Match report: York City 0, AFC Wimbledon 2

Not since Brass’ 2003/4 side tumbled into the Conference have the Minstermen racked up a quartet of consecutive League losses with the Stags next up at Bootham Crescent after Saturday’s dismal 2-0 home reverse against Wimbledon followed on from fruitless back-to-back trips to Exeter (2-1) and Bristol Rovers (3-2).

Whereas both performances in the south-west had given some cause for encouragement, there was little solace to be taken as the Wombles cleaned up on their visit to North Yorkshire.

A goal in each half from powerful on-loan Charlton Athletic striker Michael Smith earned Neal Ardley’s men their first away win in six months but the margin of victory could have been even greater and the problems for Worthington look manifold.

At its most simple, football is about putting the ball in one net and keeping it out of the other.

Any team struggling on both those fronts is heading for trouble.

Seven games into the new season, Ryan Jarvis remains the club's only marksman and City have mustered just three goals from open play so far in 2013/14.

At the other end of the pitch, the goals that are being conceded by Worthington’s men are becoming increasingly embarrassing for a professional outfit, who look all too vulnerable to swift counter-attacks.

Winger Ashley Chambers and George Taft contrived to gift Smith his first goal of the afternoon on 31 minutes and, midway through the second period, the Wallsend-born 21-year-old profited from a mistake by City namesake Chris to double his personal haul, as well as his team’s advantage.

The Minstermen’s captain has proven in the past that he has the mental strength to recover from poor spells of form but it remains to be seen how on-loan Leicester rookie Taft reacts after being culpable for goals in each of his first two Football League appearances.

Given the back four’s current troubles and David McGurk’s ongoing fitness battle, it will certainly be interesting to see whether the ever-reliable Dan Parslow remains on the bench as an unused substitute against Mansfield or is, belatedly, handed the chance of a run of games in his most natural position.

If that means Taft is moved out to left-back, where 18-year-old Ben Davies looks like he might benefit from a rest, then such a switch certainly did on-loan Blackburn defender Jack O’Connell no harm last season. Likewise, Davies’ fellow teenager Tom Platt seems to have hit somewhat of a wall after starting the last dozen first-team matches having only made his senior debut in March.

Platt is finding it difficult to provide attacking support from his advanced midfield role in the 4-3-3 system and also struggled to make an impression when the early second-half introductions of youth-team striker Tom Chamberlain and Michael Coulson prompted a change to 4-4-2.

Prior to kick-off, Worthington had stressed the importance of matching the visitors’ muscle but City rarely emerged on top in their individual battles and often failed to help themselves in that respect with the diminutive Davies, inexplicably considering the average height of the home team, finding himself repeatedly pitted against the 6ft 4in Smith on the far post at set-pieces.

It would perhaps be unfair, though, to level accusations of a lack of fight at Jarvis.

The former Norwich and Torquay forward required two lengthy first-half spells off the pitch, amounting to 21 minutes, for stitches after clashing heads with his Dons’ adversaries in separate incidents.

Cuts on both sides of his head were tended to by physio Jeff Miller with Wimbledon defender Andy Frampton also being subjected to the needle and thread following the second incident.

Jarvis was on the pitch, however, when the visitors forged in front just past the half-hour mark.

Earlier, City’s fit-again Estonian international Sander Puri forced Dons’ net-minder Ross Worner into his first save of the afternoon from the edge of the penalty box after Davies exchanged passes with Chambers and sent in a low cross from the left flank.

Harry Pell, though, drove just wide from 35 yards for the visitors with City temporarily a man down due to Jarvis’ first wound.

The South London outfit then survived strong shouts for a penalty when Frampton appeared to climb all over the back of home skipper Smith’s back.

Moments later, George Francomb fired a 30-yard free-kick narrowly over Michael Ingham’s bar before Smith claimed his first goal.

A promising move down the left, involving Lewis Montrose and Craig Clay, released Chambers. But, instead of sprinting directly at worried right-back Barry Fuller, the City winger decided to cut inside instead where, now faced by a crowd of players, he surrendered possession.

A crude boot upfield by Alan Bennett saw Smith shrug off Taft’s challenge to leave the former England under-19 international on his backside.

