Timely boost sees York City drag themselves out of drop zone

Goals from Vadaine Oliver and Danny Holmes, coupled with draws for lowly rivals Torquay and Woking as well as a defeat for Braintree, saw the Minstermen leave behind a bottom four they have filled since their 2-0 home defeat to Dagenham on November 19.

Gary Mills’s men were good value for their points, too, with Jon Parkin and Amari Morgan-Smith both hitting posts against a home team managed by former Bootham Crescent favourite Jon McCarthy.

It was the perfect response from York, who had missed out on a midweek opportunity to clamber out of the relegation places following a 2-0 home defeat to Bromley, with Mills declaring: “We were all knocked back a bit by the Bromley result but, to bounce back like that and not let it affect them, shows what men we have at this club.”

Oliver opened the scoring on 25 minutes, having latched on to Morgan-Smith’s through ball before rounding Alex Lynch and finding the unguarded net.

The Minstermen could have also stretched that lead before the break but Parkin smacked a 20-yard effort against an upright and Lynch came out on top in a one-on-one situation with Morgan-Smith.

After Holmes made a terrific recovery tackle to deny Johnny Hunt a shot on the visitors’ goal, Morgan-Smith curled a shot against the post.

Holmes made the points safe when he fired in from the edge of the area from Oliver’s lay-off.

Chester City: Lynch; Hughes, Astles, Hudson (Vassell, 63), Hunt (George; 63), Waters (Richards, 63), Dawson, Shaw, Lloyd, Durrell; Alabi. Unused substitutes: Roberts, Joyce.

York City: Loach; Parslow, Bencherif, Newton; Holmes, Heslop, Hall, Whittle; Oliver, Parkin, Morgan-Smith (Moke, 90). Unused substitutes: Moke, Connolly, Fenwick, Muggleton, Rooney.

Referee: D Rock (Herts).