MICHAEL COULSON scored his first goal since returning from cruciate ligament surgery but York City were once again forced to settle for a share of the spoils against Championship side Blackpool.

The former Grimsby winger smacked a powerful shot past Matt Gilks into the bottom corner to give the Minstermen the lead ten minutes into the second half, but their advantage lasted barely 60 seconds before an unmarked Bobby Grant headed James Caton’s cross past Chris Kettings from eight yards.

City boss Nigel Worthington was looking for a stiffer test for his side following their draw with Huddersfield in midweek and Blackpool certainly provided it, dominating the first half as the home side struggled to hold on to possession.

Only smart work from Michael Ingham kept the sides level as Richard Cresswell, on his first appearance following his latest return to Bootham Crescent, was starved of service.

Having started with a 4-3-3 formation, with Dan Parslow anchoring the midfield, City switched to 4-4-2 for the second period and, upping the tempo, looked much more comfortable.

It was a fine move which brought Coulson his goal, the 25-year-old chasing down a long diagonal ball on the left side before swapping passes with Tom Platt and, having cut inside, hitting a bullet towards goal.

Gilks managed to get the slightest of touches on it, but the shot was struck so firmly that he could only help it on its way into his bottom left-hand corner.

It was a trademark finish from Coulson who, having suffered repeated injury agony, appears to be getting back to the player who terrorised defences in the first couple of months of last season.

That Blackpool equalised so quickly was disappointing – Caton’s cross was impressive but no City defender was anywhere near Grant in the centre of the area – but the Minstermen put together some good passages of play in the second period and left Worthington satisfied with the progress that has been made with two weeks to go before the start of the campaign.

Cresswell opened the action after six minutes with a speculative shot from 40 yards after Angel Martinez’s attempted drag back in the middle of the field went badly wrong and Ingham was soon called into action as Blackpool began to press.

He got down to well to save with his knees from Grant on 11 minutes after Caton left David McGurk on his backside on the byline and delivered a cross.

The former Northern Ireland international then did well to put two firm hands on Nathan Eccleston’s fierce effort just before the half hour mark – although the forward greedily ignored an unmarked Tom Ince standing on the edge of the six yard box.

The latter was increasingly influential as Blackpool controlled both possession and the tempo of the game in City’s half.

But the half-time changes, which saw Coulson, Ryan Bowman and skipper Chris Smith among six pressed into action, had their desired effect when the opener was scored.

Blackpool fashioned a couple of chances from set-pieces after netting the equaliser and City’s substitute ’keeper Kettings tipped a free-kick from Ince round the post on 58 minutes.

As the game entered the last ten minutes, though, it was City who were clearly the better of the two sides – substitute ’keeper Mark Halstead making a spectacular stretch to clear Smith’s goalbound header over the bar as Worthington’s men piled on the pressure and forced a series of corners.

Coulson had the chance to grab the glory, but, from the other side of the penalty area this time, pulled his shot wide of the goal in the last minute.

York City: Ingham (Kettings, 46), Oyebanjo (Atkinson, 81), McGurk (Smith, 46), Allan, Fyfield (Puri, 46), Platt, Parslow, Clay, Jarvis (Coulson, 46), Cresswell (Bowman, 46), Chambers (Fletcher, 46 – Chamberlain, 81).

Blackpool: Matt Gilks (Mark Halstead, 69), Chris Basham, Bob Harris (Danny Grainger, 56), Kirk Broadfoot (Gary McKenzie, 46), Craig Cathcart, Angel Martinez (Neal Bishop, 61), Isaiah Osbourne (Gary Dicker, 61), James Caton (Dan Dinter, 56), Bobby Grant (Albert Noguera, 61), Tom Ince, Nathan Eccleston (Louis Almond, 63).

Attendance: 1,510 (327 from Blackpool).