1 Kyle Letheren bears the hallmark of all good keepers

It is a well-known adage that the best net-minders are those who, when they’re not busy, stay focussed and are on hand to make the vital saves when called upon. During City’s upturn in form, Letheren has proven he falls into that category.

His reflex stop to deny home striker Jared Small on the stroke of half-time prevented Harlow from enjoying the significant psychological lift of taking a lead into the interval. As the Essex part-timers threw caution to the wind late on, Letheren also rescued his team with more sharp reactions and, even though his fingertip intervention during injury time was ultimately not required as Lawrence Yiga had strayed into an offside position, he was unaware of the flag and it was another example of his prowess between the sticks.

York Press: 2 Dan Parslow slotted back in as if he had never been away

The consistency of Dan Parslow during his last spell earned him nine years’ worth of contracts at Bootham Crescent, which is an achievement in itself with job security uncommon in the realms of Sky Bet League Two and Conference football. His subsequent release in 2015 always seemed unfair, given his past performances for the club and the fact that he was in the first XI prior to suffering the cruciate ligament injury in a game at Southend that would prove his final appearance of 316 for the club.

Following his departure from the Minstermen, Parslow was forced to write to non-League clubs requesting a trial and Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson gave him a chance. Johnson went on to becoming the lucky beneficiary of Parslow’s dedicated professionalism, when he played a massive role as the Gloucestershire outfit bounced back at the first attempt following relegation from the Football League.

An influential character in City’s past successful relegation battles of 2009 and 2013, Parslow’s qualities are just as relevant, if not more so, in a dogfight. That makes struggling Cheltenham’s decision to part company with him all the more baffling, but their loss, judging by his seamless return at the weekend, should be the Minstermen’s gain.

York Press: 3 Daniel Nti and Scott Fenwick struggled to enhance their first XI claims

Securing progress in the Trophy, whilst also keeping Jon Parkin on the bench to spare his joints on the 3G surface, was a big bonus. With the attacking talisman not risked, though, fringe forwards Nti and Fenwick didn’t fully capitalise on their chances to impress.

Nti struggled to impose his speed on the Harlow defence, with his touch far from sure on the 3G surface, while former Premier League defender Ibrahima Sonko muscled him off the ball when he did manage to get it under control. His difficult afternoon ended on 55 minutes when he made way for Fenwick.

The former Hartlepool striker subsequently earned praise from Gary Mills for his second-half contribution, although those who have witnessed all of his previous 18 outings for the club might take more convincing. In a largely listless 14-and-a-half hours of game time, one tap-in and no assists was the sum of Fenwick’s achievements in a City shirt prior to the Essex trip.

When several others have been shown the door for their unreliability, the 26-year-old forward must now start demonstrating that he can repay Mills’ apparent faith.

York Press: 4 Amari Morgan-Smith should prove a useful foil for Jon Parkin

The pairing of Parkin and Rhys Murphy had promise, but it became clear the latter, like his fellow frontman, enjoyed dropping deep to receive the ball, which didn’t always stretch opposition defences, with runs beyond the back four uncommon. In the absence of Parkin, Morgan-Smith had to carry some of the target-man burden at Harlow but, after Nti was withdrawn, he was given the chance to operate more on the shoulder of the last defender, where his pace and power could complement Parkin’s ability to unlock a back four with one swing of his boot or flick of his head.

York Press: 5 Harlow offered an example of the depth of quality in the English game

The Essex part-timers might ply their semi-professional trade at tier seven but, in a manner that is unique worldwide, they could still provide credible opposition against their full-time opponents. It would be too easy to write off the celebrating of a 2-1 away win at the Isthmian League premier division hosts as an indication of how far City have fallen, but Harlow’s players all looked well-conditioned and fit with the front three keeping their visiting defensive counterparts occupied throughout.

Danny Chapman’s 4-2-3-1 formation was also well-drilled with former Senegal international Ibrahima Sonko, admittedly performing several leagues beneath himself, a powerful adversary. The influx of overseas players at the top level of the game has clearly improved standards at each subsequent division below and filtered down to the levels where good players choose, on a more widespread basis, to forego lower-league wages and combine playing with a full-time job as well.

Despite City’s failed experiment of recruiting semi-professional players in the summer, the likes of Curzon Ashton and Harlow, not to mention past recruits Martyn Woolford, James Meredith, Richard Brodie and Ben Purkiss, have proven that there is talent around if the market is scouted properly. Equally, the importance of staying in the National League has been intensified by the competiveness of those clubs and highlighted by the struggles old adversaries Stockport, Halifax and Darlington are facing just to return to the highest echelon of non-League football.