YORK City kicked off the New Year with their biggest league win since August 2017 following a 4-0 home demolition of Darlington.

Having previously failed to score in three seasons for the Minstermen, Hamza Bencherif finally opened his account with a surprise brace, as the hosts gained revenge for their 5-1 Boxing Day thumpimg against the Quakers.

Jordan Burrow had earlier opened the scoring with his 13th goal of the season and fifth penalty, while Jake Wright was also on the scoresheet after netting for the third time in as many games.

The margin of victory was the Minstermen’s greatest in National League North since Gary Mills masterminded a 5-0 victory at Bradford Park Avenue.

City enjoyed plenty of possession during the first half-hour, without creating a goalscoring opportunity, while Darlington threatened sporadically at the other end.

Fit-again home midfielder Simon Heslop survived strong penalty appeals from the Quakers’ travelling army of supporters after tangling with Joe Wheatley, before Tom Elliott fired the game’s first shot wide from 25 yards on 13 minutes.

Wheatley went on to curl wide from a free kick, conceded following clumsy play by Bencherif, while a half-hearted 20-yard attempt by Andrew Nelson was safely gathered by Adam Bartlett.

A Williams Kokolo drive also flashed past Bartlett’s near post from a similar range, before City forged in front on 31 minutes after breaching the away defence for the first time.

Burrow and Macaulay Langstaff combined to release Jake Wright for a clear run on goal.

He then skipped past Jonny Maddison only to be brought down by the away keeper’s outstretched left arm.

Burrow went on to fire the resulting penalty low down the middle of the goal as Maddison dived to his right.

Lifted by the goal, the hosts upped the tempo with Adriano Moke’s 30-yard drive deflected wide before Bencherif finally ended his long wait for a first City goal.

Josh Law’s right-wing corner was met in the air by Bencherif and, after his header was blocked, he smashed in a low ten-yard shot, despite Elliott’s attempts to clear off the line.

After the break, the Minstermen were incredibly fortunate not to see Joe Davis sent off just before the hour mark when the on-loan Port Vale defender was played into trouble and dallied on the edge of the box before bringing down Elliott as he was poised to charge clear on Bartlett’s goal.

Instead, the City centre back was yellow carded and, four minutes later, it was 3-0 when Wright’s determination saw him break through the left channel and shoot across goal into Maddison’s bottom corner from ten yards.

In response, Stephen Thompson curled high and wide from the edge of the box for the visitors and Jordan Nicholson’s shot from a similar distance was routinely gathered by Bartlett.

But City continued to threaten with Wright heading wide from a Liam Agnew free kick and strong play by Langstaff creating a hat-trick of chances in quick succession for himself.

He blasted the first over, forced a flying save from Maddison for the second and saw a curling effort deflected wide after Agnew had played him through the left channel for the third.

From the resulting 82nd-minute corner, City added their fourth goal with Law’s right-wing delivery headed in off the far post by Bencherif from three yards.

Click here for a gallery of pictures from the game

City Ratings

Adam Bartlett 7

Josh Law 7

Hamza Bencherif 7

Joe Davis 7

David Ferguson 7

Simon Heslop 7

Adriano Moke 7

Liam Agnew 7

Jake Wright 8

Jordan Burrow 7

Macaulay Langstaff 7

Substitutes: Alex Harris 7 (for Heslop, 56), Alex Bray (for Wright, 73), Joe Ironside (for Burrow, 87).

Subs not used: Nathan Dyer, Ryan Whitley.

Star man: Wright – determined play won penalty for the breakthrough and killed game off with third goal

Darlington: Jonny Maddison, Luke Trotman, Liam Hughes (Stephen Thompson, 53), Terry Galbraith, Williams Kokolo (Ben O’Hanlon, 46), Tom Elliott, Will Smith, Joe Wheatley, Romal Palmer, Andrew Nelson (Jordan Nicholson, 46), Harvey Saunders. Subs not used: Alex Wollerton, Simon Ainge.

Referee: Nathanael Cox 6/10

Booked: Maddison 31, Davis 59, Saunders 62, Wheatley 64, Wright 71, Moke 81

Sent off: None

Attendance: 3,265 (891 from Darlington)

Shots on target: City 6, Darlington 2

Shots off target: City 4, Darlington 4

Corners: City 4, Darlington 0

Fouls conceded: City 9, Darlington 12

Offside: City 2, Darlington 3