JOHN ASKEY got his tenure as permanent York City manager off to a winning start as the Minstermen beat Leamington 1-0 at the LNER Community Stadium.

Though the win lifted City to sixth place in National League North, overtaking Southport, it was surely not the manner of victory Askey would have wanted.

For seemingly interminable stretches of the first half, and plenty of patches in the second, York were little more than turgid and showed nowhere near the levels of energy and creativity needed to break down a solidly set-up Leamington.

The heat of the day and York’s hectic fixture schedule looked to play a significant part and, almost inevitably, when the goal arrived, it was from a set piece. Once again, Kurt Willoughby came off the bench to rescue his side and he thumped in a 19-yard free kick midway through the second half.

York boss Askey made just the one change to the starting 11 from the midweek defeat to Boston United as Remy Longdon came in for Jack McKay.

McKay did not feature at all in the squad, which also welcomed back Clayton Donaldson to the substitutes bench. The veteran striker had missed out at Southport and against Boston while he awaited a scan on a medial ligament injury.

The back four continued unchanged for the fourth game in a row with versatile centre-back Sam Sanders again named on the bench, having made a cameo at the end of Tuesday’s 1-0 loss.

A day after finalising his loan move to the Brakes, Melis Bushaj was one of three changes to Leamington’s starting line-up following their 1-0 defeat at Farsley Celtic.

Utility man Bushaj – who joins Leamington from Solihull Moors – came in for the long-serving Stephan Morley for Paul Holleran’s injury-hit Brakes, who also swapped keeper Jake Weaver for Callum Hawkins. Devon Kelly-Evans came in to the attack.

York set about controlling possession from the off, playing keep-ball in front of two resolute banks of Leamington shirts. The message from the top was clearly to make it a fast start and not let up, as illustrated by Askey and assistant Kingsley James rushing to get the ball back in play when they could.

City created very little with their possession, however, and the closest the ball came to trickling towards the Leamington goal in the opening quarter of an hour was when Lenell John-Lewis rose to meet a Paddy McLaughlin corner around 10 minutes in.

Midfielder McLaughlin should have made an earlier chance at least a shot on when, following good work from Michael Duckworth and the nimble Olly Dyson, he hesitated inside the area and lost possession.

Around the midway point of the half, captain Matty Brown rose to head a McLaughlin corner wide before Scott Barrow put a free kick – the first of the game – wide of Hawkins’ right-hand post.

It was an opening half-hour bereft of meaningful action, so much so that the instructions from the touchline could be clearly heard over the twitchy hush of the crowd.

Longdon just overhit a through ball to John-Lewis at one end while Brown and centre-back partner Maxim Kouogun were both called on for a spot of useful, aware defending after Brakes players were able to get too close to the York penalty area.

When York finally upped the ante from walking pace, they snatched away the slight foothold Leamington had got in the game and drew a fine finger-tip save from Hawkins when John-Lewis got his head to a Longdon cross.

But – touches of neat interplay and a couple of intercepted balls into the box aside – that was the extent of the entertainment for a first half in which neither keeper had had much to think about.

The start of the second half was much the same, with Leamington able to set themselves defensively against a plodding York. Charlie Williams did well to get through a crowd of City shirts to the edge of the area and get away an effort which was blocked by Kouogun. He later drew a foul by breaking in front of Akil Wright, who was shown yellow.

York’s isolated moments of verve saw Longdon put a decent ball into the six-yard box, where it evaded Hawkins as well as every City shirt, before Barrow drove and mishit an effort from outside the area. Willoughby redirected it on target but it had no power and Hawkins collected easily.

But once again, Willoughby provided the spark after entering play from the bench. Jack Edwards conceded a foul 19 yards out by holding onto Brown’s neck, and Willoughby smashed in the opening goal from the resulting free kick, curling across Hawkins and high to his left.

Leamington looked shaken into action but the closest they came in the aftermath of the goal was a whipped cross in from the right well read and volleyed clear by Duckworth.

City, however unlikely it seemed, came the closest to adding another goal as Dyson struck the base of a post with a low drive from range with eight minutes to go.

In the 87th minute, Kelly-Evans curled a free kick just wide of the target.

York: Jameson 6, Duckworth 6, Kouogun 6, Brown 6, Barrow 4 (Sanders 84), Wright 6, McLaughlin 5 (Willoughby 6, HT), Hancox 4, Dyson 6, John-Lewis 5, Longdon 5 (Donaldson 5, 68). Subs not used: Campbell, Woods.

Star man: Kurt Willoughby. The positivity and confidence of the striker is potent and his drive when coming off the bench continues to be a vital asset for York, who sorely needed an injection on Saturday.

Goals: Willoughby (65)

Yellow cards: Wright

Leamington: Hawkins, Meredith, Bushaj, Clarke (Gittings 68), Mace, Lane, Williams (English 68), Walker, Parker (Taylor 77), Edwards, Kelly-Evans. Subs not used: Sang, Weaver.

Referee: David McNamara

Attendance: 3,317 (38 away fans)

Stats for York | Leamington

Shots (on target): 11 (3) | 3 (1); Corners: 8 | 1; Offsides: 1 | 3; Fouls: 4 | 9; Yellow cards: 1 | 0.