NEIGHBOURS Harrogate Town completed a National League North double over York City following a 2-0 win at Bootham Crescent.

The visitors matched their home victory back in September courtesy of second-half goals from ex-City loan striker Jake Wright and Mark Beck.

City were understrength with Jon Parkin, Louis Almond, Alex Kempster, Alex Pattison and Jonny Burn all sidelined, but the final scoreline was still greeted by boos from sections of the frustrated home faithful.

A cagey start to the contest saw just two shots at goal – both from City - during the opening half-hour.

First, Josh Law’s edge-of-the-box effort bounced across the face of goal and, then, a powerful, rising Simon Heslop 25-yard drive was caught at the second attempt by James Belshaw.

Both came at the end of patient passing moves as the hosts controlled the pace of the game.

But Harrogate had the first half’s best chance to open the scoring on 40 minutes after Jack Emmett reached the byline having escaped Heslop’s attentions from a throw-in.

His low cross was then turned towards goal by Wright but, after a diving Adam Bartlett brilliantly clawed the ball away, Joe Leesley shot over an inviting net.

Warren Burrell went on to head well over from Leesley’s free kick in stoppage time before the break.

After the restart, John McCombe’s header from a George Thomson free kick lacked the power to trouble Bartlett.

But the visitors did break the deadlock on 51 minutes when Wright ran at Dan Parslow through the left channel and blasted a low shot across goal into Bartlett’s bottom corner.

In response, Connor Smith’s thumping edge-of-the-box drive was tipped over by a flying James Belshaw and Sean Newton headed against the bar from the resulting corner, before Parslow’s follow-up header landed on the roof of the net.

With more than an hour gone, Dom Knowles then scuffed wide from 12 yards after working himself into a shooting opportunity at the other end.

Harrogate doubled their advantage on 67 minutes, however, after sloppy play by Hamza Bencherif saw him concede a free kick on the touchline.

Leesley swung the ball in from the left and, after Beck had peeled off Parslow, he headed firmly in at the far post. On 82 minutes, a low Flynn McNaughton cross was turned over by fellow sub Raul Correia and Bencherif also dragged wide from the edge of the box.

In the fourth minute of added-on time, a Law free kick was also headed over by Clovis Kamdjo, who came on as a late substitute for his first senior outing since suffering cruciate and anterior ligament damage in November 2016.