YORK City have suffered their first back-to-back defeats since last November following a sluggish 2-0 loss at Chorley.

Josh Wilson bagged a brace for the hosts, who celebrated their first home triumph since Good Friday and, although the Minstermen were only beaten in an away match for the second time in 2017, consecutive setbacks against Lancashire part-timers Chorley and FC United of Manchester have seen a promising start to the campaign begin to unravel.

Chorley made the brighter start on a disappointing afternoon for Gary Mills’ men with Nick Haughton volleying wide from 20 yards after just ten seconds.

Marcus Carver also bustled past Hamza Bencherif before calling Jon Worsnop into action from the edge of the box.

On seven minutes, Amari Morgan-Smith then trod on the ball, gifting a chance to Adam Blakeman that he drilled over from 25 yards.

Haughton went on to miss the target from just outside the penalty area, while City mustered their first goal attempt just past the quarter-hour mark when Jon Parkin glanced a header wide from Sean Newton’s left-wing cross.

The visitors fell behind, though, on 20 minutes when a sloppy back pass by Hamza Bencherif saw Carver win a challenge for the loose ball against an advancing Worsnop.

He subsequently squared to Wilson, who Dan Parslow could not prevent finding an unguarded net.

In response, Simon Heslop’s 20-yard attempt was gathered by Matt Urwin, who also saved Parkin’s downward header on his goal-line from Morgan-Smith’s corenr.

Morgan-Smith’s far-post header, meanwhile, was held by Urwin following Newton’s flag kick and a 20-yard volley on the turn by Parkin sailed over.

Instead, after Haughton dragged a long-range effort wide, it was the hosts who doubled their lead.

Bencherif thrusted his arm up in desperation as a left-wing delivery from Blakeman floated over his head, but the flag never looked like being raised and Wilson drilled a diagonal, 12-yard shot into Worsnop’s bottom-right corner.

Before the interval, Magpies midfielder Haughton, who was repeatedly finding himself with the freedom to shoot from just outvside the penalty box, forced a save from Worsnop and went close with a drive that flashed just wide. Early into the restart, Josh Law curled a free kick narrowly over but, at the other end, Worsnop had to be more alert than his team-mates when he pushed a sidefooted edge-of-the-box effort over after he had been picked out unmarked by Blakeman’s corner.

Carver also lifted an opportunity out of the ground after former City striker Jason Walker – on for the injured Wilson – had played him in through the right channel.

Midway through the half Sam Muggleton was introduced to the action and, immediately, his long throw led to a chance for Bencherif that he headed narrowly wide.

Walker, meanwhile, saw an opportunistic 40-yard effort drop just over Worsnop’s crossbar and Andy Teague directed a header wide from O’Keefe’s corner.

For City, Urwin made a good reflex save from Parkin’s header after a Muggleton flag kick and the pair combined again from a throw in that saw another aeriel effort deflected wide, but City could not find sufficient inspiration to get back into the encounter.