The Y&E played host to BEADS in the opening fixture of their 2019/20 North Riding Premier Division campaign. Coincidentally, this fixture was also the opening game last season, in which the Y&E came out on top in a 6-3 thriller.

In the opening exchanges both teams put together some neat passages of play, although they lacked an end product. The Y&E's main threat came from set-pieces, as both defender Cameron Wild and midfielder Elliot Longstaff went close with headers from teasing Anthony Chisman corners.

In the 28th minute, the visitors took the lead against the run of play. A loose pass from the Y&E right hand side allowed BEADS to counter quickly, and a defence splitting to a BEADS frontman just evaded covering midfielder William Turnbull. Calmly as you like, the pacey striker took one touch and smashed his shot low past 'keeper Adam Claxton. 0-1

After the goal came a sustained period of pressure from the hosts, who twice struck the crossbar in a matter of minutes. On the stroke of half time, a Y&E free kick gave lively winger Dom Tiff the opportunity to level the game. After makeshift striker Curtis Smith had been brought down on the left hand side of the area, just outside the box, Tiff stepped up to curl his strike into the BEADS 'keeper's far corner, much to the delight of the hosts who would have felt aggrieved going in behind at the break. 1-1

Moving into the second half, both teams tried to find a way to edge ahead, but in a similar way to the opening proceedings in the first half, lacked a cutting edge up top. In the 62nd minute, the Y&E had a golden opportunity to put themselves ahead when man of the match Liam Forster was adjudged to have been pulled down in the BEADS penalty area, despite the protests of the hosts who eventually saw one player sin binned in accordance with the new FA rules. Up stepped left back Daniel Hawkins, who's penalty just evaded the reach of the BEADS 'keeper to edge the Y&E ahead. 2-1

With the hosts temporarily a man and a goal to the good, they pressed to give themselves a bit of breathing space in the game. In the 68th minute, and with the visitors still down to 10 men, winger Tiff went on a mesmerizing run past several BEADS players down the left hand side, somehow maintaining his balance despite getting seven bells kicked out of him by the opposition. Pulling the back to striker Smith on the edge of the area, the new signing took a swing of his weaker left foot and curled an unstoppable strike into the top corner of the BEADS net to give the hosts a comfortable advantage, sealing the three points in the process. 3-1

A good win on the opening day for the men in blue. Next up is the long trip to Whitby to face Fishburn Park this Wednesday evening.