WITH a thumping left foot, Josh Carson strangled City's Capital One Cup hopes at birth with the decisive final York penalty.

Ben Williams dived the right way but the substitute's spot-kick was too well struck as the Bantams were humbled by a team celebrating their first win in the competition this century.

Another potential cup windfall was gone and City's record-breaking run of nine successful shoot-outs bit the dust with their first failure from the spot since Carlisle away in 2006.

That night at Brunton Park, you may recall, seemed to drag on forever after a floodlight failure delayed extra-time.

The lights went out at York the moment James Hanson had scored in vain with what proved to be City's final attempt.

The striker's first foray into penalty shoot-outs had been accompanied by a glow of mobile phones behind the goal, like a flurry of fireflies trying to distract his attention.

It was an issue every time a white shirt stepped up to the spot. On would go the lights, flickering and flashing from the Longhurst Stand.

Whether it did actually put anybody off is a moot point. Chris Routis and Tony McMahon, the two who fluffed their lines in the shoot-out, did not point the finger at the home fans.

But Phil Parkinson was unimpressed, particularly after finding out that York's safety officer had told referee Mark Haywood that the penalties had to be taken at that end.

The club official complained that a laser pen had been used among the City fans, so made the call to choose where the penalties should be taken without the usual toss of a coin.

He was within Football League rules to do that but it irked Parkinson, who claims he was told the decision was made on "police advice".

His mood did not improve when the York supporters then started with their own light show.

It is understood those incidents were included in Haywood's match report and the league themselves have taken a dim view.

A spokesman told the T&A: "While it's not clear whether these actions had any material effect in this instance, we would always discourage fans from attempting to shine any kind of light into players' eyes as it is potentially dangerous and against the spirit of the game."

Parkinson had asked the fourth official to get the safety officer to put out an announcement to stop the home fans but it fell on deaf ears.

"It didn't lose us the game but it's certainly not helped," said the City boss, who also thought the safety officer's decision was as much canny gamesmanship as concern for the players.

"It was quite a clever move. We'll have to remember that one if it ever happens at our place."

The act of trying to put off penalty-takers is nothing new. But usually it's restricted to waving and jigging about in his eyeline.

By taking no action – or at least not saying anything publicly – about the act of shining phone torches, it could set a risky precedent.

Any complaint now sounds like sour grapes but it is something the football authorities should not be blind to.