AFC Fylde fell to a 0-2 defeat at Mill Farm to an in-form York City side on Tuesday night after goals from Lenell John-Lewis & Mitch Hancox wrapped up the points for John Askey’s side.

An even game on the Fylde Coast led to both sides going in at the break level, with the Coasters then coming out for the second half looking strong and creating several chances.

However, the visitors took first blood after John-Lewis pounced on a loose ball to put the visitors ahead before Hancox rounded off the scoring, finishing off Michael Duckworth’s surging run. 

Jim Bentley made one change to the side that beat Blyth Spartans at the weekend, with Nathan Shaw coming in to replace Jorome Slew, who recently extended his loan at Mill Farm for a further 28 days. 

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 as the striker connected with his head, the effort flashed just over the crossbar. 

Haughton saw plenty of the ball in the early exchanges and called Pete Jameson into action moments later with a dipping free-kick, beating the wall and forcing the York City goalkeeper to palm away. 

Jim Bentley’s men had some defending of their own to do as York sustained pressure through Duckworth, who fired a vicious half-volley towards goal from 25-yards, which Chris Neal made sure he was equal to.

City striker Lenell John-Lewis then went close when he saw a stooping header deflect wide from Scott Barrow’s cross into the box. Fylde managed to put bodies on the line to keep the back door shut. 

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

York then went up the other end and won the ball high up the pitch before Hancox drilled a low, left-footed shot the wrong side of Neal’s left-hand post.

Neal was then on hand once again 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 and Ben Tollitt, who drove forward 20 yards and let fly with a powerful strike that forced Jameson to parry behind for a corner.

Half-Time: AFC Fylde 0-0 York City

Neither side gave much away in the second half, and it remained tight for the first quarter of an hour until Haughton danced around three red shirts in the box and struck a left-footed shot agonisingly wide of the far-right corner.

Fylde gained the upper hand and went in search of the opener, with the next opportunity falling to Nathan Shaw – who carried the ball down the right and lifted a strike just over the crossbar.

The home side looked the likelier to break the deadlock, but on the 70-minute mark, York landed the first blow as the ball fell to John-Lewis, who buried a right-footed effort into the bottom left corner.

And before the Coasters had a chance to get back on level terms, York double their lead when Hancox finished off a rapid counter-attack, led by Duckworth’s surging run, 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.