BLYTH Spartans missed out on a 13th straight home win, but their first defeat on the north-east coast since December owed little to ill fortune.

Veteran York City striker Jon Parkin tends to make his own luck and, on a night when players from both teams contrived to miss the target in a variety of ways, he made the art of finding the net look so straightforward.

The 35-year-old talisman opened the scoring with one swipe of his right boot, then also took just one touch to tee up Sean Newton, as a 2-0 triumph was wrapped up within the opening 22 minutes.

Parkin went on to exit the action with a calf problem and, missing their attacking focal point, the Minstermen never looked as potent but, nevertheless, managed the game well in a 4-3-3 formation that City chief Gary Mills switched to after kicking off the campaign with 3-4-3 during the 1-0 opening-day defeat to Telford.

Skipper Newton was pushed into midfield, where City bossed proceedings in a manner that was not evident at the weekend, with Adriano Moke responding to his manager’s pre-match challenge to deliver a “big season” and establish himself as a regular first XI performer at the age of 27.

Moke produced a mature display, using the ball sensibly in possession, but also setting off on his trademark forward bursts at the right times, with experienced pair Newton and Simon Heslop covering his tracks.

The Minstermen might have been 2-0 down, though, before Parkin made the breakthrough and were grateful to keeper Jon Worsnop’s smart reflexes and some wasteful home finishing.

Macualey Langstaff turned the first chance of the night wide on two minutes from Michael Liddle’s left-wing cross whilst, at the other end, Parkin did prove he is fallible by sidefooting well wide from Heslop’s square pass.

The hosts then had three excellent opportunities to open the scoring on 12 minutes.

First, Robert Dale allowed the ball to run past him on a skiddy surface to send Daniel Maguire clear on goal.

But City keeper Worsnop charged out of his goal to smother last term’s 30-goal striker’s shot well.

Within seconds, Maguire had a second chance when Dale picked him out with a left-wing cross, only for Worsnop to deny him again from eight yards, before Jarrett Rivers volleyed miserably wide from the rebound.

Parkin was not as profligate on the quarter-hour mark when he claimed the 197th goal of his career, latching on to Louis Almond’s ball through the right channel before swinging his boot first time to shoot across the goal into the bottom corner from ten yards.

City went on to double their advantage when Parkin chested down a left-wing Almond ball into the box and Newton’s 15-yard blast beat home keeper Peter Jameson for power.

Chances kept coming for Blyth, but Rivers missed with a diagonal effort, Maguire saw an eight-yard attempt deflected off target and Langstaff blazed an edge-of-the-box shot wide.

In a flowing first 45 minutes, Parkin’s header, from another Almond cross, then lacked the pace to trouble Jameson and Amari Morgan-Smith failed to capitalise on two great openings on the stroke of half-time.

First, he broke clear through the left channel but Jameson pushed his strike away from goal.

Next, the energetic striker ran on to Josh Law’s through ball on the opposite side of the pitch, but sidefooted across the face of the six-yard box.

Another wayward Blyth effort by Dale from the edge of the box then brought an entertaining first period to a close.

The second half was less open with Almond seeing an early diagonal drive gathered by Jameson, before Parkin walked gingerly off the pitch.

After a long lull in the game, his replacement Kaine Felix should have extended the visitors’ lead, but dragged wastefully wide with only Jameson to beat after being set up by fellow sub Connor Smith.

Heslop, meanwhile, fired wide from 30 yards after playing an inadvertent one-two with the referee, but City saw out the contest with little difficulty

City

Jon Worsnop: 8 – two excellent early saves provided platform for victory

Josh Law: 7 – got the measure of tricky Dale as game went on

Dan Parslow: 7 – looked untroubled by switch to a flat back four

Hamza Bencherif: 7 – used his strength well at the back

Alex Whittle: 7 – kept things tight and raided forward when possible

Simon Heslop: 7 – patrolled the pitch busily and on front foot

Adriano Moke: 8 – took responsibility and constantly involved

Sean Newton: 8 – added quality and presence on his move upfield

Louis Almond: 8 – provided good service for Parkin early on

Jon Parkin: 8 – won the match with a composure that was missing in others

Amari Morgan-Smith: 7 – worked tirelessly to get chances that he missed

Substitutes: Kaine Felix 6 - profligate (for Parkin, 53), Connor Smith 7 – lively (for Almond, 65), Jassem Sukar (for Felix, 86).

Subs not used: Theo Wharton, Sam Muggleton.

Star man: Parkin

Blyth

Peter Jameson, Ryan Hutchinson, Nathan Buddle, Jordan Watson, Michael Liddle (Damen Mullen, 85), Jarrett Rivers, Dale Hopson, Lewis Horner (David McTiernen, 68), Robert Dale, Daniel Maguire, Macualey Langstaff (Adam Wrightson, 73).

Subs not used: Ian Watson, Shaun MacDonald.

Blyth star man: Dale – threatened with direct style

Referee: Paul Brown rating: 7/10 – decisive and in control

Booked: Smith 89

Sent off: None

Attendance: 1,373

Shots on target: Blyth 2, City 5

Shots off target: Blyth 8, City 4

Corners: Blyth 5, City 3

Fouls conceded: Blyth 8, City 10

Offside: Blyth 1, City 6