Darren Way celebrated being named Yeovil Town’s new manager by guiding his team to a hugely important 1-0 win over fellow strugglers York City.

Matt Dolan’s 39th minute penalty was all that separated the sides in an often scrappy encounter that showed how vital the three points were to both sides. The Glovers climb up one spot to 23rd place with this win, their first anywhere since September and their first at home since 22nd August.

Way, in his seventh overall game in charge since the departure of Paul Sturrock, received a double boost ahead of kick off. Experienced defender Darren Ward put pen to paper on a deal that keeps him at Huish Park till the summer of 2017 and there was a new arrival in the shape of Tahvon Campbell, a teenage striker on loan from Premier League West Bromwich Albion. The youngster started on the bench with Way choosing to keep the same eleven that drew at Oxford United.

Matt Dolan was first to go close, set up after some good combination work down the right from Connor Roberts and Jack Compton but he saw his shot blocked. The visitors top scorer Vadaine Oliver then wasted two golden opportunities to give his side the lead, volleying wide from a cross then heading a Danny Galbraith cross wide.

The remainder of the half was even steven but with Yeovil ahead on chances created. Josh Sheehan shot straight at ex Glover Scott Flinders in the York goal after some great work by Roberts and then Francois Zoko volleyed acrobatically over after Ward’s chest down in the box.

The winner, as it later proved, arrived six minutes before the break. Zoko was brought down in the box by Luke Summerfield and Matt Dolan thumped home the penalty for his second goal of the season. Summerfield then tried to make amends for his foul but his shot went well wide after Bradley Fewster had set him up.

Fewster then went close in the opening seconds of the second half but the shot was deflected for a corner. Galbraith then also had a chance to level after a spurt forward into space led to a shot from the edge of the box. Shaun Jeffers and Sheehan both shot wide before the flow of the game slowed somewhat after several changes from both sides.

One of Jackie McNamara’s substitutions saw Kenny McEvoy come on for Fewster and the Spurs loanee looked lively in his 25 minutes on the pitch. He forced Glovers keeper Artur Krysiak into tipping the ball over his bar from his teasing cross and then was booked for diving later in the game after a challenge in the box.

In stoppage time, he shot straight at Krysiak, the Pole partying well and in a frantic final four minutes, an almighty scramble saw Zoko, Tahvon Campbell and Dolan have shots that were blocked or went wide. Late on, York sub Josh Carson received a yellow for cynically bringing down Iffy Allen as he was speeding away.

The three points though stayed with the home side and Yeovil fans will hope this 1-0 win will hope to be the springboard to a better 2016 and a climb up the table.