RUSS Wilcox hailed the best performance of his managerial career as his ten-man York City team moved to within one win of securing their Football League status.

The Minstermen, who lost Dave Winfield to a controversial 44th-minute red card, secured a 1-0 home victory over third-bottom Hartlepool, who were desperate for the points to boost their own survival hopes.

Luke Summerfield’s deflected, 30-yard, second-half strike means City are now nine points clear of the Football League trapdoor with four games left to play, meaning that a victory over Morecambe at Bootham Crescent on Tuesday night would guarantee safety because of a vastly superior goal difference to bottom two Tranmere and Cheltenham.

A delighted Wilcox felt the “amazing” triumph eclipsed anything he achieved at Scunthorpe last term when he guided the Iron to promotion having started his tenure with a Football League record-breaking 28-game unbeaten run.

He enthused: “It was an amazing win because of the character shown by the players. The performance was probably the best by any side since I became a manager because of the togetherness, organisation and commitment, which was all backed up by our outstanding supporters.

“It was another great day for York City. I knew from day one of coming here we had good character at the club and it’s not always about playing magnificent football.

“It’s about rolling up your sleeves and grafting for the team. I’m a proud Yorkshireman and that’s what fans from our county want to see.

“When Dave got sent off just before half-time, it became about how we could manage the game from that moment and we did that superbly well. We were disciplined and hardly gave a foul away in the second half.

“We had to defend deep at times and they passed the ball a lot from side to side but we were happy for them to do that. I was also really pleased with the way we passed the football in the first half, including out from the back.

“We played some good stuff, which might get forgotten because of what happened afterwards.”

Despite a highly unlikely set of results now needed to send City down, Wilcox is taking nothing for granted and wants his side to complete the job against Morecambe, saying: “It was an incredible three points that takes us really, really close to League Two survival with four games to play and we should be very proud of that.

“It’s been a long haul since October. There’s been a weight on everybody’s back because going down from this division is the biggest drop in football.

“You go from League One to League Two and you can rebuild and move on but, if you lose your Football League status, if affects everybody at a club. We’re not safe yet, though, so we must be very competitive again against Morecambe.”

Wilcox is hoping he will have Winfield available for that match with the club considering an appeal after the 27-year-old centre back was given his marching orders despite appearing to win the ball following a crunching challenge on Hartlepool midfielder Brad Walker.

The City chief added: “We’ve had too many sendings offs this season so we’ve got to look at that but, personally, I didn’t think it was even a foul. It was a full-blooded challenged from a 6ft 4in centre half and that’s what I want him to do.

“Players should be fully committed and I thought their player made a meal of it. They also influenced the decision by surrounding the ref but these things happen.

“He made the decision and you have to accept that but I would certainly like the referee to have a look at it. Dave has been outstanding since coming back into the building, along with all the other players, so hopefully we won’t lose him.

“But I’ll look at the incident in the cold light of day, rather than when I’m full of emotion, to decide whether we make an appeal.”

Wilcox went on to reason that Summerfield’s fourth goal of the season, which deflected in off the Minstermen boss’ former Scunthorpe defender David Mirfin, was the reward for the midfielder’s willingness to try his luck from distance.

“At half-time, we talked about being solid, organised and disciplined but also being energetic on the counter-attack when we could be,” Wilcox revealed. “It was a good bit of play for the goal and, if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.

“We had a bit of luck with the shot going in off Dave Mirfin’s head. He helped me get promoted at Scunthorpe last season and now that goal has pushed us closer to survival.”

Femi Ilesanmi, meanwhile, was handed only his third appearance since mid-January with a 68th-minute substitute outing and Wilcox praised his role in safeguarding maximum points.

“He did well because it’s difficult to come on in defence but he was disciplined and did what I asked him to do,” the City manager said. “I was going to make the substitution at 0-0 anyway because I was worried about that side.

“Michael (Coulson) is an offensive player and I decided we needed to plug that gap.”

Having now tasted victory three times in their last half-dozen contests on their own soil, following a run of just one triumph in nine-and-a-half months at Bootham Crescent, Wilcox is also hoping the team have finally overcome their home struggles.

“We’d only won one in 18 at home before the last six games here, so we are changing that record around,” he pointed out. “Now, we’ve got to see if we can get another win against Morecambe to guarantee our safety.”