ONLY treble-chasing Manchester United and Blue Square Bet Premier champions-elect Crawley can now boast a better run of home form than York City in the English professional game.

Saturday’s 1-0 win over Eastbourne, secured by Michael Rankine’s 13th goal of the season, represented the Minstermen’s seventh straight league victory at Bootham Crescent.

That is four short of the current sequence being enjoyed by Alex Ferguson’s Premier League table-toppers at Old Trafford and just one triumph less than United’s Red Devil counterparts at Crawley.

Fans of the other 113 sides in this country’s top five divisions, meanwhile, can only look on in envy.

Another clean sheet – City’s ninth from 16 home fixtures – was once more instrumental in securing three points and only Swansea, from that three-figured clan of clubs, have conceded fewer goals in front of their own fans than the eight shipped by the Minstermen during 2010/11.

Michael Ingham was not even required to make a single save on Saturday but, at the other end of the pitch, Gary Mills’ men are now the fifth-lowest marksmen in the division and the struggle to make their dominance count in front of goal almost cost last season’s play-off finalists dearly.

Rankine and captain Chris Smith (twice) should have both put the match out of sight with second-half chances for the home side but, in between, an outclassed Eastbourne team spurned a great opportunity to steal a point when Jamie Taylor’s lob bounced wide of a beaten Ingham’s goal.

City made a welcome return to 4-3-3 for only their second Saturday league outing at Bootham Crescent in just under five months and the recall in midfield for David McDermott – a willing recipient and sensible distributor of the ball throughout – also meant that, during an impressive first-half display, Mills’ favoured formation bore all the aesthetically-pleasing hallmarks that have characterised the team’s best performances under the former Tamworth chief.

On the rare occasions that they lost the ball, City also worked hard to win back possession, following the lead of Barcelona, according to Mills later, with the City boss having been wowed by the Catalan greats’ workrate during their Champions League humbling of Arsenal. With McDermott pulling the strings, the second-bottom visitors lost the midfield battle and also struggled to contain Ashley Chambers and Peter Till on the flanks.

It was no coincidence, therefore, that when Chambers and Till were both forced to depart proceedings midway through the second period and McDermott was shifted on to the wing City lost a lot of their fluency.

McDermott, leaning back, had earlier sliced wide the hosts’ first chance from 15 yards after good work by James Meredith.

Top scorer Rankine, though, gave the Minstermen a timely lead on 16 minutes when he directed a glancing header into Rikki Banks’ bottom left-hand corner from eight yards after meeting Till’s inswinging centre.

As City took full control of the match, Till, Rankine, Meredith and Jonathan Smith all sent in efforts on Banks’ goal before the visitors managed their first – and only – effort of any description prior to the interval with Eddie Hutchinson heading way off target following Neil Jenkins’ free-kick.

The Minstermen, though, went into the break in the ascendancy with Till forcing a near-post save after being released down the left flank by McDermott.

Rankine squandered the first excellent opening of the second half on 47 minutes, sending a sidefooted volley inches wide from six yards from Meredith’s cross.

Following a lethargic spell, Daniel Parslow injected some much-needed urgency into the home side’s display, winning the ball in his own half before driving forward just past the hour and feeding Chambers down the right.

Continuing his run, Parslow sprinted into the penalty box to collect Chambers’ return ball but Banks was quick off his line to smother at the former Wales under-21 international’s feet.

Shortly afterwards, on 69 minutes, with Till and Chambers substituted, City’s fans hearts were in their mouths when Bootham Crescent old boy Richard Pacquette lifted a ball over Chris Smith for Taylor to chase.

The Sports’ right winger looked certain to level the scores as he lobbed the ball over Ingham but, to the collective dismay of the 26-strong travelling contingent huddled together in the Grosvenor Road end, the ball bounced agonisingly wide almost in slow motion.

Eastbourne would not come any closer to snatching a point but skipper Smith passed up a glorious chance to settle the home fans’ nerves when he met Parslow’s terrific cross to the far post but, four yards from goal, contrived to send a downward header over Banks’ bar.

Smith then did exactly the same from a McDermott corner on 80 minutes while Ingham scrambled across his goal-line to ensure that Simon Weatherstone’s free-kick did not sneak inside his far post after Pacquette had failed to get his head on the left-wing delivery.

It was City, subsequently, who were left celebrating a deserved victory shortly afterwards.

Sadly, the home crowd fell somewhat short of Mills’ 3,000 target by more than 600.

It is to be hoped that tomorrow night’s home match with Mansfield can herald greater interest in a play-off push that continues to gather momentum by the game.


Match facts

York City 1 (Rankine 16), Eastbourne 0

York City: Michael Ingham 7, Liam Darville 7, Daniel Parslow 9, Chris Smith 7, James Meredith 7, Scott Kerr 7, David McDermott 8, Jonathan Smith 7, Ashley Chambers 7, Michael Rankine 7, Peter Till 7.

Subs: Jamie Reed 6 (for Chambers, 64), Will Hatfield 6 (for Till, 64), Andre Boucaud (for McDermott, 89). Not used: McGurk, Constantine.

Key: 10 – Faultless; 9 – Outstanding; 8 – Excellent; 7 – Good; 6 – Average; 5 – Below par; 4 – Poor; 3 – Dud; 2 – Hopeless; 1 – Retire.

City’s star man: Parslow – outstanding defensively and a force in the final third of the pitch too.

Eastbourne: Rikki Banks, Darren Baker, Ben Austin, Danny Kelly, Neil Jenkins, Jamie Taylor, Eddie Hutchinson, Matt Smart, Ethan Strevett (Simon Johnson, 46), Steve Brinkhurst (Simon Weatherstone, 83), Richard Pacquette (Mick Demetriou, 89).

Subs not used: Gary Elphick.

Booked: Taylor 23, Chambers 48, Baker 56, Hutchinson 75, C Smith 75.

Shots on target: York 6, Boro 0.

Shots off target: York 9, Boro 4.

Corners: York 5, Boro 3.

Fouls conceded: York 14, Boro 10.

Offsides: York 1, Boro 4.

Referee: Darren Handley (Bolton).

Rating: made some elementary errors, including mistaken identity.

Attendance: 2,357 (26 away fans).

Cross of the match: The whipped-in right-footed delivery from Parslow that should have seen Chris Smith score.

Save of the match: Banks’ quick reaction to thwart Parslow after an explosive run into the penalty area.


Head to head - Daniel Parslow v Richard Pacquette

The two former house-mates were keen combatants but Pacquette found it hard to get any change out of the dominant Parslow.

The former City striker did not manage a single shot on Ingham’s goal but his close control meant Parslow always needed to stay vigilant.

Pacquette did produce one of the game’s classiest moments when he managed to capitalise on an inch of space afforded to him by Parslow to create Eastbourne’s best chance of the game for Taylor but it was to no avail.