Last gasp winner

Just as the York City faithful were crying out for a pass of distinction, never mind a goal, up pops Kevin Hulme with a magnificent header to seal a vital win.

Hulme's decisive blow only two minutes from time now means that City, while not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination, are just one more win from the top half of the table.

It was goal that was desperately needed but not necessarily deserved by an erratic City, who played like a side intent on making hard work for themselves.

Surprisingly for a five goal encounter and one that will go down in City's annals as their 700th home win in the Football League, this was no thriller deserving to go into the history books.

A heavy pitch probably played its part, but after a week when Bootham Crescent had been under water this was a game swimming in mediocrity for the most part.

It was strange to say the least; periods of energy and endeavour trading places with equal measures of the shabby and ragged.

And yet while craftsmanship was in short supply chances, especially in a bitty first half for City, were not and the home side could conceivably have been at least two goals to the good before a 15 minute scoring burst that turned the game on its head and back again.

Ironically, the best chances to break the deadlock fell to City's two-goal hero and match-winner Hulme.

For his first effort, luck was not with the midfielder. Hulme timed his run to perfection to meet Scott Jordan's well-floated corner but was left cursing when his goal-bound sidefoot hit the heel of Neil Tarrant.

For the second he should have scored. Jordan delivered another telling corner and Hulme again arrived with immaculate timing at the far post only to somehow glance the ball wide from a free header.

It looked, and within a minute proved to be, a costly miss.

Torquay full-back Lee Russell swung in a deep cross and as a posse of Torquay and City players challenged for the ball acting skipper Mark Sertori's hand inexplicably rose from the melee.

There was no question it was hand-ball, although their was a hint of a foul on the City centre-back by Torquay's French midfielder Khalid Chalqi.

No matter, Mark Ford coolly dispatched the spot-kick by sending Alan Fettis the wrong way.

For a game crying out for a goal we suddenly had one, then two, three and four. Within 90 seconds of the restart City were level.

The ball was hooked out wide to the left where Neil Tarrant seemed to stumble as he crossed. Ryan Northmore looked favourite to reach the trickling ball only for Hulme to nick in and lift it over the 'keeper.

Six minutes later and City were in front. Lee Bullock's sweetly-struck volley cannoned back of the post but David McNiven reacted quickest to head in the rebound.

It was an amazing turn-around in fortunes, but the scoring wasn't over.

City seemed intent on holding what they'd suddenly got until half-time but were made to pay for a reluctance to tackle or close down.

Deep into stoppage time Steve Tully centred and Chalqi got in front of a sleeping City defence at the near post to direct the ball in at the far.

Hope remained the goals would help spark a second-half of more considered football but if anything after the break both teams increasingly resembled sides playing uphill into a head-on wind.

The ball did not so much zip as trip and stumble across the surface.

City flickered occasionally. Tarrant's cute reverse pass was seized on by Colin Alcide but he miscued his shot and it bobbled wide.

But it was Torquay who came closet to finding the net again.

Chalqi, a booking, a goal and a decisive role in another, had already made a name for himself in his first game in English football before threatening to score one of the goals of the season.

His up and under from the half-way line took an eternity to come down and looked to have caught a retreating Fettis off guard.

The City 'keeper stuck out a desperate hand to tip the ball onto the bar then reacted smartly to smother at the feet of Kevin Hill.

Torquay substitute Mick O'Brien squeezed an effort just around the post before playing a perfectly weighted pass in behind the City defence that Hill could only poke straight at Fettis.

With the clock ticking and the tension on the terraces transferring to the pitch a goal for City seemed a distant dream.

But having rarely passed with purpose City, better late than never, rose phoenix-like from the ashes to deliver a telling blow.

Substitute and debutant Chris Iwelumo came short for a throwing and laid a careful pass back for Wayne Hall.

The veteran left-back will rarely have delivered a better ball to the far post while Hulme will rarely have met a cross so sweetly.

His looping header seemed to take an age to hit the back of the net but when it did the 87 minutes that had gone before were suddenly wiped from memory.