YORK City made it through to the fourth round of the FA Trophy by the skin of their teeth thanks to an injury-time goal in a 1-0 win at Matlock Town.

The Minstermen showed nowhere near the quality on the ball expected of them against the Northern Premier League high-flyers, but got the all-important goal in the 91st minute when Mark Beck headed in Scott Barrow's free kick.

Neither Pete Jameson in York's goal, nor the inexperienced Sam Ogden in Matlock's, was unduly troubled in a scrappy encounter, which for the longest time looked to be heading for penalties.

York interim boss John Askey made two changes to the side that started last Saturday’s 1-1 National League North draw with Chorley. He was forced into swapping out Matty Brown, who picked up a suspension for a straight red card, while also electing to start Clayton Donaldson on the bench.

In Brown’s place came Josh King, who joined last week’s action at half-time to help secure the point, while loanee Remy Longdon made his City debut as part of a midfield four with Mitch Hancox, Kieran Wallace and Akil Wright.

Matlock boss Paul Phillips was presented with a goalkeeping conundrum before kick off, with none of the three keepers on their books prior to Saturday available to play. One was cup-tied, one injured and one had returned to parent club Derby County from his loan.

The Gladiators thus hurried to bring in 21-year-old stopper Ogden on dual-registration from Northern Counties East League division one side Hallam, and Phillips named himself as Matlock’s back-up keeper for the day.

In defence was former Tadcaster Albion centre-half Ioan Evans and ex-Chesterfield man Jamie Sharman, who has had loans at Kidderminster Harriers and Blyth Spartans, while Chorley loanee midfielder Nathan Okome started the day on the bench.

City had fractionally the better of a rustic opening 10 minutes, in which they put two headed efforts tamely off target, though the early stages were largely a tale of misplaced balls and head-tennis. A couple of times, Matlock threatened to overload the City defence with their pace when York – who were looking to get the ball down and play, to limited effect – overcommitted up top.

As the midway mark of the half approached, Matlock grew into the ascendancy. City had struggled to string many passages of play together, and Matlock were able to make a couple of worrying incursions into the visitors’ area, a few phases of play around the 18-yard box ending with a foul on Jameson and the ball trickling just wide of a post.

Matlock came close when the combative Callum Chippendale beat Josh King to a bouncing ball in the area after the defender let it roll off his back and the striker – under pressure from King – rolled an effort just wide.

Incensed home shouts for a corner then intensified when Hancox went down dramatically on the edge of the Matlock area. The clearance made its way out to Scott Barrow, who rounded Ryan Qualter and played a ball across the area but neither Hancox nor Longdon could get a boot on it.

Jesurun Uchegbulam had a chance for an effort on goal after latching on to a ball over the top, but he held on to it too long and could only win his side a corner as massing City defenders forced him across the top of the area.

With half-time fast approaching, City’s sharpest play of the half fashioned a chance for Wright, who received a pinged pass to feet from Kieran Wallace and struck on target a shot which was comfortably collected by Ogden.

City enjoyed more controlled periods of possession as Matlock started to look a touch leggy at the start of the first half, though genuine chances remained elusive. A well-positioned Kurt Willoughby free kick was cleared easily by the first defender, while both Newton and Wallace tried to outdo each other in the off-target long-range efforts stakes.

Beck looked to fashion himself a makeshift half-bicycle kick attempt after Akil Wright – played in by a deft Longdon ball – had a pass deflected just behind the striker. His effort from inside the six-yard box, though nowhere near the goalmouth, drew the most positive vocal response from the travelling fans to that point.

The sprightly Longdon was growing into his Minstermen debut and, with City enjoying more of the ball, was able to make a couple of threatening moves. First, cutting in from the right, he unleashed a left-footed drive just wide of Ogden’s top-right corner, before getting a touch of fortune to skip into the box and have an effort well smothered by the Gladiators goalie.

With 10 minutes of normal time remaining, penalties felt an inevitability. The tiring Matlock had nothing of the incision of the first half, and City had lacked quality all game. Neither keeper had been tested since Longdon’s 69th-minute foray.

King thought he had broken the spell three minutes from time when he tucked in at the near post after Newton had hooked a corner kick on to him but the flag was up straight away.

But in the first minute of injury time, there was no doubt about Mark Beck’s goal. The striker had been pretty well neutralised by the attentions of Qualter and Evans but was able to rise and meet Barrow’s cross into the area from a free kick. Ogden showed his inexperience by rushing out to try and meet the ball and was caught in no-man’s land as Beck’s header looped into the back of the net.

Matlock: Ogden, Sharman, Kendall, Evans, Qualter, Lees, Byrne, Wiles, Chippendale (Daly 71), Uchegbulam, King (Hannah 62). Subs: Okome, Coppin, Phillips.

York: Jameson 7, Duckworth 6, King 5, Newton 5, Barrow 6, Wallace 5, Wright 5, Longdon 7, Willoughby 5 (Donaldson 5, 62), Beck 6, Hancox 5. Subs not used: Campbell, Fielding, Hopper, Heaney.

Star man: Remy Longdon. A promising debut for the loan man. He did not see loads of the ball, but he often looked the most likely to make something happen.

Referee: Michael Crusham

Attendance: 828

Match stats for Matlock / York

Shots (on target): 3 (1) / 11 (4)

Corners: 6 / 4

Offsides: 3 / 0

Fouls: 12 / 9