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By Max Benson
City’s fighting spirit shone through once again as they held firm for their first ever point at Kenilworth Road.
Neil Barrett’s first goal for the club gave the Minstermen a deserved half time lead but a strong second half from the home side saw City grind out an impressive draw.
A victory for common sense at FA Headquarters earlier in the afternoon meant Richard Brodie’s booking last Saturday was rightly overturned and the big Geordie lined up alongside Michael Rankine.
Martin Foyle was therefore forced into only one change after the draw with Oxford. Chris Carruthers made his full debut at left back as James Meredith served his one match suspension.
The reprieved Brodie had the first chance of the game in the 9th minute. Daniel Parslow nodded the ball on allowing Brodie to break free but lob harmlessly over from 25 yards.
The first warning shot from the home side came just a minute later. Ed Asafu-Adjaye made for the by line and fizzed a worrying but fruitless ball across Michael Ingham’s goal.
Andy Ferrell could perhaps have done better on 13 minutes. After beating Alan White, he only succeeded in striking his left foot shot straight at Luton ‘keeper Mark Tyler from the edge of the box.
Carruthers was subjected to a baptism of fire on his first start. Luton looked to attack down the right flank at every opportunity and the loanee did well to contain them as much as he did in the early stages.
The match had been distinctly lacking in drama until the 24th minute when Brodie was literally an inch from earning the Minstermen a penalty. After challenging Tyler in the air from Adam Smith’s cross, Brodie was nearly flattened by the home ‘keeper inside the box before eventually being felled on the very edge of it.
Rankine struck powerfully into the wall from the free kick before finding a similar blockade of orange from the follow up.
Although City were beginning to dominate, Luton had an excellent chance just after the half hour mark. Former Middlesbrough trainee Tom Craddock surged forward, beat Djoumin Sangare and side-footed his shot narrowly wide of the left hand post.
But it was the Minstermen who took the lead on 36 minutes. Brodie latched onto a superb Ferrell pass and teed up Barrett. The former Ebbsfleet man scurried his way into the area and tucked his shot neatly into the bottom right hand corner.
Adam Newton fashioned another opportunity just before half time. Driving through the centre, the ex Peterborough midfielder skied his shot wastefully over the bar from a good position.
The Minstermen closed out the half impressively. A corner and several throw ins were forced deep in Luton territory with Sangare coming closest, narrowly missing his header when rushing in to meet Barrett’s flag kick.
In contrast to the first period, it was the home side who started the brighter after the break. Vastly experienced captain Kevin Nicholls in particular looked to orchestrate several attacks from his holding midfield position.
Newton failed to capitalise on a decent chance on 55 minutes. Lurking at the edge of the area, he again lashed over when in acres of space.
Pressure was turning into an all-out bombardment and Ingham was the hero when he acrobatically tipped over a crashing long range drive from Asafu-Adjaye as City’s thoughts turned to survival.
The inevitable came on 65 minutes. The referee played an advantage in the build up before Asa Hall received a ball from the right and unleashed an outstanding strike into the top left hand corner. Ingham was helpless and Luton were level.
There was only a brief respite for the Minstermen in the following minutes. Lawless, who had another highly impressive game in midfield, gave away a cheap free kick on the edge of the box. Nicholls delivered a superb cross once more and Parslow did well to head clear from within his own six yard box.
In a rare foray forwards, Brodie dribbled well down the left and cut back to beat his man. Had either Rankine or substitute Adam Boyes checked their run they would surely have scored. As it was, both charged for the goal line and Brodie’s centre curled away from danger.
City were nearly the architects of their own downfall five minutes from time. Ingham hared out to the edge of his box to gather a loose ball. In doing so, the Northern Irishman skidded outside his area, ball still in hand, to gift the Hatters a free kick in dangerous territory.
Despite Nicholls’ reputation for set pieces his free kick was awful, almost destroying the scoreboard on top of the away end.
Having been under siege for most of the second half, the last kick of the game could have won it for the Minstermen. Another Brodie breakaway led to a lethal low cross as Adam Boyes arrived just a split second too late to capitalise.
Line-Ups
York City (4-4-2) – Ingham, Purkiss, Sangare, Parslow, Carruthers, Smith (Boyes 63), Lawless, Barrett, Ferrell (Mackin 70), Brodie, Rankine
Subs Not Used – McGurk, Nelthorpe, Mimms
Luton Town (4-4-2) – Tyler, Asafu-Adjaye, White, Pilkington, Howells, Gnakpa, Nicholls, Hall, Newton, Wright (Charles 43), Craddock
Subs Not Used – Burgess, Gore, Basham, Reynolds
Referee – N Kinseley (Essex)
Yellow Cards – Carruthers (City)
Man of the Match – Neil Barrett
Attendance - 6,387 (257 City)
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Upcoming fixtures at York City FC
24th August - AFC Barrow - 7.45pm KO
28th August - Altrincham 3pm KO
4th September - Rushden & Diamonds 3pm KO
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