Glory-chasing Nestl-Rowntree claimed a prized place in the North Riding County Cup semi-finals after a display of eminent northern comfort.

The West Yorkshire League champions travelled to Nunthorpe Athletic - their third knockout encounter against Teesside League opposition.

And after a sluggish start they delivered a triple slam to their hosts, who were eventually undone by a 67th-minute strike from Gavin Dickinson.

The solid all-round team show was saluted by a delighted 'Trees' manager Jim Collis, who purred: "It was as hard a game as I expected in very heavy conditions, but I picked a team to do a job and they did it so well.

"You could not fault any of the players. They all stuck to their task and got the job done."

The York side suffered only one scare and that was in the opening five minutes when a Nunthorpe raider ghosted through an absent central defence to go clear on goal. But goalkeeper Neil Smallwood forced the attacker into too narrow an angle and the subsequent shot drifted harmlessly wide.

After that 'Trees were tight at the back, tough in midfield, and threatening in attack, where but for the width of a post Steve Ward would have scored with an audacious lob.

The visitors took command in the second-half when Rob Ellis peeled away from the Nunthorpe three-man back-line to whip in a cross smashed fiercely into the rigging by Dickinson.

Collis then introduced influential midfielder Steve Haddon, out for a lengthy spell with a broken toe. The play-maker watched one effort graze the crossbar, while a waspish shot came off the inside of an upright and away out of danger.

But 'Trees were never under any pressure and their lone goal proved enough to confirm their place in the last four.

Updated: 12:33 Monday, January 15, 2001