A brace from Ashley Chambers helped York City to hammer Bristol Rovers 4-1 yesterday at Bootham Crescent, and in turn signal the end of Mark McGhee’s time as the Pirates’ manager.
With Bristol Rovers suffering a miserable campaign and sitting 23rd in the table, McGhee’s 11 month tenure was brought to an end, yesterday’s defeat being the final straw. The victory, only York’s second in ten games moves them back up to 14th in the table, twelve points clear of the relegation zone and only four from the playoffs such is the close nature of the League Two table.
A dramatic few minutes saw goals galore at Bootham Crescent, as an own goal by defender Garry Kenneth gave York the lead on 14 minutes. A minute later Tom Eaves equalised the scoring with a powerful drive, but the lead didn’t last long as Ashley Chambers nodded in Matty Blair’s cross to restore the lead on 16 minutes.
Jason Walker added a third for York with a volleyed effort, before Chambers’ second of the game sealed victory just after the half hour mark. The second half was a much quieter affair, as York comfortably strolled to victory and in the process condemned Bristol Rovers to their ninth defeat in eleven games.
On the victory York boss Gary Mills told BBC Radio York: “Obviously we’re disappointed to concede straight after we’ve scored, but we bounced back again straight away and what good goals they were. In the last three games, we’ve taken six points and scored seven goals. The players have deserved that today.”
York now face a trio of challenging fixtures over Christmas, always an important period in deciding who will be battling for promotion come May. On Saturday York host table topping Gillingham, before making the trip to tenth placed Chesterfield on Boxing Day. This is then followed by another away trip on Saturday 29th December as York make the journey to Lancashire to play Fleetwood Town, who currently sit just outside the playoffs.