Match report: York City 1, Accrington Stanley 1

AS lucky Grand National punters toasted victory for Auroras Encore, there was a painful sense of déjà vu at Bootham Crescent.

For the third consecutive game, York City’s relegation rivals Accrington Stanley grabbed a crucial goal in stoppage time on Saturday.

Peter Murphy’s 93rd-minute equaliser against the Minstermen followed on from a similarly-timed leveller by James Beattie on Easter Monday and a last-gasp Lee Molyneux match-winner on Good Friday.

City, meanwhile, were once more left counting the cost of a late lapse in their quest for Football League survival.

Gary Mills’ penultimate game in charge saw last season’s double Wembley winners suffer an identical fate at Rotherham where the hosts secured a 1-1 draw in the 94th minute.

It is the football equivalent of seeing your 66-1 shot pipped at the post rather than romping over the finishing line at Aintree and, when it means the difference between climbing three places above the League Two relegation zone and remaining in that bottom two with three games left to play, it can feel somewhat worse.

What difference those four points lost by City and gained by Accrington in the final throes of matches – effectively an eight-point swing – will have on the final reckoning come April 27 remains to be seen.

Any reflections on those ifs, buts and maybes should not be dwelled upon before then, however, as nothing will be gained from anybody feeling sorry for themselves during the next three weekends.

City’s players must take the same courage and belief they have displayed in their last two matches under Nigel Worthington to promotion contenders Northampton on Saturday. They need not be daunted by the Cobblers’ highly-impressive home record either.

Despite their perilous position, City have still taken points from the division’s top 14 teams this season and, as Worthington suggested at the end of this match, unlikely results often become the norm rather than the exception at this stage of the campaign.

The Minstermen’s prospects at Sixfields will, though, be significantly enhanced should David McGurk recover from the calf problem that saw him withdrawn at the interval against Accrington.

Such was the quality of McGurk’s performance during the entirety of a dominant opening period that it was a real surprise when he did not re-emerge for the second half following the flare up of an old problem.

The 30-year-old centre-back has a happy knack of making defending look easy and has forged a formidable partnership with captain Chris Smith since being recalled to the team by Worthington. He was always going to be missed, therefore, as he looked on anxiously from the bench after the interval.

The knock-on effect of moving Dan Parslow back from his anchoring midfield role into McGurk’s berth was almost as significant, despite teenager Tom Platt’s manful efforts to fill in for the former Welsh under-21 international as the team’s back-four shield.

City should, however, have put the game’s outcome beyond doubt before their enforced reshuffle with Adam Reed’s goal seconds before the break a belated reward for an opening 45 minutes in which the hosts were pretty much camped in their opponents’ half.

Reed had earlier seen a rising 15-yard drive pushed over by busy Stanley ’keeper Paul Rachubka, giving City a swift opportunity to illustrate their growing threat from set-piece situations under Worthington.

Most seem designed to capitalise on Smith’s aerial prowess, which arguably has not been best exploited in the past.

Importantly, there is also a variety in the means of freeing up space for the skipper at dead-ball deliveries from one game to the next.

Saturday’s favoured method saw Ashley Chambers regularly pick out Smith at the far post with the pair combining from the first flag kick to provide a close-range header for Richard Cresswell that Rachubka did well to palm over his crossbar.

Smith then headed over from Josh Carson’s consequent corner.

Aside from Smith, with Cresswell, Platt, Parslow, McGurk and Jack O’Connell also in the team, City are now a physical match for most teams in the division.

In fact, Accrington’s efforts to combat Cresswell saw two of his adversaries floored in the first half, with a bloodied Murphy only returning to the pitch after changing his shirt. The pair later indulged in a spot of “handbags”, according to the on-loan Sheffield United striker, in the players’ tunnel at half-time.

On 14 minutes, meanwhile, Carson went close with an ambitious 30-yard lob that narrowly cleared Rachubka’s bar, following a stray pass by former England international Beattie.

Parslow also sliced an edge-of-the-box shot wide from 20 yards before Chambers was presented with a one-on-one chance that the California-born ’keeper was quick to smother.

A Reed effort was then kicked off the line by Murphy and Parslow drove wide again from 15 yards after Cresswell and Platt had both contested a Lanre Oyebanjo long throw into the box.

Carson went on to fire over from 20 yards before Ingham safely gathered a low driven Molyneux free-kick at the other end.

