YORK City’s Under 19s began the new National League Alliance Academy North season with a 2-2 draw at home to Boston United this afternoon.

Goals from newcomers Alex Glynn and Bailey Wilson either side of the interval secured the young Minstermen a point as their visitors pulled back a two-goal deficit to take a share of the spoils back to Lincolnshire.

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Tim Ryan’s side started well, MacKenzie Crookes coming close to opening his account for the club after seeing his dangerous free-kick turned narrowly wide just four minutes into the encounter.

Glynn saw a strike ruled out for offside before Roan Shirley headed over the bar from a corner, but it wasn’t long before the hosts found themselves in front.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Glynn met a teasing cross from the left wing to tap in his first York goal from close range.

City, who will be hoping to better last year’s third-placed finish, continued to see the better of the play, Williams Edenene the next to try his luck from a goalkeeping error with 33 minutes played, but the visitors recovered well to clear.

Alex Hernandez and Harley Dawson both forced saves out of the Boston goalkeeper, but the half ended on a sour note for the Minstermen, goal-scorer Flynn substituted in the third minute of added time with an injury in the last action before the break.

City continued to dominate after the interval, Dawson dragging his shot narrowly wide before substitute Wilson saw a header bounce off both posts and somehow away to safety.

But the winger did have his goal shortly after, firing into the back of the net from close range after another goalkeeping mistake.

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That goal however seemed to spur Boston into a response, and they halved the deficit on the hour mark, a header from a corner flying past former Huddersfield Town shot-stopper Sam Taylor and into the bottom corner.

The Boston goalkeeper was across well to deny another goal-bound effort from Hernandez as City looked to restore their two-goal cushion, before a long-range strike from the visitors whistled just past the post.

With the game entering injury time, it looked as though the Minstermen would register an opening day victory, but Boston had other ideas.

A drive through the York defence resulted in a sublime finish past Taylor, ensuring that City would have to settle for a point.

Tim Ryan’s side return to action on September 20 when they welcome Gateshead (2pm).

YORK CITY U19: Taylor, Tate, Crookes Marshall, Shirley, Dijikingue, Glynn (Wilson 45+3), Dawson, Hernandez, Payne, Edenene (Mortimer 68, Hope 86).

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES: Nganga, Grumley.