Manager Garry Haylock made three changes to the side beaten at Kidderminster seven days earlier. Fit again Lee Harrison returned in goal, new signing Liam Enver-Marum replaced the suspended Adrian Pătulea and Andy Yiadom was preferred to Michael Malcolm on the right side.

Early chances at Bootham Crescent were shared as David McGurk went close for the Minstermen earlier on as he met a Peter Till cross but could not keep his effort down. At the other end A short Holmes corner was returned to the United skipper by Lewis Ferrell, his cross being met by Adam Bygrave at the far post but York keeper Michael Ingham grabbed the ball comfortably.

United were soon to go close again as a neat move between Enver-Marum, Yiadom and Bradley Pritchard saw a cross being met by home defender Duane Courtney who was just inches away from embarrassingly putting through his own net as his header only just cleared the bar.

City were straight down the other end though and again it was defender McGurk causing problems as he stole in at the far post to meet a Daniel Racchi cross, his header being blocked at point blank range by Harrison who also had the presence of mind to dive onto the loose ball.

Still the action switched from end to end, Pritchard picked up a low Lee Brown centre and turned past defender Daniel Parslow before firing across the face of goal.

The early action was obviously too much to take as the game changed into a midfield battle with neither keeper being tested for the next twenty minutes before a Courtney cross from the right was headed out by Bygrave as far as Till, his bouncing off target volley finding the head of Michael Rankine at the far post, his header looping up and over off the top of Harrison’s goal.

After an even first half, the second also started at a frenetic pace with chances aplenty. First to try his luck for United was Ahmed Deen after Yiadom had superbly brought down a Harrison punt to find Holmes he in turn picked out Deen who advanced and fired over from 30 yards.

The impressive Till was then given too much time by the United midfield and he advanced down the right from his own half before cutting inside and firing wide from 25 yards. Holmes then replicated his final move at the other end by cutting in from the right side but he also fired wide from distance.

York then added a cutting edge to their attack with the introduction of Michael Gash who was soon in the action. Till has another off target effort from range before an upfield punt was knocked on to Gash by McGurk but the striker could only head into Harrison’s arms.

A minute later United were finally broken by a route one clearance from Daniel Parslow sent Rankine through the middle, Lewis Ferrell tried his best to cut him off but his tackle from the side appeared to help the ball cannon off the striker’s shin’s into the top corner of the United net.

Buoyed by this strike, the home side almost double their advantage three minutes later when Gash crossed deep from the right picking out James Meredith who hit a volley that Bygrave did well to turn over just a few yards from goal with Rankine waiting to pounce.

Rankine was then wide from distance after a Deen pass was picked off in the middle of the park to launch another City attack. The second was only minutes away though as United fail to fully clear a Courtney centre and after Gash’s knock down Constantine doubled the Minstermen’s advantage when he hooked the ball over his right shoulder with an overhead kick from 6 yards (pictured below).

York saw out the final fifteen minutes with just a couple of minor scares. A Holmes corner was played to an un-marked Hand on the edge of the area, his first time volley was blocked straight back to him but his follow up attempt to find the top corner was just off target.

In stoppage time Brown latched onto a ball on the left corner of the area and hit a rising shot that Ingham nonchalantly plucked out of the air.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Adam Bygrave.