York City secured their first points of the new season with a richly deserved 3-0 thumping of Torquay United at Plainmoor.

After losing their opening fixture of the season 1-0 at home to Rushden and Diamonds, the pressure was on the Minstermen to get some points on the board.

After Lee Bullock bagged City's first goal of the current campaign with a bullet header on 31 minutes, latching on to Michael Proctor's pin point cross 12 yards out, there was no looking back.

City, who had the best of the possession and chances in the first-half, deservedly doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Graham Potter's free-kick from the left picked out Mike Basham whose looping header dropped in at the far post.

Within minutes of the restart, City put the game beyond doubt when Lee Nogan made it 3-0 to the rampant Minstermen.

The impressive Proctor robbed a sleeping Jimmy Aggrey of possession and rolled the ball across the face of the Torquay goal to leave former Welsh international Nogan with a simple tap in.

Torquay upped the tempo thereafter in a desperate attempt to claw something back from the game.

But despite a flurry of corners - 12 in the second-half alone - the Gulls could not even secure a consolation strike as Alan Fettis produced a superb save to claw Neville Roach's point-blank header from under the cross-bar.

City handed debuts to John Fielding and Aidan O'Kane and both performed admirably, Fielding particularly catching the eye with a solid defensive performance.

After last Saturday's largely tepid and pointless start to the new campaign, the result should have been all that mattered to York City at Torquay United on Saturday even at this very early stage of the season.

But the three very welcome points picked up at Plainmoor were perhaps only the icing on the cake of a very good day at the office for Terry Dolan and his Minstermen for come the final reckoning Saturday's performance may prove even more decisive.

Of course, one victory, and that accrued against a side who only safeguarded their Football League status on the final day of last season, does not mean City's dark days of yesterday - and even last week - have suddenly been banished.

Torquay United 0 v 3 York City

Torquay United: Dearden, Tully, Herrera, Healy (Rees 78mins), Aggrey, McNeil, Brandon, Bedeau (Hill 46mins), Williams (Roach 46mins), Graham, Russell

Subs, not used: Jones, Greyling

Goals: None

Booked: Roach 73mins (foul)

Sent-off: None

City: Fettis 8, Edmondson 7, Potter 7, Basham 8, Fielding 8, Cooper 8, Brass 8, Bullock 7 (Wood 78mins), O'Kane 6, Proctor 8, Nogan 7 (Emmerson 87mins)

Subs, not used: Howarth, Hocking, Smith

Goals: Bullock 31mins, Basham 45mins, Nogan 49mins

Booked: Basham 49mins (foul), Potter 50mins (foul)

Sent-off: None

City man of the match: Michael Proctor. A decisive role in two of City's three goals. Worked hard throughout, linked well with Nogan and produced some dazzling bits of skill to unlock the Torquay defence.

Half-time: Torquay 0 City 2

Shots on target: Torquay 2 City 7

Corners: Torquay 3 City 14

Fouls committed: Torquay 10 City 14

Attendance: 2,659

Referee: Bill Jordan (Tring, Herts)

City's next match: versus Crewe Alexandra at Bootham Crescent on Tuesday, August 21, at Bootham Crescent in the first round of the Worthington Cup, kick-off 7.45pm.

Updated: 09:40 Monday, August 20, 2001