YORK City’s first-ever trip to Nuneaton’s Liberty Way saw them play with a freedom that belied their bottom-of-the-table status.

Goals from Amari Morgan-Smith, Vadaine Oliver and Sean Newton during the first 19 minutes turned a potential FA Trophy banana skin into a cake-walk for the Minstermen, who continue to make a nonsense of their lowly league position.

The 3-0 victory also meant the club, having gone 35 matches without keeping a clean sheet on the road before Boxing Day, racked up successive shut-outs on their travels for the first time since April 2014 when Nigel Worthington was masterminding a successful push for the League Two play-offs.

Despite his team-mates limiting the opposition to just two on-target attempts again, keeper Kyle Letheren, meanwhile, played his part in the triumph with another timely reflex save either side of Morgan-Smith and Oliver’s early strikes against a team that had won five and drawn one of their last six home fixtures.

At the other end of the pitch, Letheren’s counterpart Christian Dibble did not police his goal with the same level of assurance when he gifted the visitors a third-minute lead.

After Newton set the tone for an outstanding individual display by blocking and diverting a goalbound Tom Elliott drive off target, Exodus Geohaghon’s dangerous long throw from the right was initially dealt with by Alex Whittle inside his own six-yard box.

Dibble was then lured out of his penalty box when Oliver helped the ball upfield and the former Welsh under-21 international went on to make a real mess of his attempted clearance, presenting Morgan-Smith with an inviting net to roll the ball into from 15 yards.

It was the reward, nevertheless, for the latter’s willingness to pursue apparent lost causes. Oliver might have doubled the lead seconds later when he broke through the right channel but Dibble smothered his shot and, as the ball spun backwards, home skipper Kelvin Langmead raced back to clear off the line.

During a frantic start, Letheren went on to react smartly after Alex Penny’s right-wing cross was met by a firm far-post header by former Sheffield United forward Joe Ironside on five minutes.

City seized control of the tie, though, on the quarter-hour mark when Morgan-Smith displayed great desire to win the ball on the halfway line and sent the indefatigable Newton charging through the left channel.

Oliver, in turn, demonstrated similar determination as he stole in front of his markers to divert Newton’s low cross to the near post past Dibble from four yards.

Four minutes later, clinical City made it 3-0 when Dan Parslow won the second aerial contest following a Simon Lappin flag kick and, after the ball fell to Newton, he drilled a low 15-yard shot into Dibble’s bottom-left corner.

Shell-shocked Nuneaton might have pulled a goal back just past the half-hour, but Geohaghon mistimed his header after Ironside had rose high to meet Greg Tempest’s left-wing free kick to the far post. Jordan Nicholson also drove across the face of goal after being released through the left channel by Greg Mills’ clever back heel and Ironside drilled into the sidenetting having created space for himself in the City penalty box.

A Langmead header, meanwhile, was spilled by Letheren but Geohaghon could not capitalise and Tempest smashed a wild 20-yard effort out of the ground.

The second half was a quieter affair, as the Minstermen saw the game out in a professional and disciplined manner.

Scott Fenwick, recalled as the link man between attack and midfield as Mills reverted back to 3-5-2 in Jon Parkin’s absence, stabbed wide from a Lappin left-wing corner.

At the other end, Elliott and David Morgan saw hopeful long-range attempts miss the target, while the visitors went close to extending their margin of victory during the closing stages.

Hesitancy from Fenwick, as he was played in through the left channel, allowed Dibble to charge out and smother at his feet, whilst Oliver was denied at the near post after working his way into a shooting position. Newton also fired high into the sidenetting and curled over from a free kick, as Nuneaton clung on for respectability.

City

Kyle Letheren; Hamza Bencherif, Yan Klukowski, Dan Parslow; Simon Heslop, Simon Lappin, Sean Newton, Alex Whittle; Scott Fenwick; Vadaine Oliver (Shaun Rooney, 88) Amari Morgan-Smith (Adriano Moke, 90+1). Subs not used: Danny Holmes, Luke Simpson, Luke Woodland.

Nuneaton

Christian Dibble, Alex Penny, Kelvin Langmead, Exodus Geohaghon, Greg Tempest, James Clifton (Billy Daniels, 81), David Morgan, Tom Elliott, Jordan Nicholson (Conor Anderson, 67), Greg Mills, Joe Ironside. Subs not used: Reece Saye, Alhassan Bangura, Billy Daniels, Elliott Taylor.

Nuneaton star man: Mills – caused a few problems with ball skills

Referee: Samuel Allison rating: 5/10 – far too whistle happy

Booked: Oliver 29, Klukowski 30, Fenwick 65, Morgan-Smith 72, Heslop 76, Anderson 85.

Attendance: 687

Shots on target: Nuneaton 2, City 6

Shots off target: Nuneaton 8, City 4

Corners: Nuneaton 9, City 7

Fouls conceded: Nuneaton 15, City 24

Offside: Nuneaton 3, City 1