YORK City fans must hope their prayers are answered this week after a 1-1 draw with Woking’s Cardinals left them hoping for some divine intervention from Dagenham, North Ferriby or Solihull.

Going into a fraught final Saturday of the season, the Minstermen are counting on one of that trio getting the required result in their respective fixtures against Woking, Torquay and Guiseley, whilst also ensuring play-off qualifiers Forest Green are seen off at Bootham Crescent.

Garry Hill’s Woking travel to his former club Dagenham, Torquay play host to already-relegated Ferriby, while Guiseley are at home to a Solihull side, fresh from preserving their own National League status.

Not even a 17th goal of the season from Jon Parkin - the club’s most likely saviour who is regularly worshipped by City fans to the tune of Cumbaya – could prevent his team from being at the mercy of others after Gozie Ugwu had earlier converted his third penalty in as many games for the Surrey hosts.

But a share of the spoils was a fair final outcome after a scrappy contest that was full of endeavour, but short on genuine moments of quality.

After Asa Hall bobbled an early 20-yard shot well wide, the Minstermen could have fallen behind with less than two minutes on the clock when Ogwu sprinted clear of a square visitors’ back line.

On-loan City keeper Scott Loach was quick out of his goal, though, to smother the former Wycombe attacker’s shot and a covering Hamza Bencherif cleared his follow-up effort off the line.

Simon Heslop and Delano Sam-Yorke were then both wayward from distance before Parkin blasted across the face of goal from an acute angle and uprooted the corner flag.

Moments later, the 35-year-old veteran teed up an excellent chance for Bencherif that he scooped wastefully over the bar from ten yards.

At the other end, Dan Parslow threw his arms up in a plea of innocence after taking a swipe for the ball in the box and appearing to make contact with Nathan Ralph.

Referee Craig Hicks agreed he wasn’t guilty before Kane Ferdinand went close with a glancing header from Ralph’s left-wing cross.

Amari Morgan-Smith, meanwhile, curled narrowly wide from the edge of the box and then drove down the flank before releasing Vadaine Oliver through the right channel, who was denied by an advancing Michael Poke.

After the interval, Poke went on to push a thumping, 35-yard Parkin free kick over his bar and Morgan-Smith headed wide after Parslow had helped on Sean Newton’s subsequent corner.

Another away fright, though, saw Alex Whittle go unpunished for a sliding challenge that felled Ferdinand in the penalty area.

Oliver also volleyed out of the ground from 15 yards and Ugwu scuffed an edge-of-the-box effort at Loach before Hicks could not overlook Newton’s shirt tug on Sam-Yorke as he charged through the right channel.

Woking’s top scorer then claimed his 21st goal of the campaign when he sidefooted the 66th-minute spot kick down the middle of Loach’s goal, as the former England under-21 international dived to his left.

Moments later, Loach had to react smartly to divert Sam-Yorke’s rising drive over after the home forward penetrated City’s left side again, while Joey Jones’ header only required a more routine save.

For City, another Parkin free kick was deflected off target before sub Sam Muggleton, sent on five minutes earlier, provided the assist for the former’s equaliser when he hurled a left-wing throw into the home box from close to the halfway line.

Parkin competed for the ball in the air and, when it dropped to him ten yards from goal, he drove into Poke’s bottom-right corner in typically clinical fashion.

The rest of the half saw City pressing forward in search of a precious second goal but Mills’ men had to wait until the 88th minute for their next attempt when Heslop’s deflected volley dipped over from 20 yards.

Shortly afterwards, Oliver’s firm drive was kept out at his near post by Poke, meaning the Minstermen, despite only losing four times in their last 23 games, are now reliant on outside assistance to avoid visiting the likes of FC United of Manchester, Gloucester City and Bradford Park Avenue in the semi-professional, sixth-tier of English football.

 

City: Scott Loach; Dan Parslow, Hamza Bencherif, Sean Newton; Danny Holmes, Simon Heslop, Asa Hall, Alex Whittle (Sam Muggleton, 70); Vadaine Oliver, Jon Parkin, Amari Morgan-Smith (Adriano Moke, 90). Sub not used: Luke Simpson, Shaun Rooney, Aidan Connolly.

 

Woking: Micheal Poke, Joey Jones, Terell Thomas, Brian Saah, Jake Caprice (Lewis Dennon, 90), Keiran Murtagh, Kane Ferdinand, Nathan Ralph, Connor Hall (Jamie Lucas, 70), Delano Sam-Yorke, Gozie Ugwu. Subs not used: Brandon Hall, Fabio Saraiva, Max Kretzschmar.

Woking star man: Poke – good saves to deny Oliver twice and Parkin

 

Referee: Craig Hicks rating: 6/10 – might have awarded Woking a penalty before he did

Booked: Thomas 72, Muggleton 76, Hall 90+1

Attendance: 2,702 (620 from City)

 

Shots on target: Woking 6 City 4

Shots off target: Woking 3 City 10

Corners: Woking 6 City 6

Fouls conceded: Woking 13 City 14

Offside: Woking 1 City 0