YORK City eased into the second round of the North Riding County FA Senior Cup with a 5-0 win over Pickering Town.

Macaulay Langstaff scored a brace against the Northern Premier League north/west division strugglers, added to by goals from Nathan Dyer, Dan Maguire and Reiss Harrison.

This was not York at their finest, even against their lowly North Yorkshire neighbours, certainly in the first half. This could maybe be accounted for by the mixed nature of the side, who have not shared a pitch before in this permutation.

Regardless, the two tiers’ worth of difference in quality was evident, as it would have been hoped. Pickering did not have a meaningful effort on goal while York looked to be enjoying themselves more and more as the game progressed.

York lined up with a few familiar names in the starting 11. Ryan Whitley made his third competitive start of term in goal, with the experience of Paddy McLaughlin and the returning Adriano Moke complementing Kieran Green – who had been handed the captain’s armband – and Elliott Durrell in midfield.

Youngsters Dyer, Josh King, Harry Spratt and Charlie Jebson-King – who have a handful of first-team appearances between them – made up the backline.

Fresh from last week’s win over Chesterfield, youth team spot kick heroes Archie Whitfield and keeper Jack Teale made the bench alongside fellow Academy stars Blake Drury, Will Jackson and Harrison.

On loan from Hull City Academy for a second season, Harrison Foulkes started in goal for Denny Ingram’s Pickering Town. The long-serving defender Niall Tilsley and midfielder Matty Turnbull were deployed alongside newcomers Quinn Thompson, Will Taylor and Tommy Best.

Elliot Holmes, another recent arrival, started up front with former Scarborough Athletic striker Flynn McNaughton.

Neither side had really settled on the ball by the 10-minute mark. York threatened to show their higher-tier class on a couple of occasions, Macaulay Langstaff flashing a dangerous early ball across goal after good link-up play with Dan Maguire while the pacey Dyer got on the end of a cross-field Green ball to play into the area.

Moke had a non-threatening effort from distance saved by Foulkes – who had, in fairness, just spilled a routine catch unchallenged – and McNaughton curled tamely into Ryan Whitley’s arms. York had a goal from a corner disallowed for offside and Whitley had been forced to readjust to get behind a deflected Iwan Heeley effort.

Durrell and McLaughlin each exhibited some neat passing in the opening quarter of the game, but York were also guilty of some frustratingly sloppy play, both Moke and Jebson-King giving the ball away unnecessarily.

When the opening goal did come, it was a nicely worked one. Maguire capitalised on Turnbull’s mistake at the back and nipped onto the ball and passed wide to the overlapping McLaughlin, who cut it back for Langstaff. His one-touch side-footed finish into the bottom corner left Foulkes standing.

Dyer doubled York’s advantage in the 36th minute with a superb strike to Foulkes’ bottom-left corner. McLaughlin rolled the ball into his path 25 yards out and the right-back struck it sweetly first time with his right.

Green came close to adding a third before the break, punting a side-footed free kick from just outside the area over the wall and towards the bottom-left corner, but Foulkes got across and down smartly.

Five minutes into the second half, it was three. Maguire received a ball through a populated penalty area and fired across to the back post where Langstaff was waiting to force it home.

The goal aside, Pickering had started the second half with good intent, half-time substitute Jackson Jowett threatening to bundle through York’s defence before firing off target, while Holmes drove an effort from distance straight into Whitley’s gloves.

Maguire made it four on the hour. Durrell skipped through the Pikes’ midfield and laid off to McLaughlin, whose effort was palmed into the path of Maguire and he calmly dinked into the roof of the net.

With some distance between them and their struggling visitors, City could afford to play with a bit more freedom. Durrell looked very sharp in close control and Langstaff had the Pickering defence well beaten for pace.

It was therefore no great surprise that City’s fifth came from a Harrison backheel after the ball was played back into a crowded area from a corner.

The final 20 minutes were a comfortable procession.

When called on in the 90th minute, Whitley made a good save down to his left.

York: Whitley, Dyer, King, Spratt, Jebson-King, McLaughlin (Whitfield 64), Green, Moke (Jackson 60), Durrell, Langstaff, Maguire (Harrison 64). Subs not used: Teale, Drury, Whitfield, Harrison.

Goals: Langstaff (2), Dyer, Maguire, Harrison

Star man: Macaulay Langstaff. Was busy throughout as he made a case for inclusion in York's next league outing, and was duly rewarded with two goals.

Pickering: Foulkes, Thompson, Taylor, Best, Turnbull, Tilsley, Heeley, Davison (Jowett HT), Cable (Simpson 69), Holmes, McNaughton (Nichols-Holness 69). Subs not used: Knox, Cooper.

Referee: Matthew East

Attendance: 256