Eastbourne Borough 2 York City 1

York City’s miserable record at Eastbourne Borough was maintained as caretaker manager Andy Porter suffered a first defeat in temporary charge.

Goals either side of the interval from Jamie Taylor and substitute Simon Johnson proved enough to earn the part-timers a third successive victory against their opponents, despite a 68th minute reply from the recalled Alex Lawless.

The Minstermen then pressed hard for an equaliser during the final twenty minutes as they were aided by a lively contribution from substitute David Dowson, but couldn’t prevent themselves from suffering a fourth defeat of the campaign.

Both sides were forced into making changes during the opening half due to injuries, with Michael Rankine and former City striker Richard Pacquette each having to leave the action, in addition to Boro’s Matt Smart.

And it was Rankine’s replacement Leon Constantine who wasted the visitors best chance during that period after Michael Gash’s pass had sent him through. But he only succeeded in curling his shot wide of the left-hand post.

Eastbourne striker Jamie Taylor had already called Michel Ingham into early action and then struck an effort inches wide of the right-hand upright, before he opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time after being allowed to unleash a tremendous finish from outside the area into the far corner.

Their lead was then doubled just before the hour when substitute Johnson guided a header across goal following an inviting cross from Steve Cook, with the visitors responding by immediately bringing on ex-Sunderland striker Dowson, who soon forced their first corner of the game before then screwing a shot badly wide.

But two minutes later York were handed a lifeline through Lawless, who was back in the side in place of the ill Danny Racchi, as his deflected effort crept over the line via the inside of an upright following a scramble inside the area.

The Minstermen then searched hard for an equaliser with Constantine, Lawless (twice) and Dowson each threatening without reward as their caretaker boss Porter was instead forced to reflect on another laboured start.

Eastbourne Borough: Banks, Cook, Austin, Langston, Jenkins, Brinkhurst, Smart (Johnson 19), Weatherstone, M. Crabb, Taylor (Brown 89), Pacquette (Atkin 41)

subs (unused): N. Crabb, Mambo

Goals: Taylor (43), Johnson (59)

York City: Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Young, Meredith, Till, Lawless, Barrett (Smith 74), Fyfield, Gash (Dowson 60), Rankine (Constantine 28)

subs (unused): Knight, Courtney

Goals: Lawless (68)

Ref: R. Atkin (Plymouth)

Att: 1,104