YORK City extended their longest run of consecutive away wins for three years following a nervy 2-1 victory at relegation rivals Solihull Moors.

Vadaine Oliver’s brace put the Minstermen in a plum position at Damson Park just past the half-hour mark, but Harry White’s reply seconds before the interval completely changed the outlook of the game.

Only three fine second-half saves by Scott Loach from White then preserved his side’s lead and left the Minstermen with a hat-trick of successive wins on the road for the first time since March 2014.

Earlier, Jon Parkin had seen a fourth-minute, 15-yard effort deflected wide following an Alex Whittle raid down the left.

After Oliver had flicked on a long Loach kick, Whittle then sent in another low cross from the byline that Parkin scooped wide from 12 yards.

Oliver went agonisingly close, meanwhile, when he beat home keeper Nathan Baxter to a loose ball, but prodded inches wide from six yards.

The hosts briefly threatened with Simeon Maye sidefooting wide from 20 yards and White shooting past the near post after being played through the left channel by George Carline.

But the visitors forged ahead on the quarter-hour mark after all three of the Minstermen’s three-pronged strikeforce combined.

First, Amari Morgan-Smith won a foul 30 yards from goal after being floored by home defender Joel Kettle.

Next, Parkin’s superbly-struck, low free kick hit the inside of Baxter’s left-hand upright and Oliver was on hand at the opposite post to find an empty net.

In response, Andy Brown almost uprooted the corner flag with a woeful volley, but City continued to turn the screw with another Parkin free kick fumbled away by an intimidated Baxter.

Asa Hall and Parkin also drilled long-range attempts too high, while the latter lifted a ball through for Morgan-Smith to chase but he shot straight at Baxter.

The Minstermen eventually doubled their advantage on 31 minutes in clinical fashion.

Moving inside from the left flank, Oliver played a one-two with Hall and then curled perfectly beyond Baxter’s despairing dive from 12 yards.

An edge-of-the-box Simon Heslop attempt, meanwhile, lacked the power and direction to beat Baxter, before Solihull offered a warning after Kettle headed narrowly wide from Nortei Nortey’s right-wing free kick.

Whittle went on to exchanges passes with Parkin and forced a near-post save from Baxter.

But it was the Moors who netted next when, after the third minute of signalled, added-on time had elapsed, Danny Holmes conceded a foul and White fired a stunning 35-yard free kick into Loach’s top-right corner.  

After the break, Hall drove wide from 20 yards before Loach made two excellent saves from White within the first five minutes to keep his side in front.

First, the former England under-21 net-minder pushed the clear-through home striker’s firm shot on to his right-hand post.

Then, he instinctively parried the same player’s six-yard shot.

A bizarre 57th-minute incident went on to see sub Shaun Rooney cautioned for entering the field of play without referee Scott Oldham’s permission after the fourth official had taken an eternity to operate his electronic board.

Moments later, Hamza Bencherif’s header landed on the roof of the netting from Sean Newton’s left-wing free kick.

At the other end, White continued to threaten though and clever footwork saw him create space for an edge-of-the-box effort that flashed narrowly wide.

As City clung on, Carline also blazed over from eight yards after the ball had fallen to his feet and Brown missed the target by inches with a far-post header from sub Ashley Sammons’ right-wing free kick.

At the other end, Parkin could not knee a chance past Baxter from Newton’s free kick into the box, while home sub Omari Sterling-James brushed the sidenetting with a low 25-yard attempt.

Sterling-James also went close from long range in the second minute of stoppage time, before White was denied for a third and final occasion by another smart Loach reflex save to the relief of City’s loud and sizeable band of supporters.

City

STAR MAN Scott Loach 9 – made three terrific saves to safeguard the points

Dan Parslow 8 – unflappable at back as Solihull applied the pressure

Hamza Bencherif 7 – battled to the end as White started to cause problems

Sean Newton 7 – coped well with second-half onslaught from the hosts

Danny Holmes 7 – conceded free kick for goal and picked up nasty thigh injury

Simon Heslop 8 – made some vital interceptions during anxious final minutes

Asa Hall 7 – could have been more accurate with shots and swamped a little

Alex Whittle 7 – good forward bursts before forced back after break

Vadaine Oliver 9 – might have had a first-half hat-trick and industrious throughout

Jon Parkin 8 – made his presence felt during opening exchanges

Amari Morgan-Smith 7 – found it hard to get into game but showed usual endeavour

Subs: Shaun Rooney 6 – dazed (for Holmes, 57).

Subs not used: Scott Fenwick, Aidan Connolly, Sam

Muggleton, Adriano Moke.

Solihull: Nathan Baxter, Connor Franklin (Omari Sterling-James, 79), Joel Kettle, Hafeez Sanusi (Ashley Sammons, 68), Kristian Green, Nortei Nortey (Oladapo Afolayan, 68), Simeon Maye, Jack Byrne, George Carline Harry White, Andy Brown. Subs not used: Darren Acton, Tyree Shade.

Solihull star man: White – real handful after his excellent goal

Referee: Scott Oldham rating: 4/10 – baffling at times

Booked: Franklin 40, Rooney 57, Heslop 87

Attendance: 1,570

Shots on target: Solihull 7, City 8

Shots off target: Solihull 10, City 7

Corners: Solihull 11, City 3

Fouls conceded: Solihull 6, City 7

Offside: Solihull 1, City 4