YORK City were left devastated after substitute Jack Redshaw claimed a fortunate point for Morecambe with a 94th-minute equaliser at the Globe Arena.

The Shrimps, who are early Sky Bet League Two play-off contenders, escaped with a 1-1 draw after falling behind to Michael Coulson’s 77th-minute strike, which had been just reward for a confident Minstermen performance that belied their struggles this season.

Redshaw’s goal denied Russ Wilcox a first win as City boss and also left the club still searching for their second victory of the campaign.

City made three changes to the side that started Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Shrewsbury with Lindon Meikle replacing the suspended Ryan Jarvis on the wing, skipper Russell Penn back from his one-match ban at the expense of Tom Platt and Jake Hyde preferred in attack to Diego De Girolamo.

The Minstermen started the game brightly with Lewis Montrose helping to set a good early tempo with a series of accurate and purposeful first-time passes.

After Kevin Ellison has sliced an edge-of-the-box effort well wide within the first minute, Meikle flashed a 25-yard attempt off target at the other end.

Hyde also touched a Marvin McCoy right-wing cross wide after stealing in at the near post before Ellison curled a low 25-yard free-kick into the sidenetting for the Shrimps.

On 28 minutes, Paul Mullin forced the first save of the night with Michael Ingham parrying his low shot and Keith Lowe clearing the danger following a swift counter attack after Meikle had lost the ball on the edge of the home box.

Femi Ilesanmi then drove a well-struck free-kick wide from 30 yards and Lowe headed over from a McCoy cross.

Both City full-backs were showing plenty of attacking enterprise and McCoy forced Barry Roche into a near-post save after collecting Meikle’s forward pass on another positive overlapping burst.

Hyde went on to see a six-yard shot on the turn spin narrowly wide after John McCombe and Montrose had both won headers following Michael Coulson’s corner.

The last chance of the half also saw Hyde send an attempted edge-of-the-box lob into Roche’s hands.

Morecambe improved after the break with Redshaw’s early substitution for the injured Jamie Devitt livening up the hosts.

Just five minutes after his introduction, Redshaw hit the base of Ingham’s right-hand upright with a fierce 25-yard strike and, after City went on to concede a corner, Andy Parrish headed over from Andy Fleming’s flag kick.

For City, Ryan Brunt headed wide after using his muscle to climb above Shrimps shot-stopper Roche and Hyde also shot over from 20 yards.

Another visitors’ raid saw Penn exchanges passes with Coulson before firing too high after striding into the home box.

But City were unlucky not to forge ahead when Lowe’s sidefooted 15-yard shot was spilled by Roche, who just recovered to claw the loose ball away from a lurking McCombe.

A minute later, the Minstermen did make the breakthrough with Meikle cleverly playing in Coulson who, charging into the penalty box, sent a low 15-yard shot across the face of goal and into Roche’s bottom left-hand corner.

Redshaw continued to threaten for the hosts but fired wide from 15 yards on 88 minutes and curled an edge-of-the-box attempt narrowly wide as the fourth official signalled an extra four minutes to be played.

In the last of those minutes, however, Redshaw raced on to fellow sub Tom Barkhuizen’s ball through the left channel following a weak McCoy header.

He then kept his composure to curl his shot into an outrushing Ingham’s bottom left-hand corner from ten yards.


Match facts

Morecambe 1 (Redshaw 94), York City 1 (Coulson 77)

York City: Michael Ingham 7, Marvin McCoy 7, Keith Lowe 8, John McCombe 7, Femi Ilesnami 8, Lindon Meikle 7, Lewis Montrose 7, Russell Penn 7, Michael Coulson 8, Ryan Brunt 8, Jake Hyde 7.

Subs: Tom Platt 7 (for Montrose, 75).

Not used: Mooney, Parslow, Summerfield, Straker, de Girolamo, Hirst.

Star man: Keith Lowe.

Morecambe: Barry Roche, Shaun Beeley, Mark Hughes, Andy Parrish, Joe Widdowson, Andy Fleming, Alex Kenyon, Jamie Devitt (Jack Redshaw, 53), Padraig Amond (Jack Sampson, 80), Paul Mullin (Tom Barkhuizen, 72), Kevin Ellison. Subs not used: Lee Jones, Ryan Edwards, Andrew Wright, Ryan Williams.

Referee: Andy Haines (Tyne & Wear).

Booked: Montrose 39.

Sent off: None.

Attendance: 1,346 (161 away fans).

Shots on target: Morecambe 5, City 4.

Shots off target: Morecambe 6, City 9.

Corners: Morecambe 3, City 5.

Fouls conceded: Morecambe 5, City 8.

Offsides: Morecambe 2, City 3.