YORK City returned to winning ways in emphatic style after easing to a 5-0 win at 10-man Barnet.

York made a blistering start at The Hive, taking the lead after a dozen minutes through a Fraser Kerr header before an Alex Hurst pile-driver doubled the City advantage.

Barnet had some brief promising moments at the other end, but their chances of mounting any sort of comeback were derailed when Danny Collinge was sent off for a second yellow card on the stroke of half time before Lenell John-Lewis found a third goal shortly after the interval.

The captain capped an excellent all-round team display with goal number four, steering a header into the top corner before a stoppage-time header from Sam Sanders.

The result continues York’s excellent start to the season, with City looking far from a newly-promoted side, given they now find themselves on a run of just one defeat from their last seven matches, that blemish coming by a 3-1 scoreline to promotion hopefuls Notts County last weekend.

Their biggest win of the season and a fifth unbeaten away outing leaves in ninth and outside the play-off positions only by a point.

The season is less than 12 matches in, so it remains early to draw any long-term predictions at this stage, but City’s internal confidence that they can push for a top seven finish is now becoming a reality.

With more players becoming fit-again, having seen Ryan Fallowfield and Mitch Hancox return, the latter from the bench, the Minstermen are looking more than capable of pushing beyond mid-table mediocrity.

Fallowfield and Hancox replaced Manny Duku and Scott Burgess who dropped out due to a knock and a loan move to Kidderminster Harriers respectively. Alex Hurst replaced AJ Greaves in the starting 11.

The match was delayed by half an hour due to a late-arriving doctor and Barnet seemed to benefit most from the 3.30pm start, with Ryan De Havilland shooting straight at goalkeeper Ethan Ross inside the opening minute.

York heeded the early warning sign and dominated the next dozen minutes, particularly down their deadly right side of Hurst and Fallowfield, before deservedly taking the lead.

There was a slight element of fortune in how City went in front, with Kerr claiming the last touch from a Maziar Kouhyar corner, though it may well have gone in off a Barnet head last, the centre-back scoring the second week in a row.

That was the visitors’ fourth corner to Barnet’s one, reflecting the pressure they had been building before their 12th-minute opener.

The Bees looked the stronger side after going behind, although a drilled Harry Pritchard strike that proved a routine stop for Ross was all the Bees could boast by way of chances inside the opening quarter.

Having ridden the inevitable response from the home side, City delivered the perfect counter-punch by doubling their lead.

After Kouhyar had seen a wickedly-struck volley palmed over, from the resultant corner, which was only partially cleared, stand-out winger Hurst produced a low pile-driver into the left corner which left keeper Laurie Walker stationary on his line.

Barnet did have their moments during the rest of the half, with Ben Wynter coming closest through an effort that beat Ross but was cleared off the line by Maxim Kouogun.

The Bees were unable to build on any optimism of that chance though as they were reduced to 10 men in added time.

Collinge was shown a second yellow card after bringing down a through-on-goal John-Lewis, who would blaze a first-time strike over the bar a minute later.

Boos ringed around The Hive at the break as the two sides headed for the tunnel.

If Barnet thought things couldn’t get much worse, they were duly mistaken.

Having seen Kouhyar rifle a shot just too high for the near post within the second half’s opening stages, City broke down the right side through Fallowfield who simply squared the ball for John-Lewis to tap in at the far post.

Chances weren’t free-flowing thereafter but then again, for York, with a three-goal cushion and a man advantage, they didn’t need to be.

After going 3-0 up, Hurst shot over before Fallowfield found the side netting from a corner to the back post.

The half was punctuated by a professional City making the most of their extra man, dominating possession and making Barnet chase shadows.

A trickling Dale Gorman free-kick under the wall but straight at Ross was about as much as Barnet offered in an attacking sense.

By this stage, York were quite simply having fun. The players seemed to respond to ‘Ole’ chants from the noisy away fans as intricate passing moves become more frequent and confident.

City eventually found a fourth goal when Kouhyar excellently crossed to the unmarked John-Lewis who steered a header beyond Walker’s reach into the top right corner.

The Minstermen delivered on the humorous chants of their sizeable away following for a fifth when Sanders nodded in a close-range header from a corner at the death.

The full-whistle sounded to an emphatic noise from the away fans and silence from the home support.

Barnet: Walker, Collinge, Okimo, Gorman (C), Kabamba, Pritchard (Kanu 41’), Smith, Wynter, Diarra (Phillips 58’), Shields, De Havilland.

Subs not used: Hall, Flanagan, Amaze.

Yellow cards: Smith, Kanu

Red cards: Collinge (45’)

York: Ross 7, Fallowfield 8, Sanders 7, Kouogun 7, Kerr 8, Whittle 7 (Hancox 6 76’), Pybus 7 (Mafuta 6 72’), Dyson 8, Kouhyar 8, John-Lewis (C) 8, Hurst 8 (L. James 6 77’).

Subs not used: Whitley, Greaves.

Goals: Kerr (12’), Hurst (26’), John-Lewis (48’, 71’), Sanders (90’)

Yellow cards: Kouogun

York’s star man: Alex Hurst. Brilliant finish for York’s second and was a threat all afternoon down the right flank.

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Attendance: 1,647 (342)

Shots (on target): 10 (7) | 17 (5)

Corners: 6 | 7

Offsides: 2 | 2

Fouls committed: 8 | 10