YORK City continued their super start to the National League North season with a 4-1 win at Spennymoor Town.

Against a team who did the league double over them last campaign, City went into the break 3-1 up thanks largely to a 10-minute spell of dominance in the middle of the first half that yielded two goals.

Just before half-time, Kallum Griffiths added to goals from Sean Newton and former Spenny defender Joe Tait before Ben McKenna pulled one back.

City rode their luck at the second half and were indebted to some poor misses from a determined Spennymoor side but, once Adriano Moke dug out a superb top-corner strike, there was only one winner.

National League North leaders York arrived at The Brewery Field with an unbeaten record to defend - while hosts Spennymoor were looking for their first three points of the season.

After the season-opening 2-2 draw at Hereford, back-to-back defeats followed at West Yorkshire sides Guiseley and Farsley Celtic to leave the Moors languishing in 20th place, albeit having played two games fewer than most of the division due to building work on the South End.

As a result, this was the Moors' first home game of term following postponements to fixtures against Blyth Spartans and Boston United.

But City were in no frame of mind to make it an auspicious occasion.

Long-serving manager Jason Ainsley named summer signings Ben McKenna, Stephen Brogan and Nathan Buddle in the starting 11. Returning veteran striker Gavin Cogdon began the afternoon on the bench alongside former Oxford United forward James Roberts and Adam Boyes, who started his senior career at Bootham Crescent a decade ago.

There were no changes for York from the side that enjoyed comprehensive wins against Blyth and Leamington.

City were bright to begin with, getting away two early chances through David Ferguson and Kieran Green. Ferguson, in space, made poor contact with a volley from a Jordan Burrow cross. From inside the box, it went into the ground and was easily gathered by keeper Matt Gould.

Green’s low effort went wide.

But, with McKenna looking lively down the right, the hosts got away a couple of unthreatening early efforts. McKenna drifted past Sean Newton on City’s left but the effort from his cross was well over and Joe Tait was in the right place to block a low Mark Anderson effort.

Former Bradford Park Avenue man McKenna had an effort blocked by Ferguson inside the area. Calls for handball were waved away.

When the early verve died away, the game became a well-controlled midfield battle, both sides entrenching the other in the middle third. Play was neat, Griffiths for one showing good touches down the right, but there was little in the way of progress into either area.

The opening goal arrived 19 minutes in. Newton buried an excellent left-footed free kick, around the wall and into the top corner. Jamie Chandler gave away the foul on Green.

Crucially for City, it opened up the game and put them clearly in the ascendancy.

Chandler made amends very shortly afterwards by clearing off the line from a well-placed Green volley – and Brogan was called on to do the same mere minutes after.

Spennymoor were rattled and it looked only a matter of time before York got their second.

And that they did 25 minutes in. Joe Tait drilled an effort in from a tight angle and James Curtis could only turn into his own net. Former Spenny man Tait simply held his palms up in celebration.

The game had certainly livened up. Belief coursed through the City fans and team, who looked like scoring early every time they got into the final third, while Spenny were fired up, as much by referee Richard Aspinall’s decisions as anything else.

York captain Steve McNulty was not a popular figure with the home crowd, going unpunished after a challenge left Glen Taylor on the deck, while Spenny left-back Brogan was booked for a tug on Alex Kempster.

The biggest cheer of the first 40 minutes from the hosts came when Ferguson was yellow-carded.

A short backpass allowed Alex Kempster through to round the keeper but he could not finish from practically the dead ball line.

With half-time approaching, Griffiths, unchallenged, jogged his way to the edge of the area and curled beyond Gould’s reach inside his left-hand post.

Spenny reacted immediately and McKenna improvised well to turn in a good cross from Mark Anderson.

With a two-goal deficit to make up, Spennymoor were faster out of the blocks second half and looked particularly keen to exploit City’s left, which was guarded by a below-par Ferguson.

Ten minutes into the half, the Moors won a right-sided corner – and should have been level. The cross fell kindly for an unmarked Shane Henry 12 yards out but he blazed over.

City had to be careful not to let the hosts back in. Peter Jameson was maybe a bit too careful and was verbally warned for time-wasting.

Just after the hour, another glorious Spennyoor chance went begging. From inside the area, Callum Williams’ right-wing cross was driven wide.

McKenna’s blushes were spared by the offside flag after he had darted onto a wicked left-wing ball and sent a half-volley over with just Jameson to beat. It was admittedly a tricky chance and Jameson stood up well to it.

York had had a five-minute spell of dominance and threatened through a succession of corners, though only got one effort away, Burrow heading wide when unchallenged.

The frontman was fed little in the second half as York struggled to break Spennymoor’s attacking monopoly. He curled a half-chance high and wide from Kempster’s layoff following a clearance.

But City got the fourth they needed with 12 minutes remaining. Adriano Moke was heavily involved down the left as York sought the men in the middle but, following the breakdown of one such attack, he picked up the ball 25 yards out and he picked out an incredible strike into the top-right corner.

Jameson made a strong save from Taylor to ensure his goal remained unbreached in the second period.

York: Jameson 7, Griffiths 8, Ferguson 6, Newton 8, McNulty 8, Tait 8, Moke 7, Bond 7, Burrow 7, Green 7 (Dyer 81), Kempster 8 (Langstaff 86). Subs not used: York, Spratt, Whitley.

Goals: Newton, Tait, Griffiths

Yellow cards: Ferguson

Star man: Adriano Moke. Put in a quiet but composed shift in the middle and pulled a vital fourth goal out of the bag when York needed it most.

Spennymoor: Gould, Williams, Brogan, Chandler, Buddle, Curtis, McKenna, Henry (Roberts 63), Taylor, Anderson (Roberts 63), Johnson (Cogdon 73). Subs not used: Atkinson, Boyes.

Goals: McKenna

Yellow cards: Henry, Brogan

Attendance: 1,563