YORK City have already scored as many FA Cup goals than in any season since 2000/01 following a 3-0 triumph over St Ives Town – and they still lie one win away from a place in the first-round proper.

Nobody is pretending that the standard of opposition, with the Minstermen entering the tournament at the second qualifying stage, has not contributed to the eight-strong haul with Ashton Athletic having also been seen off 5-0 last month.

But, from Saturday’s corresponding 40 ties, only three clubs - Billericay (9-1 winners against Whitehawk), Hemel Hempstead Town (5-0 against Ramsgate) and Kettering (4-0 against Hendesford) – enjoyed a wider margin of victory than that secured by the hosts at Bootham Crescent.

Equally, while City ensured they didn’t come unstuck against their Evo-Stik League visitors, their National League North counterparts Brackley, Chester, Kidderminster, FC United of Manchester and Telford were all dumped out of the competition by respectively lower-ranked underdogs Marine, Dunston, Stourbridge, Witton Albion and Warrington.

Guiseley, meanwhile, will now require a replay if they are to progress past Cleethorpes, meaning only a third of City’s league rivals will definitely participate in the next round of the competition.

Caretaker boss Sam Collins’ team can, therefore, reflect on two professional performances or, perhaps more accurately, one-and-a-half, as the Minstermen’s standards were sloppy prior to the interval of this contest, which they were somewhat fortunate to reach a Jake Wright goal to the good.

Jordan Burrow was arguably the one home player whose contribution could not be faulted, however, during those first 45 minutes and he went on to get his just deserts with a quickfire second-half brace that put the outcome beyond doubt before the hour mark.

Earlier, City had started sluggishly for a third successive fixture and were fortunate not to fall behind when Alex Harris decided against tracking Robbie Parker’s run from a quickly-taken free kick, allowing the Saints’ skipper to deliver a right-wing cross that saw Jarvis Wilson clear the crossbar from a free header.

But, from the resulting goal kick, the hosts forged in front on nine minutes.

Burrow helped on Adam Bartlett’s long kick down the middle of the pitch to release Wright for a free run on goal and he finished with composure, curling his shot inside Sam Wilson’s left-hand upright. The Cambridgeshire visitors, who would finish the afternoon without mustering a single on-target goal attempt, went on to waste another excellent opportunity to get on the scoresheet when Parker’s inviting free kick from the right this time picked out Danny Kelly completely alone in the home box, but the former Barnet striker could only guide his eight-yard effort wide.

City subsequently rallied a little with Burrow forcing a near-post save from Wilson after Wright’s cushioned header from David Ferguson’s left-wing cross.

Simon Heslop also drilled a 15-yard strike against the away keeper’s right-hand post after he had seized upon Owen Wallis’ weak clearance.

At the other end, Ben Baker charged clear through the right channel, but sliced wide of Bartlett’s near post under pressure from Joe Tait.

A stretching Hamza Bencherif, meanwhile, headed well off target from Harris’ corner, before the half ended with an off-balance Baker lifting an edge-of-the-box attempt on to the roof of the Longhurst.

The Minstermen started the second half with greater purpose, spearheaded by Burrow, who drove into the box to test Wilson from 15 yards early on.

He wasn’t to be denied on 50 minutes, though, when he emphatically met Ferguson’s left-wing cross and headed powerfully past Wilson from eight yards.

After 17-year-old debutant Nathan Dyer raided down the right and called Wilson into action at his near post, Burrow then grabbed his second of the game in equally clinical fashion on 56 minutes.

Put in on goal by Harris’ short pass, the former Halifax and Gateshead forward rifled a powerful shot into the roof of the away net from ten yards.

Sub Alex Kempster went on to head wide from a Harris corner and Ferguson volleyed high out of the ground, before Jon Parkin, also on as a second-half replacement, missed an absolute sitter, sidefooting wide right in front of goal after meeting Ferguson’s cross on the volley.

The chances continued to come with Harris heading over from another Ferguson centre and a Parkin chip caught under the crossbar by Wilson.

During rare second-half forays at the other end, Wallis then steered a Jordan Patrick corner well wide on 79 minutes before the latter came closest to grabbing a consolation, as he shot narrowly past Bartlett’s left-hand upright.

Along with beating Ashton and enjoying a league triumph over Guiseley, this latest win also means Collins has now racked up three consecutive wins at home – a feat last achieved by Gary Mills in April 2017, as he managed five on the bounce trying to preserve the club’s National League status.

City ratings

Adam Bartlett 7

Joe Tait 6

Hamza Bencherif 7

Sean Newton 7

Nathan Dyer 7

Josh Law 7

Simon Heslop 7

Alex Harris 7

David Ferguson 8

Jake Wright 8

Jordan Burrow 8

Substitutes: Russ Penn 7 – calming (for Tait, 35), Alex Kempster 6 - (for Wright, 58), Jon Parkin 6 - (for Burrow, 58).

Subs not used: Daniel Parslow, Adriano Moke, Macaulay Langstaff, Wes York.

Star man: Burrow - one of few to play with genuine purpose in first half and got his just rewards in second

St Ives Town: Sam Wilson, Joe Hood, Jarvis Wilson, Sam Cartwright, Mark Coulson, Owen Wallis, Robbie Parker, George Bailey, Ben Seymour-Shove (Ollie Snaith, 66), Ben Baker (Jordan Patrick, 66), Danny Kelly (Munashe Sundire, 66). Subs not used: Shay Griffiths, Dylan Wilson.

St Ives star man: Parker – good quality on the ball

Referee: John Matthews: 7/10 – no glaring blunders

Booked: Wallis 39, Parker 39, Wright 41, Patrick 85, Cartwright 88

Sent off: None

Attendance: 1,243 (112 from St Ives)

Shots on target: City 9, St Ives Town 0

Shots off target: City 8, St Ives Town 6

Corners: City 7, St Ives Town 2

Fouls conceded: City 13, St Ives Town 5

Offside: City 7, St Ives Town 0