Ebbsfleet 1 York City 2: Walker in at the double on debut

Walker was recruited for £60,000 from Luton over the summer and immediately set about justifying that fee with a late penalty and stoppage-time header.

A delighted Mills said: “We brought him here for his goals and his overall play. He’s a handful for any team because he puts himself about and he’ll score goals for us, as he has done all his careeer.”

An eventful second half followed a lacklustre opening period in which Matty Blair wasted a great one-on-one opportunity for York and home striker Liam Enver-Marum forced Michael Ingham into an acrobatic save.

City midfielder Andre Boucaud might have opened the scoring on 59 minutes but his 20-yard effort was deemed not to have crossed the line after crashing off the underside of the crossbar.

Winger Tom Phipp was then controversially given his marching orders for the Fleet with a 69th-minute challenge on York’s Adriano Moke that only looked to warrant a yellow card at the most.

The hosts appeared to make light of their numerical disadvantage when substitute Calum Willock broke the deadlock on 80 minutes. Willock appeared to shove Ingham as he bundled in Michael West’s corner with his head.

York stormed back with Walker equalising from the penalty spot on 83 minutes after Ashley Chambers had been dragged to the floor, attempting to round home keeper Joe Welch.

Walker then won the match with a towering header from Lanre Oyebanjo’s cross in the second minute of stoppage time.

Ebbsfleet: Welch; Stone, Simpemba, Easton, Herd; Phipp, Fakinos (Stavrinou, 66), Marwa, West, Shakes (Willock, 76), Enver-Marum. Unused substitutes: Edwards, Howe, Azeez.

York City: Ingham; Oyebanjo, Smith, McGurk, Meredith; Boucaud, McLaughlin, Moke; Blair, Walker, Chambers. Unused substitutes: Parslow, Reed, Potts, Fyfield, Henderson.

Referee: T Robinson (West Sussex).

Man of the match: Ashley Chambers.