Crawley Town 0, York City 1

Crawley Town offered stern opposition at the Broadfield Stadium on Saturday with John Hollins hailed as the joint winner of the Conference Manager of the Month award before the game having overseen a six-match unbeaten run.

The Surrey side seem certain to finish higher than their current lowly position in the table and a victory for City - their first away league triumph since September at Tamworth - again suggested the KitKat Crescent club can revive their top-five aspirations after an encouraging Christmas and New Year programme.

Billy McEwan's men extended their own undefeated sequence to a fourth match with a 61st-minute goal from James Dudgeon, who once more underlined his value at attacking set-pieces.

Dudgeon, his fellow defenders and goalkeeper Chris Porter, who displayed impeccable handling, also recovered from a sluggish start at the other end of the pitch as City claimed a clean sheet for only the second time in 14 Conference outings.

Daryl Clare, renowned for his attacking prowess at non-League level after prolific spells with Boston United and Chester City, posed early problems with his movement in the penalty box but the home side were restricted to just one shot on target in either half.

The first attempt brought a fine fourth-minute save from Porter when the Minstermen keeper kept out a low Neil Jenkins drive after Steve Burton had waltzed past Dudgeon on the left.

Clare then escaped Andy Bishop's attentions on 12 minutes to meet Simon Wormull's free kick but his header was ruled out by an offside flag.

Having survived that scare, the visitors displayed higher standards for the rest of the game.

Bishop went close on 40 minutes when his clever 20-yard chip left Phil Smith helplessly stranded but narrowly cleared the relieved keeper's crossbar and the Minstermen continued to up the tempo in the second half, displaying the kind of fitness levels McEwan demands from his team.

Mark Convery forced Smith into his first save of the match on 56 minutes after a low drive from the edge of the box before City took the lead when marauding right-back Lee Andrews won a corner.

Darren Dunning, who was at his tigerish best for the full 90 minutes, played a short flag kick to Emmanuel Panther.

City's leading marksman Bishop then headed against a post from Panther's cross and Dudgeon was once more in the right place at the right time to drive into an inviting net from a yard.

Bishop was not as clinical when he missed an excellent chance to ease the Minstermen's nerves with a second goal on 82 minutes.

The 23-year-old striker elected to round Smith after being given a clear run on goal by Tony Scully's mistake and allowed the home keeper to block at his feet.

Home boss Hollins had earlier taken the unusual measure of sending left-back Chris Giles forward as a makeshift striker and the last five minutes were, as has become customary this season, anxious for City's loyal travelling fans.

Crawley captain Ian Simpemba went inches wide with a header that looped agonisingly over Porter from a Danny Brown corner on 89 minutes.

Giles then saw a 20-yard effort flash wide in the second minute of stoppage time and City fans' nails must have been bitten to their wick when substitute Bryan Stewart conceded a free kick within strikeable distance moments later.

The third minute of added-on time, indicated by the fourth official, had elapsed as Brown aimed a powerful drive towards the City goal but referee Danny McDermid blew the final whistle amid desperate home appeals for handball after the shot had struck Joe O'Neill in the defensive wall.

Crawley Town 0, York City 1 (Dudgeon 61)

Porter 8, Andrews 8, Dudgeon 8, Hotte 8, Merris 8, Convery 7, Panther 7, Dunning 8, O'Neill 7, Bishop 8 (Stewart, 90m), Donaldson 7

Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire

Subs (not used): Reid, Webster, Bertos, Horwood.

Star man: Hotte - determined display that deserved a clean sheet.

Crawley Town: Smith, Judge, Simpemba, Mendy, Giles, Scully, Wormull (Blackburn, 78), Brown, Jenkins (Opinel, 70), Burton (Whitman, 61), Clare. Subs not used: Ward, Grant.

Yellow cards: Hotte 52, Giles 52, Bishop 75.

Referee: Danny McDermid (Aldershot) Rating: Very good. Hard to recall many errors.

Attendance: 1,514

Weather watch: Chilly after snow showers before the game.

Game breaker: Daryl Clare's disallowed goal on 12 minutes - marginal decision as it was - spurred City into action.

Match rating: Even first half but City showed superiority after the break before enduring a typically nervous ending.

McEwan's verdict: "They gave us a tough test but we passed it well after the first 15 minutes and got the important goal. It was a bit hairy scary in the last few minutes but we managed to come through it and I am very pleased to get a clean sheet."

Player watch:

James Dudgeon

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 0

Blocked shots: 0

Passes to own player: 8

Passes to opposition: 2

Crosses to own player: 0

Crosses to opposition: 1

Pass success rate: 72.7 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 0

Dribbles ball lost: 0

Dribble success rate: 0 per cent

Headers: 16 Tackles: 3

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 8

Free-kicks won: 1

Free-kicks conceded: 3

Offsides: 0 Bookings: 0

Final summary: Dudgeon illustrated his threat from set pieces with his fourth goal of the season. The former Worksop defender recovered from a slow start and, along with skipper Mark Hotte, coped well with Crawley dangerman Daryl Clare. He also only gave away possession twice in 90 minutes.

Updated: 11:18 Monday, January 09, 2006