CARDS SEND MESSAGE OF HOPE
VERDICT: York sent out a warning to their relegation rivals with a dismantling of a falling Braintree side, who have now lost three successive games for the first time since October
YORK recorded back-toback league wins for the first time in over 14 months meaning they can climb out of the bottom four for the first time since November on Tuesday.
Victory over Bromley at Bootham Crescent in two days’ time will lift the in-form Minstermen three places up to sixth-bottom following a comprehensive victory in front of their own fans against relegation rivals Braintree.
Jon Parkin, Asa Hall and Amari Morgan-Smith were on target as Gary Mills’ men rattled off a fifth straight home win – their best sequence since the former Tamworth boss’ first spell in charge of York six years ago.
On the club’s first consecutive league wins since League Two duo Notts County and Exeter were seen off in February 2016, Mills enthused: “We showed we were good again, as individuals and as a team, with this result and performance. There is confidence and belief about the players and they are working their socks off.
“It took a bit of quality from Jon to get us going, because they had started better than us, but quality and goals change games. After a difficult game at Dagenham, which we didn’t deserve to lose, we’ve bounced back with two wins and it was very important to do that.
“It was nice to be 3-0 up going into injury-time, because that
doesn’t happen a lot, but it was also important to keep the clean sheet, which we did.”
After Braintree’s 23-goal top scorer Michael Cheek curled a free kick wide early on, 35-yearold Parkin demonstrated his set-piece prowess to open the scoring on 11 minutes.
Standing over a 25-yard free kick, he curled an excellent effort into Sam Beasant’s topright corner.
After Vadaine Oliver sidefooted wide from 15 yards, the hosts then survived a scare just past the half-hour mark when Cheek’s looping header hit onloan keeper Scott Loach’s bar.
Jake Goodman also headed over with arguably an easier chance from the rebound.
Former England Under-21 international Loach was then fully extended to keep out Chez Isaac’s curling free kick but, after Parkin had headed against the bar, Hall doubled the lead just as the fourth official was signalling the number of stoppage time minutes.
On-loan midfielder Hall rose highest at the far post to nod a right-wing Morgan-Smith cross in off the bar.
After the interval, Oliver broke through the right channel twice, but saw his first effort saved and dragged the second wide. Hall went on to drive narrowly over from the edge of the box, before Morgan-Smith put the outcome beyond doubt, finishing clinically into Beasant’s bottom-right corner from 15 yards. Alex Whittle and Oliver might have gone on to add a fourth goal, while Jake Goodman hooked over the visitors’ best chance of a consolation on 88 minutes. Braintree have now only taken four points from a possible 21, and boss Hakan Hayrettin admitted he is looking over his shoulder. “You’re never safe until you’re safe, so I’m concerned, but we will be working hard to rectify that by not conceding goals in the manner,” he said. “It came down to small margins as I thought we were the better side for the first 25 minutes and the free kick for their goal should never have been.”