HIGHLIGHTS: York United FC vs. Forge FC (August 23, 2024) | Presented by tonybet

York United and Forge FC played to an unexpected stalemate on Friday night at York Lions Stadium, as the two sides fighting for first place failed to solve one another en route to a 0-0 draw in the 905 Derby.

Neither side’s lineup features too many surprises, although York made a few significant changes with defenders Oswaldo León and Frank Sturing unavailable due to suspension and injury, respectively; they brought Nyal Higgins into the team at centre-back and Orlando Botello in at left-back, switching from their usual back three to a back four. Forge, meanwhile, were largely consistent, as Elimane Cissé lined up on the right of defence again as Jassem Koleilat played in goal for a third straight match.

It was a disjointed game in the early going; both sides tried to get forward into the attacking half quickly, but had difficulty getting the ball from wide areas into dangerous spots in the centre toward the penalty area. Both sides had a couple of decent opportunities; the goalkeepers at both ends were called upon a few times and Daniel Parra came close to putting Forge ahead with an early chance, but his shot couldn’t beat Thomas Vincensini.

Misfortune befell the visitors just under 10 minutes before halftime, as Cissé pulled up with a knock of some kind, signalling to the bench for a substitution. Forge were forced to use one of their replacements early, putting Malcolm Duncan in at right-back.

York had the best chance of the first half moments later, as a ball that had pinballed around the box eventually came to Jorge Guzmán, who had a point-blank opportunity from eight yards out but found himself denied by an excellent Koleilat save.

Seeking a change to his attacking flow, Forge coach Bobby Smyrniotis made another change at halftime, bringing David Choinière off the bench in place of Jordan Hamilton.

The second half proceeded in largely similar fashion to the first, although perhaps even more stop-start with a number of fouls in midfield that prevented either side from establishing any rhythm. Still, they each attempted to get into the box through wide channels, their crosses struggling to find the target.

So things continued throughout the second half; both managers made changes and tried to find new avenues through their opponent’s defence, but both defences remained similarly vigilant.

Austin Ricci had a golden chance to win the game for York in the first minute of stoppage time, facing down Koleilat one-on-one inside the box, but his shot wasn’t powerful enough as the Forge keeper scooped it up.

Shortly after that, the referee blew for full time and the scoreless draw came to an end. The result keeps Forge in first place for now, and puts York level with Atlético Ottawa in second place, though Ottawa could climb back to the top of the table (on a head-to-head tiebreaker) if they can beat Halifax Wanderers on Saturday.

BOX SCORE

Lineups 

York United: Vincensini; Ferrari, Abatneh, Higgins (Jimoh 86′), Botello; Cordóva, Martínez (Márquez 68′), Adekugbe, Guzmán (Ricci 75′); Babouli (Giraldo 86′), Wright

Forge FC: Koleilat; Cissé (Duncan 37′), Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Parra; Hojabrpour, Bekker; Badibanga, Borges (Jensen 74′), Ampomah (Campbell 74′); Hamilton (Choinière 46′)

Goals

None

Discipline

45′ — Yellow: Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
47′ — Yellow: Elijah Adekugbe (York United)
52′ — Yellow: Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)