YORK City boss Neal Ardley was pleased to see his side find a way to win their Emirates FA Cup First Round replay against Chester last night.

A brace from captain Lenell John-Lewis, proved enough to send the Minstermen through to their first FA Cup Second Round tie since their run to the Third Round of the competition in 2010-11, despite Chester captain George Glendon pulling a goal back late on.

But to equal that achievement, City will first have to see off former winners, Sky Bet League One's Wigan Athletic at the LNER Community Stadium in front of the BBC cameras on December 1 - a task that is no mean feat.

York's performance was a far cry from the display that earned a crucial victory at fellow Vanarama National League strugglers AFC Fylde on Saturday, and they were indebted to the experienced David Stockdale as Chester staged an almighty second half comeback.

The former Premier League shot-stopper superbly denied both Declan Weeks and Harrison Burke as the visitors sent wave after wave of attack to the City back line in a vastly improved display after the interval.

York could have sealed the tie after starting the match firmly on the front foot but offered relatively little thereafter, prompting Ardley to concede that it was a game of two halves.

“The first half, it was controlled, and I thought that we started the game really well," he reflected. "The first 10 to 15 minutes, I thought that we could have been two or three up in that spell.

“Then their game plan stifled us and we became a bit safe, they blocked out the middle area and we were scared to even try and play in there in case we turned it over and they counter-attacked us.

“We had to be a bit more patient and a bit braver at the same time.

“The second half, their manager was giving them a little bit of a shouting at in the dressing room – we could hear it as we came in – and I said to them that we needed to up our game, it’s a Cup game, and they’ve never really laid a glove on us, they’ve had one counter-attacking chance.

“It’s just that shift in mentality. They started with intensity, they played brave instead of panicking and going long, they played through the thirds and we never adapted.

“Credit to them, they’re a good team, and I don’t think that you could tell the difference [between a National League and National League North side] in the first game.

“We know that we’re trying to get better, but we’ve found a way to win."

John-Lewis gave the Minstermen a dream start just five minutes into proceedings, meeting Scott Burgess' near-post corner before volleying the ball past Wyll Stanway from close range.

City had failed in their execution of a similar move in the sides' goalless draw at Chester earlier this month, and Ardley admits that he had been keen for his side to improve on that this time around.

“I’ve got to take the credit for that!" Ardley laughed. "I don’t normally take credit, but I’ve got to take credit for that!

“We did a lot of video work beforehand and we noticed it in the first game. We did a video and tried it in the first game, but we overhit the cross.

“We did a video today before kick off and I said ‘you don’t even have to, just clip it into Len, let him pin, and if someone wants to come around the front, we work from there’.

“The first one came and I saw the gap and was thinking ‘do it, do it!’ and trying to shout at them, and they executed it brilliantly.

“Whenever we do set-pieces, we don’t always do the same routines. We look at what set-up the opposition have got and what might cause them a problem, and that one, we did the video before, so I’ll take some credit."