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.

City fans have welcomed too many false dawns with open arms only to be slapped in the face with another wet kipper days later to be dancing down the Shambles just yet.

But three goals away from the home, a clean sheet preserved amid some relentless second-half pressure, a superb debut from John Fielding at the heart of the City defence and the successful Football League blooding of another promising youngster in Irishman Aidan O'Kane gives plenty to crow about.

Added to that the performance of the likes of Michael Proctor - who has the ability to unlock defences with a drop of the shoulder and change of pace - something City have desperately lacked in recent seasons - the safe handling and superb reflexes of Alan Fettis, the growing maturity of Lee Bullock and the tenacity of the likes of Chris Brass and Richard Cooper - even the surliest of City snipers could not have asked for much more on Saturday.

Torquay had a couple of sightings of the Minstermen goal in the first half but in truth City were certainly good value for their 2-0 half-time advantage.

Lee Bullock opened City's account for the season on 31 minutes, by which time City had already squandered three golden chances to take the lead.

The mightily impressive Proctor, who'd missed two of the three earlier opportunities, made up for his profligacy by pulling out wide to deliver a pin point cross that Bullock, ghosting in from midfield in what is rapidly becoming his trademark, met with impeccable timing and planted an even more impeccable header home from 12 yards.

On the stroke of half-time, City doubled their advantage with another header, this time from Mike Basham, who met Graham Potter's inswinging free-kick and looped the ball back across the goal before it dropped in at the far post.

By the time Lee Nogan added City's third just minutes after the restart - tapping home Proctor's cross into an empty net - the lack of dissenting voices from the home crowd merely suggested they were expecting it and accepting of their fate.

Thereafter, the Gulls certainly upped the tempo in a desperate attempt to claw something more tangible than pride back from the game.

But despite a flurry of corners - 12 in the second-half alone - Torquay could not even secure a consolation strike as a formidable red-clad wall repelled all that United could sling City's way.

Indeed for all their possession, they managed to carve out just one clear sight of goal only to find Fettis in superb form yet again, the City favourite clawing Neville Roach's point blank header out from under the bar with an improbable save.

O'Kane had a gilt-edged chance to add yet more sheen to the City scoreline and cap a promising debut for himself but sliced wide from a good position while Cooper was just inches from latching onto another Proctor pass that would have opened his City account.

No matter, the points and much-needed performance were already in the bag.

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