Accrington Stanley and York City battled out a 1-1 Boxing day draw at the Store First Stadium.
The visitors had lead through a Wes Fletcher penalty which was cancelled out by George Bowerman’s strike.
After goalkeeper Andrew Dawber, in for the recalled Marcus Bettinelli, made an early save Stanley had a couple of early chances, with Peter Murphy flicking a Lee Naylor corner into the side netting before James Gray went closer still. The striker’s header was headed for the back of the net only for goalkeeper Aaron McCarey to turn the ball around the post.
Moments later the visitors thought they should have had a penalty when Lanre Oyebanjo tumbled in the box but ref Mark Heywood gave a corner – they wouldn’t have to wait long to appeal again.
Ten minutes from the break former Stanley striker Fletcher was impeded by Dean Winnard inside the box and this time the ref pointed to the spot, booking Winnard in the process. Fletcher stepped up and sent Dawber the wrong way to open the scoring.
Dawber was then called into action again, pawing away a Josh Carson free kick after a foul by Nicky Hunt.
But there was time for Stanley to level things up; Bowerman was close after galloping forward and smashing the ball over but he was on target in first half stoppage time. Kal Naismith switched the play to Piero Mingoia on the right and his cross caused trouble in the box. The former Walsall man reacted quickest, jabbing in his second goal of the season to equalise.
After the break both sides had early chances to take the lead. First City sub Michael Coulson guided a free header wide of the target before at the other end Gray could only poke the ball past McCarey and the post from a tight angle.
If anything it was a tighter affair in the second half, with Josh Carson firing into the side netting after Fletcher did superbly to thread him in a rare exception to the trend.
James Beattie’s side did exert some late pressure, with Murphy smashing the ball over the crossbar after a long throw from Nicky Hunt as he looked to cap his 150th club appearance with a goal before sub Danny Webber smashed in a super cross that nobody could convert.
But there was to be no repeat of the late drama of Mansfield as the final minutes were played out with relatively few alarms as both sides took a point.
Stanley: Dawber, Hunt, Winnard, Aldred, Naylor, Naismith, Murphy, Joyce, Mingoia, Bowerman, Gray (Webber 69)
Subs: Liddle, McCartan, Richardson, Hatfield, Windass, Atkinson
