York all at sea on the coast

York City were left reflecting on a disastrous opening half as they crashed to a first defeat in eight games against Eastbourne Borough at Priory Lane.

Michael Rankine claimed his tenth goal of the season from the penalty spot just before the break, although the visitors were already three goals in arrears by then following an awful start to the game.

That began on fourteen minutes when busy midfielder Matt Crabb took advantage of an earlier rebound and confidently drilled his finish into the bottom corner.

Three minutes later and Eastbourne increased their lead as Matt Crabb’s corner was headed past Michael Ingham by Andy Atkin.

And it could have been even worse moments later, when Matt Crabb had the ball in the net again, only to be denied by a raised offside flag.

The Minstermen had struggled to really get going at this point, until Luke Graham missed a good chance when he headed over a Chris Carruthers corner.

Eastbourne then made them pay for that wasted opportunity just beyond the half-hour when, in a virtual repeat of their second goal, Atkin headed in another Matt Crabb corner.

York desperately needed a goal back before the break, and they got it in the final minute of a dreadful first-half as leading scorer Richard Brodie, who was rated doubtful before the game, released Rankine, and he was taken down inside the area by Gary Elphick.

Once Rankine and Brodie had finally decided upon the penalty taker, it was Rankine who eventually tucked it away into the corner.

There was still enough time remaining for the visitors to have claims for a second spot-kick as Paul Harsley, who had been selected ahead of Neil Barrett in their only change, went over in the box – only this time without reward.

Although having a blustery wind in their favour during the second-half, any potential great fightback from York never really materialised, despite the immediate introduction of winger Adam Smith for Levi Mackin.

Granted they had more of the play as their lowly opponents unsurprisingly focused on holding what they already had.

That witnessed goalscorer Rankine turning a Carruthers cross marginally wide and Harsley sending a 25-yard shot at goalkeeper Danny Knowles.

And with time slipping away for the visitors, David McGurk headed over substitute Courtney Pitt’s corner before both Brodie and Rankine were wide in the closing moments.

Eastbourne Borough: Knowles, Baker, Elphick, Austin, Jenkins, Rooney, Weatherstone, Smart (Brown 66), Matt Crabb, Atkin (Enver-Marum 50), Taylor (Johnson 73)

subs (unused): Pullan, Benjamin

Goals: Matt Crabb (14), Atkin (17, 32)

York City: Ingham, Purkiss, McGurk, Graham (Gash 90), Meredith, Lawless, Mackin (Smith 46), Harsley, Carruthers (Pitt 70), Rankine, Brodie

subs (unused): Parslow, Barrett

Goals: Rankine (45 pen)

Ref: C. Berry (Surrey)

Att: 1,144