York City 0 Stevenage 2: Minstermen desperate to get back on target

The Minstermen went down at Bootham Crescent to an impressive Stevenage side, following on from a 1-0 defeat against Wycombe and a goalless draw with Plymouth.

No other League Two side has scored fewer home goals than York this term and the visitors ran out comfortable winners courtesy of goals from Adam Marriott and Tom Pett.

Last season’s leading marksman, Wes Fletcher, failed to take the hosts’ best chance when he fired straight at goalkeeper Chris Day from three yards and the former Burnley forward has gone 15 league games without hitting the target.

York manager Russ Wilcox made no excuses at the final whistle, admitting: “They deserved their victory and we weren’t good enough. Our lack of quality was eye-opening and we couldn’t pass to a red shirt. If you don’t perform, you don’t get results and we didn’t perform.”

Marriott opened the scoring on 39 minutes when he headed in after Charlie Lee’s dipping volley had rattled against Bobby 
Olejnik’s crossbar.

Winger Pett then wrapped up matters with a terrific 25-yard strike on 64 minutes that rocketed into Olejnik’s top left-hand corner.

Fletcher might have reduced the deficit but, after the ball fell to his feet from Josh Carson’s free-kick, he could not find a way past Day, who was equal to a deflected Carlton Morris effort late on.

York City: Olejnik; Halliday, Lowe, McCombe, Ilesanmi (Straker, 56); Coulson, Penn, Summerfield, Carson (Meikle, 68); Hyde, Fletcher (Morris, 68). Unused substitutes: Montrose, Platt, Winfield, McCoy.

Stevenage: Day; Henry, Wells, Charles, Okimo; Pett, Walton, Parrett, Whelpdale; Marriott, Lee. Unused substitutes: Beasant, Dembele, Bond, Zola, Beardsley, Conlon, Deacon.

Referee: D Coote (Newark).

Man of the match: Charlie Lee.