FORMER York City Wembley hero Ashley Chambers’ 24th goal of the season put a massive dent in his old club’s play-off hopes.

Chambers, who scored in City’s 2012 Conference play-off final victory over Luton that now seems a life time ago, grabbed the only goal of the game at Nuneaton to earn the mid-table hosts a deserved three points.

At the other end of the pitch, the Minstermen did not manage a single shot on target and the Bootham Crescent outfit have now won just two of their last eight contests.

Nuneaton made an adventurous, attacking start to the game with City chasing shadows during the opening exchanges.

Ryan Johnson’s downward header bounced inches wide after Ryan Beswick’s corner, following a fourth-minute raid down the right.

Moments later, Adam Bartlett saved low on his goal-line to prevent Tom Elliott netting from 12 yards after former City winger Daniel Nti’s cross from the same side.

Beswick also fired over from 35 yards, before Sean Newton had the visitors’ first goal attempt of the night on 18 minutes.

The City skipper’s edge-of-the-box shot was deflected wide after Hamza Bencherif had won the ball from Bartlett’s long free kick forward.

Martin Gray’s men went on to survive an almighty scare midway through the half when Johnson charged unopposed to meet Beswick’s corner to the far post, but the ball hit him in the stomach and somehow bounced wide.

At the other end, Connor Smith’s speculative 25-yard strike flew too high, before Nti missed another great opportunity to give the hosts the lead.

Racing on to George Green’s rudimentary ball over a square City defence, Nti dragged his shot wide with only Bartlett to beat.

City continued to ride their luck after the break, with James Ferry smacking a ten-yard shot against Bartlett’s right-hand post after the away team had been caught on the counter attack following a Bencherif stumble.

Nti went on to charge past Adriano Moke on the byline, but his deflected shot found the sidenetting and, shortly afterwards, Johnson headed into Bartlett’s arms.

Another Ferry effort was also blocked for a corner by Jonny Burn, before Chambers belatedly put the home side in front on 74 minutes.

Beswick’s free kick from the left was nodded down by Niall Heaton and Chambers stole in front of Bartlett, to round the City keeper and calmly find the empty net.

Three minutes later, Elliott’s 15-yard shot lacked the conviction to trouble Bartlett, but he was stretched again by Chambers’ edge-of-the-box curling effor.

City’s first shot of the second period saw Newton hit the roof of the stand from 30 yards.

Gray responded by giving 16-year-old Vinnie Steels his debut from the bench on 81 minutes.

But Chambers almost added a second goal moments later, firing over from 15 yards after Nti had pulled the ball back from the byline.

A weak James Gray stoppage-time effort that bounced across the face of the goal was the closest the visitors came to threatening an equaliser, with angry City fans greeting the final whistle with a chant of “This is Embarrassing.”

City ratings

Adam Bartlett 6

Jonny Burn 6

Dan Parslow 6

Hamza Bencherif 6

Josh Law 6

Adriano Moke 5

Sean Newton 6

Aidan Connolly 4

David Ferguson 5

Connor Smith 6

James Gray 4

Substitutes: Theo Wharton 5 (for Connolly, 56), Flynn McNaughton 5 (for Smith, 61), Vinnie Steels (for Ferguson, 81).

Subs not used: Connor Brown, Luke Simpson.

Star man: Burn – made some important blocks

Nuneaton: Ross Etheridge, Luther Wildin, Kelvin Langmead, Ryan Johnson, Niall Heaton, James Ferry, Tom Elliott, Ryan Beswick, Daniel Nti, Ashley Chambers, George Green. Subs not used: Billy Daniels, Dean Lyness, Kairo Mitchell, Joel Dielna, Adil Nabi.

Referee: Dean Watson 7/10

Booked: Burn 39

Sent off: None

Shots on target: Nuneaton 6, City 0

Shots off target: Nuneaton 9, City 4

Corners: Nuneaton 10, City 2

Fouls conceded: Nuneaton 5, City 7

Offside: Nuneaton 1, City 2