leave those two lads on a tightrope and both York goals in the second half stemmed from situations where they were unable to risk making tackles.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here