TERRACE tempers came to a boil at the “Tea Shop Derby” as Harrogate Town became the first side to complete a National League North double over York City this season.

Losing the North Yorkshire bragging rights again to a Harrogate team, who have waited more than a century to be league equals, proved too difficult to take for many members of the David Longhurst Stand faithful.

Boos rang out at the final whistle from that end of the pitch following another 2-0 defeat to their neighbours from 20 miles up the A59.

Bootham Crescent’s most vocal supporters also mocked their own team’s ability with second half chants of “We’re s**t and we’ve had enough” as goals from Jake Wright and Mark Beck settled matters.

There was mitigation for the Minstermen’s loss, with half a team of outfield players missing through injury against a Town side that have been the division’s biggest success story this season, lying three points behind the summer’s short-odds title favourites Salford courtesy of a free-scoring campaign.

But City supporters’ pride has taken an almighty battering since the beginning of their nosedive out of the Football League under the stewardship of Jackie McNamara and being bettered twice by a local club who, as recently as the 1990s, narrowly avoided relegation back to the North Counties East League, proved another bitter pill to swallow.

The home team had earlier made a promising start to the match, enjoying good spells of measured possession, while looking organised at the back with the prolific visitors not managing a single goal attempt until the 40th minute.

There was no action in the away penalty box either, though, with Josh Law and Simon Heslop managing the hosts’ only first-half shots – both from outside the penalty box at the end of patient passing moves.

Law’s shot bounced wide across the face of James Belshaw’s goal and the visiting keeper plucked Heslop’s powerful, rising drive out of the air.

Harrogate looked a little cowed by the occasion and were cagey during those opening exchanges for a side that have now plundered 108 goals this season.

But they would have taken some encouragement from their first foray into the home box just before half-time.

Jack Emmett escaped the attentions of Heslop to reach the byline from a throw-in and, when he cut his cross back for Wright, the ex-City striker turned the ball towards goal.

A diving Adam Bartlett subsequently did well to claw away, before Joe Leesley fired over an inviting net.

In first half stoppage time, Warren Burrell then headed wide from a Leesley free-kick.

After the break, John McCombe’s header from a George Thomson cross only required a routine save from Bartlett, but the home keeper was picking the ball out of his net on 51 minutes when Wright grabbed his third goal in two games.

Running at Dan Parslow through the right channel, the former Sheffield United reserve drilled across the face of Bartlett’s goal and into the bottom corner from an acute angle to break the deadlock.

City had lacked a cutting edge up to that point with wingers Connor Smith and Aidan Connolly paired in attack due to injuries, as well as a loss of faith in benched pair James Gray and Raul Correia.

But, in response to falling behind, Smith’s rasping edge-of-the-box drive forced a flying fingertip save from Belshaw and Sean Newton headed against the bar from the resulting corner, while Parslow jumped highest to meet the rebound but his follow-up effort landed on the roof of the net.

After Dom Knowles scuffed wide from close to the penalty spot having worked himself into a good shooting opportunity, matters were then settled on 67 minutes after sloppy play by Hamza Bencherif saw the former Algeria under-20 international concede a free-kick close to the touchline.

Leesley subsequently swung in an excellent ball from the left that floated over Parslow and was headed firmly in at the far post by home boss Martin Gray’s former Darlington forward Beck, who had only been on the pitch six minutes.

That goal seemed to drain the hosts of any belief, while the City fans started to voice their discontent.

A well-delivered low cross by 17-year-old Flynn McNaughton was guided over by fellow sub Correia and Bencherif also dragged wide from the edge of the box, while the final chance of a consolation saw Clovis Kamdjo, introduced for his first outing since suffering knee ligament damage back in November 2016, head off target from a Law free-kick.

City ratings

Adam Bartlett 6 – excellent first-half save and beaten by two good finishes

Connor Brown 5 – lucky not to be punished after early error

Dan Parslow 5 – solid first half, but might have done better with both goals

Hamza Bencherif 5 – looked uneasy following switch from left to right of back three

Josh Law 7 – assured on ball and kept Leesley quiet in open play

Simon Heslop 5 – could not get a grip on the midfield and looked subdued

Sean Newton 6 – started with bit between his teeth, but influence waned

Adriano Moke 5 – could not get any forward impetus going

David Ferguson 6 - threatened with attacking surges early on

Aidan Connolly 5 – repeatedly finished up on his backside

Connor Smith 6 – tried his hardest, but uncomfortable in central role

Substitutes: Flynn McNaughton 6 – busy (for Brown, 54), Raul Correia 5 - ineffective (for Smith, 68), Clovis Kamdjo (for Heslop, 82).

Subs not used: James Gray, Luke Simpson.

Star man: Law

Harrogate: James Belshaw, Ryan Fallowfield, Warren Burrell, John McCombe, Ben Parker, George Thomson, Josh Falkingham, Jack Emmett, Joe Leesley (Liam Agnew, 87), Dom Knowles (Jordan Thewlis, 75), Jake Wright (Mark Beck, 61). Subs not used: Terry Kennedy, Joe Cracknell.

Harrogate star man: Falkingham – combative and aggressive in midfield

Referee: Simon Mather: 7/10 – kept control well without taking sting out of derby

Booked: Thewlis 89

Sent off: None

Attendance: 3,562 (515 from Harrogate)

Shots on target: City 3, Harrogate 4

Shots off target: City 5, Harrogate 3

Corners City 3, Harrogate 2

Fouls conceded: City 9, Harrogate 15

Offside: City 4, Harrogate 1