AFC Fylde 0 York City 2: Coasters' losing run at Mill Farm continues

After an 18-match unbeaten home run which spanned 21 months, the Coasters have now lost five of their last six at Mill Farm.

After an even first half, the visitors took first blood when John-Lewis pounced on a loose ball, then Hancox sealed victory six minutes later after Michael Duckworth’s surging run.

Fylde boss Jim Bentley made one change to the side that won at Blyth Spartans on Saturday, with Nathan Shaw coming in for Jorome Slew, who earlier in the day had extended his loan from Hampton and Richmond Borough for a further four weeks.

The home team started brightly and almost hit the front inside 10 minutes, when Nick Haughton picked out Mark Cullen with an inviting cross from the right.

But the striker, hoping to mark his full home debut with a goal, saw his header flash just over the bar.

Haughton saw plenty of the ball in the early exchanges and forced York keeper Pete Jameson into action moments later with a dipping free-kick, which beat the wall but was palmed away.

Bentley’s men had some defending to do as York had a spell of sustained pressure, through Chris Neal was equal to Duckworth's vicious half-volley from 25 yards.

Striker John-Lewis then went close when his header from Scott Barrow’s cross was deflected wide as Fylde put bodies on the line.

Chances came for both teams just before the half-hour, with Emeka Obi powering a header wide of the top left corner from Haughton’s inswinging corner.

York then went up the other end and Hancox drilled a low, left-footed shot just wide of Neal’s left post.

The home keeper was then on hand to produce a smart reflex save after John-Lewis guided a header on target from a corner.

The final chance of the half fell to the Coasters as Ben Tollitt drove forward 20 yards and let fly with a powerful strike that Jameson parried behind for a corner.

Neither side gave much away in the early stages of the second half until Haughton danced around three red shirts in the box and struck a left-footed shot agonisingly wide of the far corner.

Fylde were gaining the upper hand in the search for the opener and Shaw lifted his shot just over the bar after a burst down the right.

The home side looked the likelier to break the deadlock but it was York who did so on 70 minutes, when the ball fell to John-Lewis and he buried a right-footed effort into the bottom left corner.

And York soon doubled their lead as Hancox finished off a rapid counter-attack with a strike that crept under Neal.

Fylde had an opportunity to set up a grandstand finish on 85 minutes but Danny Philliskirk’s close-range strike was smothered by Jameson, after Tollitt had slipped him in down the right.

Fylde: Neal; Pike, Obi, Davis, Evans; Perkins, Philliskirk, Shaw (Slew 77), Haughton, Tollitt, Cullen; Subs not used: Conlan, Joyce, Stott, Robinson

York: Jameson, Duckworth, Barrow, McLaughlin, Dyson, Greaves, Kougun, Wright, Hancox, John-Lewis, McKay (Willoughby 67); Subs not used: Campbell, Woods, Donaldson, Haase

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