YORK City went some way to making amends for their Boxing Day defeat by earning three points in a totally dominant display at home to Guiseley.

Josh King got the only goal just before the half-hour mark as the Minstermen triumphed 1-0 over their West Yorkshire visitors.

With the caveat that this was far from a brilliant spectacle, and Guiseley hardly at the races - the 90 minutes were almost up before they made any telling advances on the York area - City were excellent across the board in their attitude and pressing. Finishing was a different matter, but it was enough on the day.

The win lifted York back up to fourth in National League North.

After returning from injury at Bradford Park Avenue on Boxing Day, Michael Duckworth missed out on Monday. Josh King - another who has recently been on the treatment table - was brought into the starting 11.

Harry Bunn and Akil Wright also came into the line-up. Both were used substitutes at the Horsfall, coming on at half-time for Paddy McLaughlin and Olly Dyson. The former remained on the bench for Guiseley while Dyson was restored to the starting 11. Michael Woods dropped among the substitutes.

King started on the right of the back three with Scott Barrow and Robbie Tinkler the wing-backs. Wright acted as the deep-lying midfielder shielding the defence, with Bunn and Dyson playing in behind Jack Redshaw and Jake Cassidy.

For Guiseley, goalscorer in the 2-2 draw against Farsley Celtic, Nathan Newall, dropped to the bench as one of four changes for the Lions.

Former Minsterman Hamza Bencherif came in to captain the visiting side while Brad Nicholson, Mark Howarth and Gabriel Johnson went into the starting 11 after beginning the Farsley draw on the bench.

Striker Kaine Felix, who got the winner in this fixture last season, is in a good vein of form, scoring in three of his last four outings, including against Farsley. The one game he did not score in was the only one away from home.

The pace and pressure from York in the opening exchanges was an antidote to the Boxing Day defeat. The stop-start first 15 minutes saw a few errors from Guiseley and good anticipation from City’s rearguard, with Matty Brown storming out for a couple of clearing headers and Wright playing smartly in his role between the midfield and defence.

A scramble on the Lions’ goalline from a York corner was eventually cleared after King got a head to the cross and a sublime piece of control from Redshaw almost set up Cassidy for an effort but his marker was covering well.

Cassidy did well in the 25th minute to keep play moving as he nodded a forward ball along the front line to Dyson, who beat Gabriel Johnson down the right and crossed into a dangerous area for Cassidy but the striker was pulled up for a push as he swung his foot at the ball.

King got the deserved opening goal for York. Sean Newton whipped a right-sided free kick towards goal and King darted across the defensive line for a deft volley beyond keeper Brad Wade.

With five minutes to go before the break Newton picked up the game’s first caution, sliding in with needless zeal on the halfway line and catching Jonathan Wafula late.

Throughout the first half, Guiseley posed precious little attacking threat, getting the closest to goal through long throws into the area. This was as much a result of Guiseley’s deficiencies as it was King’s no-nonsense clearances, the towering defending of Newton and Brown and good pressure across the pitch from City.

The second half began in much the same way as the first ended. It was the hosts who made the first foray into the opposition area, when King looped a cross over for Cassidy who – despite being under pressure – might have hoped to do better than drift his header over.

By the 57th minute, Guiseley were down to 10 men. Mere minutes after picking up a yellow for thundering into Barrow on the touchline, Isaac Currie was shown red after taking down Wright.

However much Cassidy might have rued his miss, the feeling would be worse for Dyson. Not long after the hour mark, Redshaw did superbly to beat his man down the right and play into the area, where Dyson was waiting unmarked – but could only loft it well over the bar.

Cassiday’s 73rd-minute effort definitely should have been the second. The Guiseley defender misread the ball through, leaving Cassidy one-on-one with Wade. He cut his shot back across the keeper but put it beyond the far post as well.

Redshaw followed this up with a couple of decent efforts from tight angles but Wade came out on top in both.

As Guiseley looked to break late through Brad Nicholson, the left-back stormed up the pitch and got past Wright but the midfielder put a perfect tackle in from behind to dispossess him. The tackle was deemed legal though Nicholson did limp off afterwards.

Pete Jameson had had nothing to do all game but came alive to make a vital intervention in the 89th minute and tip a close-range header over, before York survived a late desperate flurry of Guiseley activity.

York: Jameson 8, Tinkler 7, King 7, Brown 8, Newton 8, Barrow 7, Wright 8, Dyson 7 (McLaughlin 85), Bunn 7 (Woods 87), Cassidy 7, Redshaw 8. Subs not used: Flatters, Kennedy, Guilfoyle.

Star man: Akil Wright. Was absolutely fantastic in protecting the back three, breaking up play and put in a few perfectly-timed challenges.

Goals: King (28)

Yellow cards: Newton

Guiseley: Wade, Lufudu, Nicholson (Parsons 83), Currie, Bencherif, Cantrill, Felix, Jones, Wafula, Howarth (Newall 59), Johnson (Mbeka 72). Subs not used: Gillam, Okafor.

Yellow cards: Currie

Red cards: Currie

Attendance: 627

Referee: Richard Holmes

Match stats for York / Guiseley

Shots (on target): 13 (7) / 1 (1)

Corners: 5 / 2

Offsides: 3 / 1

Fouls: 13 / 10

Yellow cards: 1 / 1

Red cards: 0 / 1