YORK CITY fell to their first defeat of 2023 against Vanarama National League strugglers Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park last night.

Both sides went into the tie unbeaten in the League this calendar year, but David Webb’s side failed to show much of the quality that saw them triumph 4-1 against Maidstone United in their last League outing on January 7.

Dan Pybus saw his free-kick tipped onto the bar by the impressive Magnus Norman shortly before the break, but that was as close as the Minstermen came until Alex Hurst’s angled drive also found the woodwork in injury time.

But Oldham are a team that are firmly in the ascendency, having drawn 2-2 with second-placed Notts County and thrashed Dorking Wanderers 5-1 so far this year, and the Latics were clinical in taking their chances to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Man of the match Josef Yarney produced a real striker’s finish to open the scoring five minutes before the interval, and substitute Timmy Abraham, brother of England striker Tammy, cleverly beat the offside trap to fire under debutant Maison Campbell with his first touch late on.

An injury to the ever-present Ethan Ross heaped further misery on the Minstermen, with the shot stopper suffering an apparent concussion in the scramble of the opening goal.

Campbell, who joined the Minstermen from National League North side AFC Telford on a deal until the end of the season late on Monday night, proved to be an able deputy on his professional debut though after making smart stops to deny both Ben Tollitt and former Lincoln City midfielder Ellis Chapman.

Webb made five changes from York’s penalty shootout win against National League South outfit Chelmsford City ten days ago, with Adam Crookes, Max Kouogun, Paddy McLaughlin, Lenell John-Lewis and Mitch Hancox all coming back into the starting line-up.

Oldham piled the pressure on the Minstermen from the very first minute, with Chapman firing the first warning shot of the night inside 30 seconds after having been played in down the right flank.

But York soon found their feet, with Watford loanee Shaq Forde seeing his effort from the edge of the box narrowly clear the crossbar, before McLoughlin’s free-kick was well cleared by the home defence.

John-Lewis, making his return from a groin injury sustained against Maidstone, was next to try his luck after finding space behind the Oldham defence, but his shot was straight at Norman.

Both sides struggled to string more than a handful of passes together as the match settled, with Tollitt crowded out by a combination of Kouogun and Kerr after dribbling into the box, and Nathan Sheron firing wide from the edge of the box.

York came a whisker away from opening the scoring in the 39th minute after John-Lewis was brought down by Yarney, who earned himself the first booking in the process, with Pybus seeing his well-struck free-kick tipped onto the top of the far post by a diving Norman.

But as close as the Minstermen came to opening the scoring, they were soon behind, though the goal was not without controversy.

York failed to deal with a free-kick, which was parried by Ross into the feet of Yarney, who reacted quickest to poke the ball into the back of the net for his first goal for the Latics.

Webb was not alone in believing that the goal should have been chalked off, with Ross remaining on the deck for six minutes after the ball had hit the back of the net, appearing visibly disorientated after suffering a head injury in the build-up.

Unable to continue, Ross, who has featured 24 times for the Minstermen so far this season, was replaced by debutant Campbell on the stroke of half time, with the 19-year-old not having a save to make in the nine minutes added on by referee Greg Rollason before the break.

York started the stronger of the two sides after the interval, with Pybus seeing his low-free kick saved comfortably by Norman after John-Lewis had been felled on the edge of the box.

Webb made his first substitution after 56 minutes as Forde was replaced by Nathan Thomas, a decision that proved hugely unpopular with the 714 travelling York fans, and which led to a formation change that ultimately left his side vulnerable.

Fondop, who netted a hat-trick against Dorking on January 7, twice came close to doubling Oldham’s lead in the minutes that followed, first narrowly missing a perfectly-weighted cross at the back post, before trying the spectacular with a bicycle kick that flew well wide of the goal.

Cardiff City loanee Ollie Tanner was introduced with 20 minutes remaining, with the young midfielder making an immediate impact after his pull-back appeared to hit the hand of an Oldham defender, but Rollason waved away the strong penalty appeals.

The task of getting themselves back into the tie was made even harder for York just six minutes later, with substitute Abraham getting behind Crookes to beat the offside trap, before calmly slotting the ball under Campbell to double his side’s lead.

Oldham were happy to control possession and see the game out, but it was the visitors who had the last word when Hurst found space to shoot goalwards from the edge of the box, but Norman did just enough to preserve his clean sheet, tipping the effort onto the crossbar.

A disappointing display, particularly in the second half, from the Minstermen, who will be hoping to return to winning ways against another side in the relegation battle, Maidenhead United, at the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday (January 28, 3pm).

OLDHAM ATHLETIC: Norman, Clarke, Hogan ©, Sheron, Shelton, Tollitt, Fondop, Kitching, Chapman, Yarney, Nuttall.

SUBSTITUTES: Hudson, Rooney, Abraham, Peck, Couto.

YORK CITY: Ross, Crookes, Kouogun, Kerr, McLaughlin, Hurst, Dyson, Forde, John-Lewis, Hancox, Pybus.

SUBSTITUTES: Campbell, Fallowfield, Thomas, Duckworth, Tanner.