Second-half goals from Zak Johnson and Alex Hunt saw the Minstermen extend their unbeaten run of home league games to a 25th fixture against a Vale side who have failed to win any of their
eight away matches this term.

Until York broke the deadlock, though, the visitors had edged proceedings, with on-loan Fulham goalkeeper Alfie McNally making excellent saves to deny Keyrol Figueroa and Oli Lynch.

Lindsey admitted he was delighted with the manner of his side’s victory, and said: “It was a scrappy, cagey, tactical game and one of those where you have to win ugly, which I really enjoy because it shows character.

“Port Vale put a lot of balls into our box from corners and free-kicks, but we defended brilliantly and Alfie made a couple of decent saves when we needed him to, which is his job and why we brought him to the club – because he’s a good keeper.

“They are a good side and a better one than some people give them credit for, so I’m really pleased to have scored two good goals and kept a clean sheet in front of another sell-out crowd.”

Ex-Sunderland defender Johnson’s goal was his first in the EFL and Lindsey is backing him to get on the scoresheet on a more regular basis.

“Zak is really good at attacking set-pieces in training and I always back him to go and score a goal,” Lindsey added. “He’s the one who is always really aggressive in those situations and happy to throw his head at things, although his goal was a really good volleyed finish.”

Port Vale boss Jon Brady blamed an “eight-minute blip” for his side’s loss and lamented costly lapses of concentration.

“It’s come down to individual lapses of concentration and that’s not good enough,” Brady fumed. “We work all week on our play on and off the ball but then people don’t follow that detail in key moments.

“If personnel consistently do that, then we need to look at changing personnel, because it’s all about doing your job in those moments.

“We were in control of the game and had restricted them to one long-range chance in the first half.

“But then, at one of the toughest places to come in the division, we gave them an opportunity to go 1-0 up because we didn’t block their runner at a free-kick. Then, we didn’t track our runner from a cross and it’s 2-0.

“It was an eight-minute blip, but we also created chance after chance after that without putting the ball in the back of the net and I’m very frustrated.”