YORK City’s record of never having lost a home match in National League North after scoring the first goal remained intact following a 2-1 triumph against Brackley.

Since relegation to the sixth tier, the Minstermen have now won 14 and drawn three of the 17 Bootham Crescent contests in which they have drawn first blood against visiting teams.

In fact, the damaging 3-1 loss to Wrexham in April 2017 is still the only time City have been defeated on their own soil after breaking the deadlock during the last three seasons of non-League football.

The importance of getting off to a good start in front of their own fans was illustrated once more as a rare Adriano Moke strike was followed by Jordan Burrow’s winning goal after visiting skipper Gareth Dean had levelled.

Burrow’s 12th goal of the season also maintained the team’s record of never having lost a match in which he has netted, comprising eight of the club’s ten wins this season and one draw.

City still had to rely on goalkeeper Adam Bartlett, though, to ensure three points did not become one, following his tremendous one-on-one save that denied Liam McAlinden a second equaliser for the Saints.

Earlier, Burrow’s tame header had called Brackley keeper Danny Lewis into the first save of the afternoon, following a well-delivered left-wing cross by David Ferguson, which were a feature of the opening exchanges.

At the other end, Shane Byrne cleared the crossbar from 30 yards and Bartlett recovered from a poor kick out to safely gather an edge-of-the-box drive by Matt Lowe, before also collecting a McAlinden shot at his near post after the away attacker had charged on to Adam Walker’s pass through the left channel.

The Minstermen were ahead moments later, though, when Nathan Dyer attacked positively down the right and, after the teenage right-back’s cross was headed out, Moke thumped a first-time, 25-yard effort into Lewis' bottom-left corner.

But Brackley mounted a spirited response, with McAlinden’s swerving 20-yard shot patted out and then grabbed by Bartlett, who went on to parry away a long-range attempt from ex-City attacker Daniel Nti.

Wes York went on to do well as he blocked a cross from the left but, from Byrne’s subsequent corner, Kevin Wilkin’s men found the net, as Dean was left unchallenged to head powerfully into Bartlett's top-left corner from eight yards on 26 minutes.

For the hosts, Joe Ironside then headed over from a Josh Law corner while Bartlett, who was facing too many shots on his goal, also kept out Byrne and Glenn Walker efforts from distance.

City tightened up in that respect, however, after the break and were rewarded for a lively start to the second period when Saints’ marksman Dean turned sinner as he flung up an arm and made contact with York’s right-wing cross as Burrow looked to win the aerial ball.

The former Gateshead striker subsequently made no mistake from the spot, firmly finding Lewis’ bottom-left corner, even though the Brackley keeper dived in the right direction.

Within two minutes, though, last season’s beaten play-off finalists had a great chance to get back on terms when McAlinden sprung the home side’s offside trap to latch on to Ellis Myles’ through ball, but Bartlett threw out his right arm to make a superb stop.

Just past the hour mark, good play by Burrow gave Ironside a chance to run one-on-one at Dean, but the on-loan Kidderminster striker never looked confident and his 20-yard shot lacked confidence as it bounced well wide Law set-pieces then led to headed opportunities for Burrow and Joe Tait – the first hitting the roof of the David Longhurst stand and the second being comfortably caught by Lewis.

As the game entered its final throes, Brackley threw caution to the wind following a series of attacking substitutions, but City’s back-line held firm despite a few anxious moments, with Lowe’s hooked shot easily dealt with by Bartlett and Glenn Walker’s cross from the left headed over by namesake Adam.

City Ratings

Adam Bartlett 8

Nathan Dyer 8

Dan Parslow 7

Joe Tait 7

David Ferguson 7

Wes York 7

Josh Law 7

Adriano Moke 8

Alex Bray 6

Jordan Burrow 7

Joe Ironside 6

Substitutes: Jake Wright 6 (for Ironside, 65), Macaulay Langstaff (for Bray, 90+2).

Subs not used: Joe Davis, Hamza Bencherif, Jon Parkin.

Star man: Moke – good response on first XI recall, scoring an excellent goal and was busy throughout

Brackley: Danny Lewis, Ellis Myles (Shaun Jeffers, 81), Connor Hall, Gareth Dean, Glenn Walker, Luke Fairlamb (Shepherd Murombedzi, 73), Shane Byrne, Matt Lowe, Adam Walker, Liam McAlinden, Daniel Nti (James Armson, 65). Subs: Connor Franklin, Ben Morgan.

Brackley star man: Byrne – assured on the ball in midfield anchoring role

Referee: Paul Brown 6/10 – bit over-fussy but got big decisions right

Booked: Dean 49, Hall 85, Wright 85

Sent off: None

Attendance: 2,119 (20 from Brackley)

Shots on target: City 4, Brackley 9

Shots off target: City 4, Brackley 2

Corners: City 3, Brackley 3

Fouls conceded: City 11, Brackley 7

Offside: City 2, Brackley 5