CHARITY begins at home and, having invited Joe Guest to take advantage of their hospitable nature, York City looked in danger of donating more points to grateful opponents at Bootham Crescent.

The Curzon Ashton left-wing back was granted ample space to reduce the deficit on 56 minutes after a dominant first-half display had earlier seen Jon Parkin and Dan Parslow earn their team a 2-0 lead at the break.

Having only won three of the previous 11 contests on their own soil, past City vulnerabilities were then expected to be exposed by many but, when the hosts went on to safeguard maximum points instead, there was genuine hope that a corner might have been turned for a club that has not won back-to-back fixtures at their North Yorkshire stadium since April 1.

Nobody should be fooled, though, into thinking that the standard of opposition was anything better than modest.

Curzon, supported by 34 travelling fans, have only triumphed once on the road this term and never really looked like providing the same level of threat they posed when dumping the Minstermen out of the FA Cup last season.

By the time Martin Gray’s men were 2-0 up, the Greater Manchester outfit had only mustered one wayward attempt at Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s goal, as the tone for the opening half was set from the first whistle.

In the third minute, Parkin curled narrowly wide with his left foot from 20 yards after the ball broke to him and, shortly afterwards, Adriano Moke’s edge-of-the-box half-volley forced a flying save from Curzon keeper Cameron Mason.

A strong run by Moke also sent Aidan Connolly sprinting through the left channel, but Mason parried the Scotsman’s low 12-yard drive to safety.

Mason was beaten, however, on 17 minutes when Parkin won a long ball forward and then found the net from three yards to claim his 23rd goal in 27 matches after debutant Gary Martin had retrieved possession from close to the left byline and squared across the face of goal.

At the other end, Daniel Shaw headed well over from a Guest corner, while Martin curled off target for City having been picked out in the left channel by Parkin and Connolly drifted inside from the right flank to bend a shot past the far post after being spotted on the overlap by the ex-Lokeren striker.

Parslow was more emphatic, though, on 32 minutes when he rose high to head Sean Newton’s inswinging free kick from the right into the roof of Mason’s net from four yards.

The Nash net-minder went on to deny Newton with his feet after the City skipper had charged on to Alex Whittle’s pass down the left and cut inside on to his right boot.

But Peacock-Farrell made a fine fingertip save to keep out Shaw’s powerful header following another Guest corner and the sane player drilled over from 20 yards moments later.

The last action of the half, meanwhile, saw Newton’s curling free kick pushed around his near post by Mason.

Following the break, the Minstermen were less fluent going forward and, after Ben Wharton had cleared the crossbar from 25 yards, Guest found Peacock-Farrell’s top-left corner when Josh Law allowed him to drift in off the flank and try his luck from just outside the penalty area with his supposedly weaker right foot.

There were no real further causes for home anxiety, however, as Martin hooked over from 12 yards before a weak James Baillie edge-of-the-box effort was routinely gathered by Peacock-Farrell.

After Newton’s low drive unduly troubled Mason for City on 77 minutes, Curzon’s last chance of securing an undeserved share of the spoils also saw Jordan Wright’s hopeful and, ultimately, hopeless 40-yard shot crash against the roof of the Longhurst.

City

Bailey Peacock-Farrell 7

Josh Law 7

Hamza Bencherif 7

Dan Parslow 8

Alex Whittle 7

Aidan Connolly 7

Daniel Rowe 8

Adriano Moke 7

Sean Newton 7

Jon Parkin 7

Gary Martin 7

Substitutes: Amari Morgan-Smith 6 (for Connolly, 58), Theo Wharton 6 (for Moke, 69), James Gray (for Parkin, 71).

Subs not used: Jassem Sukar, Luke Simpson.

Star man: Parslow - well-taken vital goal and never troubled at the back

Curzon Ashton

Cameron Mason, Daniel Shaw, Steven Howson, Matthew Regan, James Baillie, Chris Rowney, Luke Clark (Matthew Crothers, 81), Joe Guest, Jordan Wright, Ben Wharton (Tyrell McKenzie, 76), Richard Baker. Subs not used: Oliver Thornley, Jonathan Hunt, Joe Nuttall.

Curzon Ashton star man: Guest – quality from set-plays and goal

Referee: David McNamara rating: 8/10 – decisive and in control

Booked: Rowney 45, Newton 45, Regan 74, Gray 80, Wright 83.

Sent off: None

Attendance: 2,146 (34 from Curzon)

Shots on target: City 8, Curzon Ashton 3

Shots off target: City 4, Curzon Ashton 3

Corners: City 10, Curzon Ashton 4

Fouls conceded: City 9, Curzon Ashton 12

Offside: City 6, Curzon Ashton 2