YORK City manager Gary Mills praised top scorer Michael Rankine for taking out his frustration on Hayes and Yeading in a positive manner by claiming the winning goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win.

Rankine was relegated to the bench for the Church Road encounter but, after being summoned into the action as a second-half substitute, saw his deflected 80th-minute header earn the Minstermen a welcome three points.

For Mills, it was the perfect response from 12-goal Rankine, who has cut a sometimes forlorn and argumentative figure in recent matches.

The City chief said: “Ranks has not been playing well the last few games and he knows that himself. The problem is when he isn’t playing as well as he can, he moans and the more frustrated he gets the worse he becomes.

“I felt he might benefit from sitting next to me on Saturday to watch the game and take stock, and I can do that when I have a player like Leon Constantine to call on if I drop him. Ranks understands and I’m sure he would have settled for coming off the bench to score the winner before the game.”

Rankine’s replacement by Constantine was one of five changes made by Mills.

Centre-back David McGurk and winger Peter Till were absent due to injury and illness respectively with Daniel Parslow and Jamie Reed earning recalls in their place.

Midfielders Danny Racchi and Andre Boucaud also dropped out as Will Hatfield and Jonathan Smith were named in the starting XI.

Smith gave the visitors a first-half lead – cancelled out by former Minsterman Peter Holmes on 75 minutes – before going on to tee up the winning goal for Rankine.

About the contribution of the former Forest Green midfielder and his fellow recalled team-mates, Mills said: “Jonathan Smith got a goal for us and then broke his neck to keep the ball in play and put a magnificent cross in for the winner. It was a typical Jonathan Smith game because he got a booking as well.

“I left him out of the team at Altrincham because, by his standards, he has not been playing as well as he can and, like Michael Rankine, I wanted him to have a little rest and look at things from the bench but he was always going to play this game.

“Will Hatfield is also a good little player who did well before running out of steam a bit and Leon Constantine is a great professional who never moans and, wherever you put him to do a job, he will do it.

“David McGurk could not play because of his foot problem but Dan Parslow did not let us down again at centre-back either and Chris Smith was superb alongside him because (Hayes striker) Jefferson Louis is difficult to play against when he’s in the mood. He’s strong and holds the ball up well. I was pleased when they took him off.”

Mills also conceded that the Minstermen were indebted to ’keeper Michael Ingham after a string of fine saves earned him a second successive man-of-the-match award.

The City chief added: “Michael Ingham was superb. It was probably the busiest he’s been in any game since I came to the club but he’s a good ’keeper.

“If you are going to win anything in football, it all starts from finding a good goalkeeper so I was pleased to see Michael Ingham when I came to the club in October.”

Mills went on to admit his side’s display was not the prettiest but that he was more concerned by victories at this stage of the campaign, as the club moved up to a season’s high position of seventh in the Blue Square Bet Premier standings.

He said: “Let’s not talk about the performance, let’s talk about the result. Not many teams will come to Hayes and put in a good performance.

“The pitch is boggy and there was a lot of rain on it. We knew it would be a battle, just like Altrincham, so to take four points from two away games is a magnificent effort from the players and shows that hard work brings you results.

“If I have to bite my fingernails and go even greyer but we get three points every game until the end of April I will take that even if my heart won’t. It’s always nice to play pretty football but to get out of this league you have to come to places like Hayes and Yeading and do what’s necessary to get a result.”

City’s televised home match with Luton Town, scheduled for a week on Friday, has had to be postponed due to the Hatters’ 1-0 FA Trophy win at Guiseley which means the Bedfordshire side will now be in semi-final action that weekend.

The game has been rearranged for Tuesday, April 19 (7.45pm).

City have brought forward their home match against Eastbourne, due to be played on March 29, to Saturday, March 12 (3pm) as both are without a fixture on that date.