Smith went on to lift a deft lob over the stranded and exposed Ingham from 12 yards.

With Jarvis and Frampton both off the pitch, Puri went closest for either team before the break, thumping a 20-yard volley over but the Minstermen would not seriously threaten Worner’s goal again until the fifth minute of second-half stoppage-time when Taft forced a save from Chamberlain’s left-wing cross.

Other than that, Lanre Oyebanjo missed the target with two long-range attempts and Jarvis saw a goal-bound effort blocked by Frampton as City, with just one goal from their last six hours of football at Bootham Crescent, fired blanks for a third consecutive home match.

Wimbledon looked more potent and might have increased their lead on 55 minutes had Bennett not strayed offside when he forced the ball over the line after Smith had outjumped Davies to meet Luke Moore’s free-kick.

Ardley’s men did add a second, though, when Chris Arthur, seconds after being introduced as a substitute, capitalised on a Chris Smith misjudgement to tear through the left channel.

His low ball across the face of Ingham’s goal was then tapped in from two yards by Smith at the far post.

Pell might have gone on to seal a more comprehensive victory when his thumping 25-yard strike was kept out by Ingham’s legs and a second opportunity clipped the former Northern Ireland international’s crossbar.

In between, Arthur had also left Montrose treading water as he burst through the left channel again but his cross was headed wide by fellow replacement Jack Midson.

Boos rang out from certain sections of the home crowd at the final whistle and Worthington, who has largely steered clear of criticising his team this season, could offer up no defence for his players’ performance.

The City boss insisted they must act quickly to reward their fans’ loyalty but, equally, it is time to repay the faith the manager showed by either bringing them to the club or retaining their services for another season this summer.

Match facts

York City 0, AFC Wimbledon 2 (Smith 31, 73)

York City

Michael Ingham 5
Left exposed again for both goals but his kicking might have been better at times.

Lanre Oyebanjo 6
STAR MAN – provided some of his team's best attacking moments with forward forays down the flank.

Chris Smith 4
Survived a couple of shaky moments prior to the mistake that resulted in Wimbledon's second goal.

George Taft 4
Brushed aside far too easily for Smith’s deadlock breaker and needs to make greater use of his sizeable frame.

Ben Davies 5
Looked to penetrate when he could down the left wing but given a tough time defensively at times.

Lewis Montrose 5
Displayed glimpses of his ability on the ball but must impose himself more and grab a game by the scruff of its neck.

Craig Clay 5
A little unfortunate to be dragged off after 55 minutes but was fading after a promising enough start.

Tom Platt 4
Almost anonymous and had very few touches of the ball, certainly hard to remember any that provided attacking impetus.

Sander Puri 6
Drifted in and out of the game but tempted visitors into conceding free-kicks and willing to get his shots away in first half.

Ryan Jarvis 5
Literally put his neck on the line for the team but did not trouble his opponents in the same manner as Smith did for the Dons.

Ashley Chambers 4
Set-piece deliveries were poor and did not make his pace count in open play either.

Subs: Michael Coulson 4 – quiet (for Chambers, 55), Tom Chamberlain 5 – eager (for Clay, 55). Not used: Chris Kettings, Daniel Parslow, Jamal Fyfield, Tom Allan, Chris Dickinson.

AFC Wimbledon: Ross Worner, Barry Fuller, Andy Frampton, Alan Bennett, Jim Fenlon, George Francomb (Jack Midson, 71), Harry Pell, Sammy Moore, George Porter (Chris Arthur, 72), Michael Smith, Luke Moore. Subs not used: Callum Kennedy, Peter Sweeney, Charlie Strutton, Seb Brown, Charlie Fayers.

Star man: Smith – a real handful.

Referee: Fred Graham (Stanford-le-Hope).

Rating: 6/10 – made a couple of oversights that could have had a bearing on the game.

Booked: Porter 66, Montrose 82, L Moore 85. Sent off: None.

Attendance: 3,530 (421 from Wimbledon).

Shots on target: City 3, Dons 5.

Shots off target: City 4, Dons 6.

Corners: City 7, Dons 5.

Fouls conceded: City 6, Dons 15.

Offsides: City 1, Dons 4.