York City 3, Stevenage Borough 1

After that performance, it would have been hard not to.

Two stunning goals backed by the one-touch football usually only seen in triangular training ground drills saw the grinning Minstermen leave the pitch at half-time to a rousing standing ovation.

It was the kind of stuff that would have made Stevenage Borough boss Graham Westley sick as the opposition transformed the cluster of diagrams carefully taped onto the inside of his dug-out into reality while his boys stared in disbelief.

Wing commanders Bryan Stewart and Paul Robinson were the key.

A rare right-footed ball low in to the area from Stewart fell perfectly for Andy Bishop on 27 minutes, who gathered it at the second attempt, looked up and whipped it past Andy Woodman.

Barely two minutes later, Lee Nogan unleashed a shot from the edge of the box and watched as it took a massive deflection off Rob Quinn and squirmed under the body of Woodman - a much deserved first goal of the season for the veteran striker.

Three times Stewart cleared the Minstermen box with the ball at his feet in counter-attack and it was Stewart at the heart of the goal that never was for City - the goal that would have safely delivered victory to Bootham Crescent with 20 minutes to go.

After outmanoeuvring two defenders in the corner, he ran along the goal-line and dragged it back to Bishop, who side-footed it into the back of the net. But referee David Richardson called it offside despite the fact the only pass in the move had gone backwards.

Borough, lifted by their stroke of luck hit back and, from the deflected clearance, the ball dropped behind Pearson for substitute Joe Flack to score.

The early season partnership between Robinson and Bishop has not been altered by Robinson's despatch out wide. Bishop would send the ball out wide to the number ten on the overlap, who would run it down the line before crossing it back.

Or Robinson would look up from the centre and thread a ball out to his team-mate with a deft flick.

The middle was just as effective going forward with Nogan proving the perfect foil for Stewart and Bishop to run wall-passes off and bewilder the home-sick Borough defence.

It wasn't perfect by any means. Gary Pearson was given a let-off on 25 minutes when he was penalised for clipping Jermaine Hunter on the edge of the box. A couple of vital blocks later, and the sense of luck was tangible.

An effort to calm the players down at half time looked to be a little too effective as City were put on the back foot. A header from former City man Matt Hocking was well held by David Stockdale, who had earlier produced a lightning reaction to stop a Ritchie Hanlon header.

A sense of panic threatened to grip the City team as Borough turned on the pressure and the calm passing game of the first half was replaced with a hit and hope mentality.

But Robinson's direct run from a Stevenage corner as he gunned down the elusive goal to complete his performance, eased the tension.

He came off to his own standing ovation with five minutes left, and it was his replacement, Lev Yalcin, that hooked up with the other sub - Chris Brass, on at right midfield for Nogan - to put the game beyond doubt.

Yalcin spotted Brass on the right and the player-boss took it to the by-line before pulling it back for Bishop. The keeper got there first and the ricochet fell to Brass, who forced the ball over the line to release weeks of frustration.

Something has changed in the City ranks. Seconds before half-time, Pearson took a swig from a bottle by the home dug-out and went to pass it back to his gaffer but deliberately dropped it through his hands at the last minute - a delightful moment of humour so alien to recent home matches.

Hopefully that change is here to stay.

York City 3 (Bishop 27, Nogan 30, Brass 87), Stevenage Borough 1 (Flack 72)

Stockdale 7, Law 7, Pearson 7, McGurk 7, Merris 7, Robinson 9 (Yalcin 85m), Dunning 7, Groves 7, Stewart 8, Bishop 8, Nogan 8 (Brass 80m)

Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire

Subs not used: Porter, Coad, Smith.

Star man: Robinson - Injected pace and positivity down the right wing and created a hatful of chances

Stevenage: Woodman, Gregory (Maamria 81), Goodliffe, Laker, Hicking, Hanlon (Brough 55), Quinn, Bulman, Elding, Nurse, Hunter (Flack 55). Subs (not used): Stewart, Croudson.

Yellow cards: Goodliffe 32.

Red card: None

Referee: David Richardson (Halifax) Rating: Generally sensible but disallowed what appeared to be a valid City goal, and didn't send Gary Pearson off where technically he should have.

Attendance: 2,043

Weather watch: Bright and sunny to heavy showers to sunny again, all with an accompanying wind.

Game breaker: Lee Nogan's heavily deflected second goal made it clear to Stevenage that it wasn't going to be their day.

Updated: 09:47 Monday, October 04, 2004