The Whites took on York City in the FA Trophy over the weekend, hoping to maintain their excellent record against the Blue Square Bet Premier outfit. Salisbury have met York several times before, and up until this encounter York were yet to beat them – unfortunately, that unbeaten record ended after some clinical finishing from York led to a 6 – 2 drubbing.

The Whites started brightly, with some nice passing and movement, particularly in midfield. A somewhat depleted squad, thanks to many players being cup-tied, initially looked positive, and the Whites pressed forward with enthusiasm. Sadly, York began pushing forward, and proved to be the superior side in the first half – the opening goal coming from a tap-in after a free kick led to some confusion in the box.

The goalscorer, Blair, proved to be more of a problem as the first half continued, as he capitalised on a poor Whites clearance to run on to the ball and confidently fire it in to the back of the net, leaving Whites goalkeeping coach Simon Arthur a spectator as the ball flew past him, just three minutes after the opener.

The third for York came just four minutes later, Patrick McLaughlin dribbling past three Whites defenders to tee up a superb curling effort from striker Jamie Reed from the edge of the box.

By this point the Whites were being pressed back into their own half, and York were very much on the attack, with some excellent passing and runs – impressive midfielder Mclaughlin found the net from a free kick taken from just outside the area, emphasising how clinical York were in front of goal, the ball bouncing just in front of Whites keeper Arthur, offering him little chance.

Jake Reid proved that the Whites aren’t exempt from a bit of clinical finishing themselves, however, as he latched on to a defensive howler from York and confidently curled the ball over the sprawling keeper – leaving the first half score 4 – 1 to York City.

The Whites started the second half with far more positivity, and came crashing forwards at every possible opportunity – at points coming agonisingly close to putting the ball in the back of the net several times. York sliced open the Whites defence with a superb pass to the wing, followed by a cross into the box that was duly put away by York player Blinkhorn.

The Whites continued to press forward, and won a penalty in the 80th minute as Dan Fitchett was brought down in the area after a long free kick. Jake Reid stepped up to the spot, and confidently sent the keeper the wrong way to bag his second goal, rounding off a good performance.

The final goal of the game went to York City, as the enthusiastic McLaughlin found the back of the net after a series of passing and a good finish beat the Salisbury defence and Arthur – leaving the final score 6 – 2.

The resilience of the Whites shone through as they continued to press forward even after the fifth goal went in. However, York showed greater quality in midfield, and more composure in front of goal – the Whites will now look to concentrate on the league, with a series of tough matches coming up.

To watch our video coverage of the match, along with post-match interviews, click here.