York City 5 Southport 3: Minstermen grab lifeline as Parkin's double earns win

It was the ninth instalment of what proved to be a 17-game unbeaten run for the Minstermen that, come the final day, proved enough to earn Nigel Worthington’s men a tilt at the promotion deciders.

Fleetwood Town, courtesy of a nervy 1-0 aggregate semi-final win, then ended any hopes of a return to a level York had last graced before the turn of the Millennium, but the future still looked bright.

Not only had the momentum that brought York out of non-League in 2012 under Gary Mills been maintained during a thrilling second half of the campaign, but a new state-of-the-art stadium was on its way.

Fast forward three years from that March 22 win over Portsmouth, however, and the picture has changed dramatically.

Bootham Crescent, barely fit for purpose these days after such sterling service down the years, remains the club’s home thanks to delay after delay for a stadium project that is now unlikely to be completed until 2019.

Worse, still, is the club’s perilous position on the field. As Fleetwood, promoted courtesy of beating Burton Albion at Wembley after seeing off Worthington’s side in 2014, dream of promotion to the Championship, York are in grave danger of sliding into the sixth tier for the first time in the club’s 95-year history.

Locked in the relegation zone since November, the Minstermen are five points from safety with nine games remaining after last night’s topsy-turvy victory over Southport.

In a game the hosts simply had to win, Jon Parkin’s double capped a quite remarkable fightback against the division’s bottom club to raise hopes that the great escape may well be on.

Certainly, the manner in which York recovered from being 3-1 behind late in the first half – coming on the back of the club reaching Wembley in the FA Trophy last Saturday – suggests Mills and his men have the necessary desire to avoid the ignominy of spending next season doing battle with the likes of Gloucester, Brackley and Worcester on a weekly basis.

Mills, appointed in mid-October following Jackie McNamara’s move upstairs to the boardroom, has brought hope where there was previously only despair.

Two defeats in 18 league and cup outings have helped transform the outlook at Bootham Crescent, if not yet the club’s league position.

Still, these precious three points are a start in the quest to avoid a drop that now seems a certainty for a Southport side who have taken just a solitary point from their last 10 outings.

An illustration of the struggles these two clubs have endured this term comes via the 92 different players to have turned out for the duo this term.

It is a ludicrously high figure, and one that perhaps explains why the two teams defended like strangers for much of an entertaining clash.

Two of Southport’s first-half trio of goals may have been spectacular 30-yard efforts, Louis 
Almond and Rory McKeown doing the honours from long distance. But the space afforded the Sandgrounders’ pair by the York defence before the two thunderbolts were unleashed bordered on dereliction of duty, as did the manner in which Shaun Rooney was out-muscled for the opening goal by Almond.

As a long punt forward headed towards the corner flag in the 19th minute, there seemed little danger for a York side already ahead through Shaun Newton’s early deflected strike.

Almond, though, was alive to the potential in a way that was clearly beyond Rooney, bundled off the ball far too easily and then only able to look on in horror as the striker fired past Kyle Letheren from an acute angle.

The York goalkeeper was then unable to do anything about either subsequent strike from McKeown and Almond as Southport took a firm grip on proceedings.

That was loosened slightly in first-half stoppage-time when Vadaine Oliver headed in a Parkin cross to provide the hosts with a lifeline they gratefully accepted in the second half.

After Oliver had missed a gilt-edged opportunity from five yards out and King had saved brilliantly from Newton, Parkin drew York level just after the hour mark with a sublime piece of skill.

Collecting a 35-yard pass from Amari Morgan-Smith on his chest, the big striker swivelled smartly to fire a half-volley past King.

Parkin then turned provider 18 minutes from time with a delightful pass over his left shoulder to release Morgan-Smith, who finished with aplomb past King.

With York by now totally in control, Oliver fired against a post before Parkin sealed the points with a deft back header from a Sam Muggleton long throw that was more akin to a missile.

York City: Letheren (Simpson 66); Rooney, Bencherif, Parslow; Heslop, Hall (Muggleton 64), Connolly (Moke 46), Newton; Oliver, Parkin, Morgan-Smith. Unused substitutes: Fenwick, Holmes.

Southport: King; Higgins, White, Cundy, McKeown; Hynes, Nolan, Stevenson (McKenna 82), Weeks; Almond, Coly (Jones 46). Unused substitutes: Ashton, Grimes, Brodie.

Referee: S Rushton (Staffordshire).