YORK City’s failure to defeat spa-town team Leamington provided conclusive evidence, if any was still needed, that beleaguered boss Martin Gray will need to summon up his own curative powers to revive the ailing football club.

Gray is promising a complete makeover of this season’s underperforming squad over the summer and this final home match offered little to dispute the wisdom of such a plan of action.

The Minstermen have somehow contrived to drop four points this term in 2-2 draws to a Leamington team that trailed in both matches going into the 88th minute.

On each occasion, the opposition carried a minimal attacking threat and, indeed, only bottom-of-the-table North Ferriby have presented a more modest challenge during this maiden campaign of National League North football.

That is hardly surprising given the Warwickshire part-timers’ average attendance of 630 is more than four times smaller than that of their weekend hosts and the leading marksmen in Saturday’s away starting XI – Daniel Udoh and Ahmed Obeng – have only hit the target five times in 2017/18.

Yet, still, Paul Holleran’s team, who had also played less than 48 hours earlier, managed to score twice again and share the spoils with their fallen, full-time adversaries.

Back in October, the introduction as a substitute of Jassem Sukar, who has since disappeared completely off the football radar, contributed to Leamington’s unlikely comeback at their Harbury Lane home following rwo badly-defended set-pieces.

In this return fixture, a horrendous own goal by Alex Kempster initially gave the visitors a half-time lead and, then, in the final throes, David Ferguson allowed himself to be outjumped by sub Matt Dodd, with Gray also apportioning blame to Jonny Burn for not cutting out Liam Canavan’s cross.

Such sloppiness was made all the more frustrating because City had finally found a little potency at the other end of the pitch.

Skipper Sean Newton, playing as a makeshift striker for the third successive match, appeared to have spared Kempster’s blushes after pouncing for two predatory goals to end the side’s sorry run of four fixtures without hitting the target.

Newton’s second goal looked timely on 86 minutes but, following exuberant celebrations, there was still time for City to unravel again and surrender the play-off lifeline that fellow contenders still seemed intent on handing them.

Earlier, an uninspiring first half had seen both Kempster and Udoh struggle as the attacking focal points for their respective teams.

With just four minutes on the clock, Kempster gave the ball away close to the halfway line and Hamza Bencherif then conceded a foul following a lazy challenge, but Kieran Dunbar’s subsequent free kick was always rising too high.

Shortly afterwards, Adam Bartlett comfortably gathered Callum Gittings’ 15-yard drive following combination play between Obeng and Udoh in the home box.

Bartlett would not make another save during the entire match, but opposite number Tony Breeden was comparatively busier and, midway through the first period, he pushed a curling 20-yard Aidan Connolly effort around his right-hand post after the former Dundee United winger had won possession in the Brakes’ half and drove forward.

A Josh Law corner was also headed wide at the far post by Newton, who went on to see a firm follow-up effort blocked after Simon Heslop has called Breeden into action, down to his left, from the edge of the box.

Connolly, meanwhile, shot off target from 15 yards when off balance, before the visitors forged ahead in the most hapless of circumstances on 42 minutes after a long-range attempt by Jack Edwards had bounced harmlessly wide.

When his team were awarded a free kick on the left wing, Callum Gittings swung in the ball and Kempster, despite being all alone in the City six-yard box, appeared to lose his bearings and get his feet mixed up as he sliced past a bemused Bartlett.

It was a bitter blow for a team that have found scoring at the right end so difficult in recent weeks, but the restart heralded a more positive performance from Gray’s men.

A positive Connor Brown worked himself into a good position 20 yards from goal, only for his left-footed shot to almost uproot the corner flag.

Law curled wide from a similar distance too, before Newton restored parity on 56 minutes.

A square pass across the penalty box by Kempster saw Connolly skip past a 50-50 challenge with Junior English to break clear on goal through the left channel.

The 22-year-old Scotsman then attempted to deftly lift the ball over an onrushing Breeden.

That effort was blocked, but the ball broke to Newton, who emphatically found the inviting net from ten yards.

City continued to press forward with Bencherif heading wide from a long Dan Parslow free kick into the box, while Brown’s cross from the right was smacked against the roof of the David Longhurst Stand by Ferguson.

Within two minutes of coming off the bench, Connor Smith had volleyed into Breeden’s arms after Adriano Moke’s burst down the left and another Newton opportunity also proved a safe height for the Leamington net-minder.

Next, Breeden was equal to a thumping edge-of-the-box drive by the persistent Moke but, after he pushed the ball into the air, Newton leapt up to head into the unguarded goal.

That really should have been the end of matters against a fatigued side, who had not mustered a single goal attempt since the interval.

But Canavan sent in a searching 89th-minute cross from close to the left touchline and Ferguson, despite having plenty of time to judge its flight, was beaten in the air by Dodd, who gave Bartlett little chance.

Half-hearted cries of “You’re Not Fit to Wear the Shirt” greeted the final whistle, but the majority of supporters seemed more apathetic and perhaps browbeaten as the curtain fell at Bootham Crescent on another demoralising campaign.

City ratings

Adam Bartlett 5

Connor Brown 7

Dan Parslow 6

Hamza Bencherif 5

David Ferguson 5

Aidan Connolly 6

Josh Law 5

Simon Heslop 6

Adriano Moke 6

Sean Newton 7

Alex Kempster 5

Substitutes: Connor Smith (for Kempster, 73), Jonny Burn (for Brown, 82).

Subs not used: James Gray, Luke Simpson, Clovis Kamdjo.

Star man: Newton - showed a striker’s instinct to be in right place to convert after two saved shots

Leamington: Tony Breeden, Junior English, Jamie Hood, James Mace, Connor Gudger, Kieran Dunbar, Joe Magunda (Matt Dodd, 58), Callum Gittings, Ahmed Obeng (Liam Canavan, 83), Jack Edwards (Kurtis Revan, 89), Daniel Udoh. Subs not used: Richard Taundry, Shay Nicholson.

Leamington star man: Breeden – only eventually beaten after saving initial shots

Referee Adam Herczeg: 7/10 – a little lenient

Booked: Gittings 61, English 78, Heslop 84

Sent off: None

Attendance: 2,350 (107 from Leamington)

Shots on target: City 6, Leamington 2

Shots off target: City 6, Leamington 2

Corners: City 5, Leamington 2

Fouls conceded: City 8, Leamington 16

Offside: City 4, Leamington 3