York City 4, Farsley Celtic 1

9:35am Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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IT WAS not quite a case of saving their best for last, but York City completed their KitKat Crescent programme with their biggest home league win of the season.

First-half goals from Martyn Woolford and Leo Fortune-West, followed by a late brace by substitute Richard Brodie, secured a 4-1 win to relegate Farsley Celtic after only one season as a Blue Square Premier outfit.

Despite the margin of last night's victory, however, the performance bore many of the hallmarks that have typified the team's travails in front of their own fans this season and led to only eight triumphs from 23 outings.

Aside from the highly- impressive 2-0 defeat of Aldershot, the Minstermen have struggled to piece together a consistent 90 minutes at KitKat Crescent and, against Farsley, a stylish, purposeful first-half gave way to a typically, disjointed second period.

Tetchiness soon began to spread in the Main Stand - and even as far as the directors' box - before the obligatory goal was conceded from a set-piece.

For once, however, City fans were treated to a grandstand finish.

Earlier, a lively Fortune-West fired wide from 25 yards after just two minutes and Danny Parslow's sidefooted effort from a Woolford free-kick forced Curtis Aspden into his first save of the night.

At the other end, Damien Reeves dragged a 15-yard effort wide of Tom Evans' goal before City forged ahead on 11 minutes.

Sodje's right-wing cross saw Fortune-West set up Woolford with a deft overhead kick and the former Frickley winger scored his 17th goal of the season by beating an exposed Aspden with a calm finish from five yards.

Woolford went close to increasing his haul on 19 minutes when his downward header from a Ben Purkiss cross was palmed around a post by Aspden.

But City doubled their advantage from the resulting corner when Fortune-West sent a sidefooted volley into the roof of the net after muscling himself into a shooting position inside the visitors' six-yard box following Woolford's flag kick.

Former Minsterman David McNiven had Farsley's first on-target effort, but his smart shot on the turn was straight at Evans and it was the home side who finished the half in the ascendancy.

Woolford had a shot blocked and drove the loose ball wide with a second effort. He also stung Aspden's hands with a thumping edge-of-the-box attempt.

A succession of early second-half Farsley corners, however, highlighted that any amount of attractive football in open play can quickly be undermined by City's set-play vulnerabilities.

Centre-backs Amjad Iqbal and Simeon Bambrook both headed wide from inside the six-yard box after flag kicks delivered by ex-City winger and half-time substitute Rory Prendergast.

Bambrook came closer to beating his own 'keeper on 56 minutes when he deflected Fortune-West's header onto the crossbar.

But Pakistan international Iqbal then headed across the face of goal from a Prendergast free-kick before Bambrook belatedly took advantage of City's dead-ball deficiencies on 72 minutes.

Prendergast swung in another corner and Bambrook escaped the attentions of daydreaming substitute Brodie to head past Evans from three yards.

A point would have extended Farsley's hopes of survival into the final weekend of the season and Bambrook came agonisingly close to finding the target on 82 minutes when his header from another Prendergast free-kick sailed narrowly over Evans' crossbar.

Seconds later, though, Brodie was charging clear on goal.

He shot straight at Aspden but was afforded an identical chance shortly afterwards and, this time, showed exemplary composure and character to sidefoot past the Farsley 'keeper after being released by Fortune-West's 84th-minute headed flick-on.

Teenage substitute Liam Shepherd then shot wide on the turn from eight yards before Fortune-West neatly caressed the ball into Brodie's path following a Rusk cross and the former Newcastle Benfield striker darted in front of James Knowles to prod the ball into Aspden's bottom left-hand corner on 90 minutes.

Veteran Fortune-West, having scored one and set up the other three, almost ended his evening's exertions with a spectacular solo goal.

The 6ft 4ins forward tricked his way past two Farsley players from the tightest of situations on the by-line but then lost his balance in front of goal and sliced wide with Brodie screaming for a square pass to complete his hat-trick.

Match facts

York City 4 (Woolford 11; Fortune-West 19; Brodie 84, 90)

Farsley Celtic 1 (Bambrook 72)

City player ratings:

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

Tom Evans 7
Ben Purkiss 7
David McGurk 7
Danny Parslow 7
Andy McWilliams 7
Simon Rusk 7
Jimmy Beadle 7
Manny Panther 6
Martyn Woolford 8
Onome Sodje 6
Leo Fortune-West 8

Substitutions: Richard Brodie (for Woolford, 71) Liam Shepherd (for Sodje, 82) Subs not used: Mimms, Boyes, Robinson.

City's star man: Fortune-West - belatedly gave the kind of performance City fans had hoped he would provide on a regular basis.

Farsley Celtic: Curtis Aspden, Simon Downes, Amjad Iqbal, Simeon Bambrook, Scott McNiven, Dominic Krief, James Knowles, Andy Watson (Rory Prendergast, 46), Steve Torpey, Damien Reeves, David McNiven (Colin Heath, 67). Subs not used: Roy Stamer, Lee Tuck, Chris Backhouse.

Yellow cards: S McNiven 37, Torpey 54, Bambrook 56, Purkiss 71, Sodje 82, Rusk 90.

Referee: Gary Sutton (Gainsborough). Rating: six yellow cards was a little excessive.

Attendance: 1,886 (127 away fans).

Move of the match: City's final goal crafted by Rusk and Fortune-West, with a predatory finish by Brodie.

Dribble of the match: Fortune-West's by-line waltz past two defenders to create a shooting chance from the most unlikely of situations.

Player watch: Leo Fortune-West

Shots on target: 1
Shots off target: 2
Blocked shots: 0
Passes to own player: 11
Passes to opposition: 9
Crosses to own player: 1
Crosses to opposition: 1
Pass success rate: 54.5 per cent
Dribbles ball retained: 2
Dribbles ball lost: 3
Dribbles success rate: 40 per cent
Headers: 17
Tackles: 0
Fouls won: 2
Fouls conceded: 3
Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 4
Offsides: 2 Bookings: 0

Final summary: With the chance of a play-off place when he returns to Cambridge after Saturday, Fortune-West gave his best performance in a City shirt.

Showed determination for his goal and intelligence for all three of his assists.

Despite his struggle for form at KitKat Crescent, he could quite easily end the season at Wembley on this showing.