YORK City completed a league double over Bradford Park Avenue, but made it hard work against the National League North's bottom side.

Macaulay Langstaff and Jordan Burrow scored to ensure a 2-1 win over Avenue.

It was not a vintage performance from City, though, as they allowed Bradford to retain an unlikely sniff of sneaking something.

City were guilty of too often playing backwards and seemed to lose composure towards the end, resorting to long clearances and failing to make more of half-chances.

Indeed, Liam Hughes pulled a goal back at the end of second-half stoppage time, but York's greater quality told in the end.

York went into the game with the same starting 11 from the meeting between the sides six days ago, when the Minstermen triumphed 2-0 at the Horsfall Stadium.

Macaulay Langstaff came back in for the ill Steve McNulty, who featured against Guiseley.

On the bench, Dan Maguire – who continues to recover from injury – dropped out in favour of right-back Nathan Dyer.

Mark Bower made four changes to the Avenue line-up, with first-choice keeper Joe Green and Adam Nowakowski both returning, in place of Tom Nicholson – who dropped to the bench – and Tom Clare, respectively.

Lewis Knight picked up an injury in Bradford’s 5-0 thumping at Farsley at the weekend and was replaced by Ryan Hall.

It did not take the Minstermen long to get themselves on top in the contest and Bradford were well limited in terms of chances, but the midfield was a battle on which York seemed to struggle to put a consistent stamp. As a result, the first half was somewhat laboured, and they carved out few genuine goalscoring opportunities, though there were still plenty of good periods from the hosts.

York’s first promising passage of play in the attacking third came after seven minutes when Jordan Burrow charged down Alex Hurst’s clearance on the edge of the area. Neat interplay between Kallum Griffiths and Adriano Moke trickled out for a goal kick.

After a good run, Paddy McLaughlin shot tamely at Green from distance. Burrow had a glancing header blocked from Griffiths’ whipped corner to the near post.

Macaulay Langstaff got the opener in the 14th minute. Moke did well down the left and burst into the box, picking his head up to cut back to Langstaff in acres of space. He got the ball out of his feet and rifled in.

It felt like York should have been tightening the grip on the game already, but disappointingly for the hosts, Bradford started to come back into it. Nowakowski spurned a good chance for an equaliser when he headed over unchallenged from close range.

Patient team build-up play from York saw Green and Ferguson exchange a nice one-two, with the latter playing in McLaughlin. He blazed wildly over – but it seemed to remind York what they were capable of, for better and for worse.

Nice play across the middle eventually teed up Ferguson for a dangerous cross – collected by Green – though, at the other end, Joe Tait tried a bit much with the ball and lost possession, allowing Nicky Clee in for Bradford’s first shot on target, which was comfortably held by Pete Jameson.

Burrow – who was enjoying a decent game at the spearhead of the attack – headed high and wide from Griffiths’ right-wing delivery just before the break.

Langstaff got a good curling shot away early in the second half, but it was held easily by Green.

The pattern of the first period bled into the start of the second, with Bradford again able to impose themselves on the game more than the increasingly restless home crowd felt they should, earning a corner and a couple of efforts on goal.

It did not last long, though.

Persistent play from Kieran Green earned Langstaff a shooting opportunity from the edge of the area. The blocked effort went straight up in the air and Burrow got underneath but could only loop his header over.

Burrow did well to win a free kick on the left wing around the hour mark. Griffiths’ dangerous delivery was a good height but too far ahead of everyone in the box.

Shortly after, Green went bursting towards goal and let fly with a left-footed strike which went wide.

From the breakdown of a Bradford corner, Kieran Green stole the ball and, spotting Joe Green off his line, went for the audacious halfway line effort.

Jameson had to make a good close-range block from Avenue’s Hall as the visitors grew in confidence in the face of ponderous York play.

Burrow grabbed York’s second in the 81st minute. His name will go down in the record books, but keeper Green will not want to see it again. A good change of pace from McLaughlin got the midfielder near the edge of the area, where he played in to Burrow, whose shot squirmed through Green’s grip and left the keeper staring back in disbelief.

Hughes got a very late consolation, driving high beyond Jameson.

York: Jameson 7, Griffiths 6, Tait 7, Newton 7, Ferguson 6, McLaughlin 6, Moke 6, Green 7 (Durrell 75), Langstaff 7, Kempster 7, Burrow 7. Subs not used: Whitley, Dyer, King, Bond.

Star man: Joe Tait. Continues to look ever more assured at the back and, barring a slip in the first half, did very little wrong.

Goals: Langstaff, Burrow

Yellow cards: Kempster


Bradford: Green, Toulson, Staunton, Lowe, Priestley, Royle, Hall, Nowakowski (Hughes 78), Johnson (Lyons 69), Hurst, Clee (Marriott 85). Subs not used: Lund, Nicholson.
Goals: Hughes
Referee: Edward Duckworth
Attendance: 2,477 (107 away supporters)