YORK City went down 2-0 to North Yorkshire neighbours Harrogate Town after a goal in each half from Joe Leesley and Liam Agnew.

The table-topping home team were comfortable winners with City struggling to threaten in the absence of target-men Jon Parkin and Michael Rankine.

Kaine Felix started in the centre-forward role, but was replaced at half-time with Gary Mills switching to 3-5-2 to no avail.

After a cagey start, the game came to life just before the quarter-hour mark when Josh Law’s cross from the right was headed down by Sean Newton and a fierce 12-yard Alex Whittle shot was well parried by James Belshaw.

But the hosts immediately broke up the other end with Jordan Thewlis charging clear on goal and, after attempting to round Jon Worsnop, was felled by the City keeper’s outstretched right arm.

Worsnop was subsequently yellow carded and then beaten from the spot on 16 minutes when he dived to his right as Leesley drove firmly down the middle of the goal.

Midway through the half, Warren Burrell went on to glance a header wide from George Thomson’s corner, while Whittle curled just over for City from 15 yards after Simon Heslop had spread play to Law.

Louis Almond also volleyed out of the ground from 12 yards, while Hamza Bencherif leant back and hit the roof of the stand after Law had won an aerial ball following Newton’s long throw into the box.

Harrogate might have doubled their lead, though, on 37 minutes when Thewlis found good space in the away penalty area, but Law recovered to deflect his eight-yard attempt wide.

Newton’s 20-yard attempt in first-half injury time, meanwhile, was a comfortable height and pace for Belshaw to gather.

Harrogate doubled their lead six minutes into the restart when Bencherif failed to close down a 15-yard Agnew drive that deflected past Worsnop off substitute Jassem Sukar.

For the Minstermen, Almond curled wide after a short Newton free kick and then into the trees from the edge of the penalty area.

Midway through the second period, Josh Falkingham then got in behind a ball-watching Sukar, but his low ball into the six-yard box was turned wide by Thewlis.

Worsnop also saved well at his near post after Leesley tried his luck from an acute angle.

City briefly rallied and, on 71 minutes, Newton drilled a low ten-yard shot against Belshaw’s left-hand upright following an Amari Morgan-Smith header.

Almond also forced Belshaw into a parry with a diagonal 12-yard drive, but Ben Parker went close from 20 yards for Simon Weaver’s men, before Newton cleared the crossbar with a half-volley from a similar distance.

Moments later, the City skipper saw an edge-of-the-box drive gathered at the second attempt by Belshaw before Morgan-Smith could pounce, but Harrogate saw out the game with no genuine scares.