JON Parkin’s brace and a Vadaine Oliver effort earned York City a crucial 3-1 home victory over Eastleigh.

Long throws helped Parkin grab both of his goals in the opening 13 minutes, before a Kyle Letheren howler let the visitors back into the game.

But Oliver made the outcome safe on 81 minutes with his third goal since returning from a loan spell at Notts County.

City got off to their customary flying start with Parkin opening the scoring on seven minutes after his earlier 35-yard lob had drifted over.

Sean Newton’s throw from the left was helped on by a flick of Oliver’s head and the 35-year-old veteran volleyed in from five yards at the far post.

After Stearn had driven a 25-yard free kick just over, Parkin then doubled the hosts’ advantage on 13 minutes.

This time, Simon Heslop hurled the ball in from the right, Oliver won the aerial battle again and, after a bounce in the six-yard box, Parkin prodded past Ryan Clarke.

But the Spitfires were back in the game on the quarter-hour mark when Letheren completely missed a routine catch from Stearn’s poor inswinging free kick from the left and, to compound his error, the ball bounced between his legs before finishing in the back of the net.

City continued to press, though, with Newton sending in another throw that was cleared as far as Heslop, whose edge-of-the-box drive was gathered by Clarke.

A Newton cross then saw Parkin unable to direct his header on target, which was also the case for Ben Close at the other end.

On 43 minutes, Newton drove over from 25 yards and Heslop went on to release Oliver through the right channel on the stroke of half-time, but he blasted wide of the near post.

City didn’t let up with their tempo after the break and a low shot by Newton, drilled in from the left, was pushed around his near post by Clarke.

After Reda Johnson fired over with a hopeful long-range effort, a firm 20-yard drive by Oliver was also kept out low to his left by Clarke.

Amari Morgan-Smith was then denied by a miraculous goal-line clearance by Gavin Hoyte after he fired at goal from four yards following a Newton corner and Hamza Bencherif headed wide from another flag kick.

City survived a scare, though, on 67 minutes when sub Tyler Garratt’s 25-yard strike bounced back into play off the inside of Letheren’s left-hand upright.

The hosts went on hit the frame of the goal themselves when Clarke got his fingertips to push Oliver’s looping header on to the bar from an Asa Hall corner.

Close, meanwhile, sliced wide from 30 yards for Richard Hill’s men and an off-balance James Constable lifted an edge-of-the-box effort over.

But Oliver settled matters on 81 minutes when he held off the attentions of Ayo Obileye to get to a bouncing ball in the visitors’ box and steered a low ten-yard shot into Clarke’s bottom-right corner.

A demoralised Eastleigh saw Garratt hoist a shot out of the ground shortly afterwards and sub Scott Wilson curled narrowly over before the outstanding Oliver saw a deflected shot flash wide at the death.