NIGEL WORTHINGTON heaped praise on goalkeeper Michael Ingham after his string of saves earned York City a first win in 12 matches.

The long-serving City net-minder, making his first appearance since mid-November due to a hip flexor problem, kept Morecambe at bay as Worthington’s team kicked off 2014 with a 1-0 home victory.

Ryan Jarvis was the goal hero after netting on the half-hour mark but, by that time, Ingham had already been called into action several times after receiving a recall, ahead of schedule, due to on-loan Wolves shot-stopper Aaron McCarey being struck down by a virus.

City boss Worthington said: “Michael Ingham stepped back in and was very, very good. With Aaron McCarey going down ill, we put Michael in a bit ahead of when we should have done but his kicking was excellent, along with his handling and decision making.

“We were under a bit of pressure in the first half but Michael saved one or two and it was good to have him back. He then made an outstanding save in the second half from a diving header.”

Jarvis was replaced just after the hour with a hamstring injury but Worthington is hoping the damage will not prove too serious, adding: “He felt his hamstring two or three times.

“We don’t think he has pulled it and it seems like more of a tightening of the muscle, but we should know more in the next 24 hours.”

The welcome win moved City two places up the League Two table and opened up a three-point gap on second-bottom Torquay.

Delivering his post-match verdict, Worthington said: “The win has been a long time coming but we managed the game quite well after getting the goal.

“We saw the game through and had a go at winning by more goals, while keeping our shape. We were very mindful at half-time of the need not to sit back and rest on our laurels at 1-0 so we raised the tempo more as the game went on and, when we do that, we’re not a bad side.”

Along with Ingham for McCarey, Worthington made two further changes to the side that started Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Bury with Michael Coulson replacing Josh Carson and Jarvis returning in place of Ryan Bowman.

The City chief is now hoping Carson will benefit from a rest, explaining: “We left Josh out, not because of an indifferent display in his last match, but because we wanted to give him a little breather and refresh him.”

Along with Jarvis’ injury, another minor negative for City was a ninth yellow card of the campaign for midfield enforcer Lewis Montrose, who is now just one caution away from incurring a two-match suspension.

Worthington, though, is loathe to give Montrose instructions to tone down his approach, reasoning: “He competes very well and you don’t want to take too much away from his game.

“He could get no bookings by making no challenges or getting in close but that takes away from the team’s performance too. We know what he can do and he was very strong against Morecambe.

“He was neat and tidy on the ball and competitive in the air. When he plays like that, he’s a big plus for us.”