Magnificent York City confirmed their place in the play-offs with a wonderful display of attacking football against AFC Wimbledon at Bootham Crescent.
On a day when their supporters said goodbye to a former legend Sid Storey, it was perhaps fitting that it was a new hero who once again led their assault, as leading marksman Richard Brodie raised his overall tally for the season to thirty with his second hat-trick of the campaign.
Barely had a minute’s applause died down for one-time FA Cup hero and ‘Happy Wanderer’ Storey – whose death was announced earlier today – than the supporters were back on their feet celebrating a goal, after the recalled Michael Rankine held off a challenge and slipped his finish under goalkeeper James Pullen on just 32 seconds.
The Minstermen then added a second sixteen minutes later when Brodie was brought down inside the area by Ben Judge and calmly slotted his penalty in off the inside of the post.
Five minutes later and York went even further ahead as Neil Barrett’s superb through ball found Brodie rounding the bewildered Pullen and adding his second of the night.
And it got even better for the big striker nine minutes before the break when again being fouled inside the area, on this occasion by Paul Lorraine, after getting on the end of a Chris Carruthers cross. Brodie stepped up to send his penalty into the same spot and complete his hat-trick.
But it was by no means one-way traffic during that opening half as the Dons’ on loan striker Nathan Elder had four chances to reply, while York keeper Michael Ingham made two great saves to deny Glenn Poole and Luke Moore.
The Minstermen continued to pour forward in search of more goals after the break, with left-back James Meredith drilling narrowly wide from 30-yards and Alex Lawless firing at the keeper from the edge of the area.
And they were rewarded with twenty minutes remaining following a superb move, when Lawless sent Carruthers chasing away, and although his whipped cross was missed by Brodie, it was eventually turned in by Rankine at the second attempt.
More could have followed as substitutes Adam Smith and Michael Gash combined late on for the former Ebbsfleet United striker to send a diving header just wide, while fellow replacement Paul Harsley lashed over a Ben Purkiss cross in added time.
York City: Ingham, Purkiss, McGurk, Graham, Meredith, Lawless (Smith 83), Barrett (Harsley 75), Mackin, Carruthers, Brodie (Gash 75), Rankine
subs (unused): Parslow, Pitt
Goals: Rankine (1, 70), Brodie (17 pen, 22, 36 pen)
AFC Wimbledon: Pullen, Conroy, Judge, Lorraine (Johnson 46), Blanchett, Poole, Adjei, Gregory (Duncan 76), Wellard, Moore, Elder (Hatton 71)
subs (unused): Brown
Ref: M. Naylor (Sheffield)
Att: 2,667
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