YUFC In Tough Spot For Youth Minutes As Markiyan Ruled Out For 2023

York United FC have confirmed that 19-year-old Marki Voytsekhovskyy will miss the rest of his rookie season after injuring his foot against the Halifax Wanderers last month.

The Canadian-Ukrainian youth prospect was revealed to have suffering a fifth metatarsal fracture, effectively ruling the teenager out for the rest of the campaign. That same match also saw a season-ending injury to Halifax Wanderers defender Ryan James.

Markiyan had turned heads last season when he made ten goal contributions for League1 Ontario side ProStars FC, with Martin Nash liking what he saw in a subsequent training spell out west.

The young Voytsekhovskyy made eight appearances for York United in his rookie campaign, scoring his first professional goal against Vancouver FC:

With the loss of of Voytsekhovskyy and the sale of Ronan Kratt, the Nine Stripes now find themselves in a very tight spot if if they’re to reach the league-mandated 2,000 minute marker handed to domestic U-21 athletes.

The club is dead last in the youth minute count with just 341 – less than Cavalry FC accumulated in last night’s match alone. Of York’s 341 domestic U-21 minutes, just 174 have come outside of Voytsekhovskyy himself.

“We are all really disappointed for Marki,” said YUFC President Angus McNab. “He’s been developing every week and was critical to our plans, especially given the league’s Under-21 requirements.”

Suffice to say, it’s no surprise that the clubs says their replacement plan for full-back Lassana Faye lies with a domestic U-21 international: they need to average 127 minutes per match to hit the 2,000-minute mandate – a target no club has ever missed, because that means they’d automatically miss playoffs, too.

“We knew with age and the competitive nature of earning minutes that it would take him time to properly settle into the squad and find his stride. Still, this comes at a particularly bad moment for him as he had been back in the starting lineup and was potentially set to feature more prominently in subsequent games

In that age category, the club has utilized defender Noah Abatneh three times, goalkeeper Eleias Himarasonce, and new midfielder Trivine Esprit for just three minutes.

The club says that with Marki’s injury being season-ending, they’re looking to rapidly fill the roster spot now left open from his absence.

Header Image Photo Credit: David Chant / York United FC