HAVING just been declared the worst place to live in the UK, there were few home comforts for Dover’s football team either during a 2-2 draw with York City.

The bottom-of-the-table Minstermen twice had the boisterous cheek to come back from behind against the promotion hopefuls in a Kent town that was described as a “hotbed of Scallyism” by online publication I Live Here this week.

Loveable rogue Jon Parkin first cancelled out Jamie Grimes’ sixth-minute opener and Shaun Rooney went on to score his first City goal to secure a share of the spoils on 77 minutes after his poor clearance and conceded penalty had earlier teed up both opposition goals for Jamie Grimes and Ricky Miller respectively.

Despite needing a pair of equalisers to claim a point, City were also unlucky not to collect all three, having managed 13 shots on target during a performance that proved the perfect riposte to the previous weekend’s morale-sapping 1-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers North Ferriby.

With just 43 seconds on the clock, Sean Newton should have opened the scoring when a Jim Stevenson slip sent him clear on goal.

But the former Wrexham left-back, restored to an inside-left midfield role for the start of this match, took a horribly heavy touch and the ball rolled to a relieved Steve Arnold.

An open contest from the start, just two minutes later Stevenson was lifting a 15-yard chance over at the other end after Moses Emmanuel had troubled Rooney through the left channel.

Sammy Moore’s free kick from the right to the far post then caused more bother for Rooney, who prodded the ball straight to Grimes seven yards in front of goal and he swept his shot past an exposed Kyle Letheren.

Undeterred, City responded with Rhys Murphy’s shot on the turn from the edge of the box calling Arnold into action, but Miller also went close with a dipping half-volley for Dover from a similar distance.

Matt Fry, meanwhile, hoofed out of the ground after the ball dropped invitingly to him close to the penalty spot and Simon Heslop warmed Arnold’s palms with a stinging 25-yard drive.

A wayward Newton effort went on to hit the scoreboard and Heslop’s 15-yard shot lacked the power to extend Arnold after he cut in from the right having been found on the overlap by Murphy.

Dover briefly rallied with the marauding Miller brushing past a wary Yan Klukowski before blasting across the face of goal.

But City levelled after Ross Lafayette failed to cut out Klukowski’s ball through the right channel and a rampaging Rooney’s rising shot was pushed over by Arnold.

Simon Lappin, who had already swung in a series of testing corners, went on to deliver into the danger area once more and, after Aarran Racine had unsettled the hosts, the ball fell to Parkin, who thumped past Arnold from eight yards.

An entertaining half then came to a close after Miller had got to the left byline and pulled the ball back for a stretching Lafayette to clear the crossbar from six yards.

City and Parkin, in particular, started the second period in determined fashion though.

On 50 minutes, the former Championship forward saw a header from Lappin’s left-wing free kick cleared off the line by Tyrone Sterling.

He then cleverly peeled off his marker to receive Lappin’s short pass from a free kick on the opposite flank before unleashing a ten-yard shot that left the frame of Arnold’s goal shaking.

A third chance also saw Parkin’s attempted lob grabbed out of the air by the home keeper.

Dover, who had been prompted into a double substitution at the break, gradually improved with Grimes glancing a header wide from Miller’s floated free kick, while Lafayette, Sam Magri and Stevenson all tried their luck from distance with no joy. Rooney, though, offered his assistance on 72 minutes when he swung a loose leg at the ball, but only resulted in upending Miller, who duly despatched his 30th goal of the season by calmly sidefooting to Letheren’s right from the penalty spot.

City were back on terms from their next chance, however, when Parkin, occupying the attentions of three Dover defenders, was shoved over close to the halfway line.

Newton swung in the resulting free kick and a towering Rooney rose to plant a powerful header into Arnold’s bottom-right corner from 12 yards.

The visitors might then have gone on to win the match with late chances for substitutes Luke Woodland and Nti.

First, Woodland drove narrowly wide from just outside the penalty area and, then, Nti aimed a 12-yard chance straight at Arnold before he was sent clear through the left channel just as the third and final minute of stoppage time had elapsed.

A moment of indecision from the ex-Worcester winger, though, allowed an alert Arnold the chance to charge out of his goal and smother Nti’s shot.

But the final whistle, seconds later, did signal the first time City have managed to go two away games undefeated since September 2015.

City

Kyle Letheren: 7 – quiet for most part but reliable when called upon

Aarran Racine: 8 – combative throughout and stayed focussed against lively opposition

Yan Klukowski: 7 – given odd problem by Miller, but stuck to task well

Matt Fry: 7 – should have done better with first-half chance, but generally competitive

Shaun Rooney: 7 – really mixed bag, alternating between hero and villain status

Simon Heslop: 7 – grafted away and tested Arnold with stinging shot

Simon Lappin: 8 – set-piece deliveries hit the spot and showed passion

Sean Newton: 8 – displayed versatility once more with seamless switch from midfield to defence

Alex Whittle: 7 – solid defensively without getting better of Magri in an attacking sense

STAR MAN Jon Parkin: 8 – handful throughout as he scored, had an effort cleared off line and rattled frame of goal

Rhys Murphy: 7 – dropped off to look for possession well before second-half withdrawal

Substitutes: Luke Woodland 7 – comfortable (for Fry, 64), Daniel Nti 7 – enthusiastic (for Murphy, 64).

Subs not used: Scott Fenwick, Robbie McDaid, Danny Holmes.

Dover

Steve Arnold, Jamie Grimes, Tyrone Sterling, Richard Orlu, Sam Magri, Jim Stevenson, Sammy Moore (James Hurst, 46), Aswad Thomas, Ricky Miller, Ross Lafayette, Moses Emmanuel (Ricky Modeste, 46).

Subs not used: Chris Kinnear, Mitchell Pinnock, Tyrone Marsh.

Dover star man: Arnold – kept busy by City and stood up to challenge

Referee: Adrian Quelch rating: 6/10 – little officious with cards

Booked: Heslop 33, Rooney 35, Moore 40.

Attendance: 1,308 (161 from City)

Shots on target: Dover 4, City 13

Shots off target: Dover 7, City 5

Corners: Dover 2, City 7

Fouls conceded: Dover 14, City 14

Offside: Dover 6, City 2