City finally made the breakthrough in first-half stoppage time when Carson’s low cross from the right was met by Reed who, after his first shot was blocked by Stanley centre-back Dean Winnard, followed up to find the net from ten yards.

After the interval, the Minstermen initially looked in little danger with Chambers shooting high and wide from 20 yards and Parslow heading wide from a Carson free-kick.

Cresswell, meanwhile, hit the roof of the David Longhurst Stand following Reed’s lay-off and Carson missed the target from 12 yards.

Accrington signalled a warning on 65 minutes, though, when Beattie’s deflected volley saw Ingham brilliantly thrust out his right arm to deny the one-time £6 million forward.

Substitute Michael Coulson, McGurk’s half-time replacement, was then freed through the right channel by Carson but his rising drive was pushed to safety by Rachubka.

Carson, who had also been moved inside from the flank into the centre of midfield after the break, saw a 76th-minute free-kick smothered by the on-loan Leeds ’keeper but, just after home fans began to mimic the Great Escape theme tune, the nail-biting began in earnest.

First, Beattie hooked a shot over from 15 yards before a minimum of five additional minutes was displayed by the fourth official to the bemusement of a perplexed City crowd.

Accrington, however, only required three, seemingly the least any referee has ever dared to play since the needless advent of the electronic board.

An unwitting Coulson first made an unintentional goal-line clearance when Beattie blasted straight at him from inside the six-yard box.

But, with Rachubka hailed forward for a late Laurence Wilson corner, Murphy stabbed home from three yards after an almighty scramble in City’s six-yard box that had also seen Craig Lindfield’s header and a Marcus Carver close-range effort repelled. There was still time for substitute Jason Walker to twice threaten Rachubka’s goal.

But the American shot-stopper saved his header from a Platt cross and, when Walker flicked the ball past him from a long Ingham punt forward, Tom Aldred was on hand to sweep up the danger and preserve a precious point for Stanley.

Match facts

York City (A Reed 45) 1, Accrington (Murphy 90+3) 1

York City

Michael Ingham 7
Made a great save from Beattie and dealt with almost everything in his six-yard box until the 93rd-minute.

Lanre Oyebanjo 7
Defensively solid and made a couple of early attacking bursts, but more conservative as game wore on.

Chris Smith 8
Gave his all for the cause again and fought for every ball whether in defence or in the opposition’s penalty box.

David McGurk 8
STAR MAN – pretty much flawless in the air and on the ground before having to exit the action.

Jack O’Connell 8
Ex-Minsterman Hatfield was kept anonymous by another strong display from the on-loan Blackburn teenager.

Dan Parslow 7
Won his battles in midfield and tried his luck with a couple of shots before making an assured switch to defence.

Adam Reed 8
Looked a constant threat in the first half before eventually claiming his first senior goal.

Tom Platt 7
Full of honest endeavour and took no chances in the midfield anchorman role he was asked to fill after the break.

Josh Carson 8
A creative and industrious presence throughout and looked comfortable in midfield after the interval.

Richard Cresswell 7
Led the line with strength and intelligence as he ran himself into the ground for the cause.

Ashley Chambers 7
Excellent deliveries from corners in first half, but drifted out of game a little after the break.

Subs: Michael Coulson 7 – tidy (for McGurk, 46), Matty Blair (for Chambers, 84), Jason Walker (for Cresswell, 90). Not used: Jameson, McDaid, McLaughlin, Allan.

Accrington

Paul Rachubka, Peter Murphy, Dean Winnard, Tom Aldred, Laurence Wilson, Will Hatfield (Marcus Carver, 78), Luke Joyce, Rommy Boco (Craig Lindfield, 78), Lee Molyneux, James Beattie, Padraig Amond (George Miller, 46). Subs not used: Michael Liddle, Luke Clark, James Gray, Ian Dunbavin.

Star man: Rachubka – series of fine saves to keep his team in the game.

Referee: David Webb (Lancashire).

Rating: 6/10 – generally reasonable, but stoppage time announcement surprised most.

Booked: Aldred 75.

Sent off: None.

Attendance: 4,446 (358 from Accrington).

Shots on target: City 11, Accrington 7.

Shots off target: City 10, Accrington 2.

Corners: City 11, Accrington 6.

Fouls conceded: City 11, Accrington 11.

Offsides: City 2, Accrington 3.