YORK City have become the first side ever from English football’s fourth tier to reach Christmas during any single league season without winning a home match in all competitions.

It is a sorry statistic that dates back 56 years to when the old fourth division replaced the regional north and south sections in 1958 and a teenaged Jimmy Greaves had just made his debut.

In fact, the only team that can match City’s home travails since the turn of the millennium are West Ham’s class of 2002/03, managed by Glenn Roeder.

That group, featuring the likes of Paulo Di Canio, Joe Cole, Jermaine Defoe and Michael Carrick, were deemed too good to go down by most pundits at the time but exited the Premier League after finishing two points adrift of safety.

Following a 3-2 Bootham Crescent defeat against AFC Wimbledon, the Minstermen hover just one perilous point above the Sky Bet League Two relegation zone with nobody in North Yorkshire seeking solace in the age-old, meaningless cliché that failed to save the Hammers.

City are also just one game short of a club record, set in 1981/82, for the longest win-less run on their own soil.

The current sequence stands at 13.

Manager Russ Wilcox, unbeaten in league matches on the road, has only been at the helm for five of those fixtures but is working tirelessly to address an issue that has only been faced by one of his predecessors at Bootham Crescent - 33 years ago when Kevin Randall took over the managerial reigns from Barry Lyons.

In an attempt to improve his team’s firepower, Wilcox shoehorned three centre-forwards into his starting line-up against Wimbledon, opting for an attacking 4-4-2 formation that saw Jake Hyde start on the right wing before Diego De Girolamo was switched to that flank early in proceedings.

He also gave teenage right-back Brad Halliday his professional debut in place of Marvin McCoy and the on-loan Middlesbrough defender foraged forward with enthusiasm at every opportunity.

Positively, the Minstermen managed to net more than once for only the third time in 18 home matches but, too often, the hosts’ final pass was frustratingly not good enough in key moments and the origins of both De Girolamo and Stephane Zubar’s goals came from set-pieces.

At the other end, meanwhile, Wimbledon were much more ruthless with the fewer chances they were afforded following sloppy home defending and shaky goalkeeping.

In right-winger George Francomb, who claimed assists for all three of the visitors’ goals, Wombles boss Neal Ardley also possesses a player with few problems delivering a telling ball in that crucial final third.

City started the match encouragingly with Wes Fletcher trying his luck from a couple of early half-chances before Lewis Montrose aimed a well-struck 20-yard drive narrowly wide on 21 minutes.

But, just three minute later, the Dons forged ahead with their first on-target effort – a downward far-post header from Jake Goodman, following Francomb’s corner, that somehow slipped through City keeper Alex Cisak’s fingers.

On the half-hour mark, away net-minder James Shea did better to palm away a strong low shot by Fletcher and a lunging Hyde stabbed wide from a couple of yards in front of an inviting net.

The first period then ended with Adebayo Akinfenwa and Montrose heading over from corners for their respective teams.

After the break, City took a welcome approach to their next flag kick against such aerially-commanding opponents.

From the right flank, Michael Coulson played the ball short and nimble footwork by De Girolamo saw him spin to leave both Dannie Bulman and Matt Tubbs trailing in his wake.

The on-loan Sheffield United striker went on to unleash a powerful, angled 15-yard drive that skimmed off the head of Goodman on its way into the roof of the net.

On the hour mark, more quick thinking by Coulson at a free kick sent Fletcher charging through the left channel but he fired across the face of goal and, within four minutes, the home side were 3-1 down.

First, on 62 minutes, Femi Ilesanmi allowed Akinfenwa to get to the ball first near the corner flag.

The powerhouse striker predictably shepherded possession expertly before flicking the ball back to Francomb, who had escaped the attentions of Coulson.

His low right-wing centre was then converted from three yards by Sean Rigg.

Two minutes later, in the same corner, Zubar inadvisedly performed a stepover and lost the ball, leading to a looping Francomb cross that sailed over Cisak and left the predatory Tubbs with the formality of heading in from an inch.

The double blow was a huge setback but, to their credit, City refused to surrender with an improvised, back-heel effort from Hyde forcing a near-post save by Shea.

Hyde also helped on Russell Penn’s low cross from the right, following another short corner by Coulson, which led to Zubar forcing the ball past Shea to reduce the deficit on 75 minutes.

Substitute Carlton Morris went on to shoot wide from 25 yards shortly afterwards and Coulson lofted an edge-of-the-box effort over before Hyde had a curling attempt pushed behind for a corner and, in stoppage time, headed off target from a Halliday centre.

City must now beat an Accrington Stanley side they have only defeated once in ten meetings since 1961 to avoid making an unwanted entry in the Bootham Crescent history books on Boxing Day.

Match facts

York City

Cisak 5 – poorly-conceded first goal seemed to undermine his confidence with several subsequent kicks going astray

Halliday 8 STAR MAN – busy and enthusiastic from the start and fully embraced his professional debut

Lowe 6 – looked on forlornly at a quality of defending that was way below his standards

Zubar 5 – mistake for Wimbledon’s third goal proved decisive and his reply at the other end could not retrieve the situation

Ilesanmi 5 – too casual when he allowed Akinfenwa to beat him in a chase for a loose ball during the build up to Rigg goal

Hyde 7 – should have perhaps scored a couple of goals but continues to get into good positions

Montrose 7 – went close twice to getting his name on the scoresheet and did the simple things well

Penn 7 – kept driving the team on and was the instigator again during another goal from a set-piece

Coulson 7 – looked the Minstermen’s most-likely provider of chances and short corners worked well

De Girolamo 7 – quiet at times out wide but his goal was another one for the end-of-season DVD compilation

Flecther 6 – crowded out well by a wary Wimbledon defence before substituted midway through the second half

Subs: Carlton Morris 7 – powerful (for Fletcher, 67), Josh Carson (for De Girolamo, 90).

Subs not used: Jason Mooney, Marvin McCoy, John McCombe, Tom Platt, Lindon Meikle.

Wimbledon: James Shea, Barry Fuller, Jake Goodman, Adam Barrett, Callum Kennedy, George Francomb (Ade Azeez, 80), Dannie Bulman (Harry Pell, 63), Sammy Moore, Sean Rigg (Frankie Sutherland, 80), Adebayo Akinfenwa, Matt Tubbs. Subs not used: Alan Bennett, George Oakley, Joe McDonnell, Ben Harrison.

Wimbledon star man: Francomb – his crosses undid City

Booked: None Attendance: 3,245 (362 from Wimbledon)

Referee: Carl Boyeson (Humberside) rating: 6/10 – overlooked Wimbledon gamesmanship

Shots on target: City 7, Wimbledon 5
Shots off target: City 9, Wimbledon 4
Corners: City 9, Wimbledon 3
Fouls conceded: City 10, Wimbledon 12
Offsides: City 1, Wimbledon 2