OLLIE PEARCE was the hat-trick hero as York City battered Yeovil Town with a 4-0 victory – which sent them back to the top of the National League.

York returned to the top of the National League after Forest Green Rovers were halted to a 2-2 draw with Southend United, whilst City enjoyed a memorable afternoon at the LNER Community Stadium.

Pearce had put the Minstermen ahead early on with a precise free-kick that had nestled into Oliver Wright’s bottom corner, with the set-piece coming from a straight red card that had been shown to Yeovil’s Finn Cousin-Dawson.

Tyrese Sinclair was back in the team and doubled the advantage on the brink of half-time, after his curling effort proved too powerful for Wright.

Pearce added his second and York’s third in the second-half, racing onto Malachi Fagan-Walcott’s through ball before coolly slotting past the Yeovil shot-stopper.

But the game was well and truly wrapped up as Pearce claimed a first hat-trick for City after his header beat Wright from close-range.

Yeovil's afternoon was made all the worse as Dominic Bernard was shown a straight red card in the 89th minute - with the result already settled.

York headed into this fixture looking for a response, having dropped to just their second National League defeat of the season last weekend to Forest Green Rovers.

That loss had seen City drop to second, with their opponents on the hunt for the play-offs after promotion from the National League South last season.

Yeovil had lifted the National League South title just one season after their relegation into the sixth tier, and had started life back in the National League brightly, accumulating 28 points from their opening 18 matches, and sitting just one position out of the play-off places.

The Glovers would have been within those play-offs had they avoided a 1-0 defeat to FC Halifax Town last Saturday, which disrupted a seven match unbeaten run in the league.

Mark Cooper’s side will have also have been hoping to show owner Uggla what he had been missing, after the York owner’s involvement with Yeovil two years ago, prior to his takeover of City.

Hinshelwood responded to that defeat at Forest Green by making four changes, one of which was forced, after Cameron John tore his hamstring in that loss.

John’s injury provided an opportunity to Adam Crookes, who started his first competitive match of the season for York, and his first competitive match since April, the final day clash at Solihull Moors.

Dan Batty, Dipo Akinyemi and Ashley Nathaniel-George all dropped to the bench, with Marvin Armstrong, Ricky Aguiar and Sinclair back starting for the Minstermen.

Cooper combatted these changes by making three switches to his own starting 11, with Morgan Williams, Michael Smith and his own son, Charlie Cooper, all starting.

That meant that Frank Nouble, Sonny Blue Lo-Everton and Jake Wannell all dropped out.

There was also a start at left-back for ex-York defender Alex Whittle, who has been a Yeovil player since his City exit in 2023.

LIVE BLOG: York City vs Yeovil Town

Prior to the match, there had been concerns as to whether the game would go ahead with Storm Bert hitting York last night.

However, the LNER Community Stadium withstood the conditions, with a pitch inspection not even required at York.

The conditions, wet and windy, were evident early on however, as Yeovil started their long trip up North in the worst possible fashion.

A slip from Cousin-Dawson saw Sinclair snatch possession from the Glovers defender, and with the York man through on goal, it was the Yeovil centre-back who dragged his man down.

Referee Oliver Mackey had no choice but to show Cousin-Dawson a straight red card, and award the Minstermen with a free-kick on the edge of the area.

Pearce took responsibility from 20-yards out, and piled the misery on for Yeovil.

A low, driven free-kick was expertly arrowed beneath the Yeovil wall before nestling into the bottom left corner, gifting York an early lead.

Yeovil responded to their man disadvantage by bringing on defender Dominic Bernard for midfielder Pedro Borges, as City quickly took control during an impressive second-half.

A cross from an Aguiar corner was spilled and pushed wide by Wright, before Alex Hunt curled an almost incredible effort goalwards, which fell narrowly wide of the Yeovil goal.

York City are back at the top of the National League.York City are back at the top of the National League. (Image: Tom Poole) Aguiar then chipped a sensational pass over the top to Pearce, who did brilliantly to bring the ball down on his chest. He would squeeze a strike past Wright, but the retreating Williams desperately cleared off of the line.

City continued their pressure as David Ajiboye fired a low delivery towards Armstrong, whose flick on drifted wide of the target. Sinclair managed to keep the ball alive and won York a free-kick, which Hunt blasted into the Yeovil wall.

With half-time approaching and City wary of only holding a slender lead despite their domination, a mistake from the Yeovil goalkeeper granted York a second.

Armstrong latched onto a loose ball in the Yeovil final third and spread the ball wide into Sinclair, whose first-time effort at goal looked to be straight at Wright.

However, the power of the winger’s effort saw Wright spill the ball backwards and into his own net.

City had enjoyed their first-half, but the next goal in this match would have been decisive in which direction the game goes.

York went close as Pearce crossed a low ball into the area, which Sinclair flicked over the bar.

Ajiboye and Armstrong then played a neat one-two, which the former rocketed narrowly wide.

City started the second-half as they had the first, in complete control and never really looking too concerned about Yeovil.

Fagan-Walcott showed his quality with a delicate pass through to Pearce, who raced through one-on-one with Wright.

The striker then added his second of the match with a deadly finish from inside the area, that went in with help from the post.

Pearce was now on the hunt for a first hat-trick in a City shirt, and it looked as if he may have squandered the opportunity after Wright made a strong stop from close-range.

But from the resulting corner, a brilliant delivery from the corner saw Pearce race onto the ball, flicking his header past Wright.

A first hat-trick in York colours, and his third effort means that he is now the joint leading top scorer in the National League, alongside AFC Fylde’s Nick Haughton.

The Minstermen would have one final chance through Luca Thomas, whose expert control set him through one-on-one with Wright, only to be denied by the face of the goalkeeper.

Yeovil's afternoon was certainly one to forget, but it was made all the worse with 89 minutes played, as substitute Dominic Bernard was shown a straight red card for a foul on Nathaniel-George.

YORK CITY: MALE 8, FELIX 8, HOWE 8, FAGAN-WALCOTT 8 (FALLOWFIELD 6, 74), CROOKES 7, HUNT 9, AGUIAR 8 (THOMAS 7, 67), ARMSTRONG 7 (NATHANIEL-GEORGE 6, 67), SINCLAIR 8 (AKINYEMI 6, 52), PEARCE 10 (BATTY 6, 74), AJIBOYE 7

SUBS NOT USED: WATSON,  KING

GOALS: PEARCE (12, 64, 71), SINCLAIR (45)

YEOVIL TOWN: WRIGHT, SMITH (GREENSLADE, 55), WILLIAMS, COUSIN-DAWSON, WHITTLE, BORGES (BERNARD, 16), COOPER (LO-EVERTON, 66), MCGAVIN, SHAW (NOUBLE, 71), JARVIS (SIMS, 46), PLANT

SUBS NOT USED: GOULD, MORGAN

YELLOW CARDS: JARVIS (26), SMITH (38)

RED CARDS: COUSIN-DAWSON (10), BERNARD (89)

YORK’S STAR MAN: OLLIE PEARCE. No doubt really, a hat-trick which is exactly what the York striker deserves for his efforts.

REFEREE: OLIVER MACKEY

ATTENDANCE: 5642 (348)

SHOTS (ON TARGET): 14 (8) | 4 (1)

CORNERS: 7 | 2

FOULS: 13 | 10

OFFSIDES: 1 | 1