COLOSSAL ROBINS GIVE YORK THE BOOT

A FRUSTRATING season for York ended with one final kick in the teeth as the Minstermen were soundly beaten by Altrincham in what may be the final match at Bootham Crescent.

- CHRIS DUNLAVY

Goals from Josh Hancock and substitute Tom Peers propelled the visitors to a hard-fought victory and seized a place in the final.

“To come here and get the result is colossal,” said Alty boss Phil Parkinson, whose side beat Chester 3-2 in the eliminator.

“In terms of the size of the town, the budget we have and our part-time status, we’re probably the smallest team in the play-offs.

“So to be able to do what we’ve done against Chester and York is a great achievement. Now we’ve got to exploit this opportunity in one final game.”

For York, gazumped by King’s Lynn when points-per-game was used to decide final placings and forced to delay their long-awaited move to a new stadium, this was a savage blow.

“It’s a bitter pill,” admitted manager Steve Watson, who saw his side squander a host of clear-cut openings. “But I’m not going to make excuses.

“We didn’t take our chances, and that sums up why we didn’t win the league even before PPG came into play.