YORK City made a poor start to their Emirates FA Cup campaign this afternoon, a lacklustre performance seeing them forced to settle for a goalless draw in their Fourth Qualifying Round tie against Needham Market.

Manager Neal Ardley had stressed the importance of matching Needham’s motivation to progress in the competition, but City never got going against their opponents, who defended everything that came their way with relative ease, despite plying their trade two divisions lower.

In truth, the Minstermen could likely have been on the pitch all night and not scored, such was the lack of chances taken, with players unable to come out of the match with much credit in an utterly pedestrian performance against their lower-ranked opposition.

City edged the early exchanges, with the in-form Dipo Akinyemi stinging the palms of Marcus Garnham just four minutes into the contest, but they struggled to get the ball rolling in a first half in which neither goalkeeper was really tested.

They finished the opening half with two shots compared to Needham’s three, and failed to create anything of note until the introductions of Kai Kennedy and Zanda Siziba around the hour mark.

Both were instrumental in a flurry of late chances, but Needham players found themselves in the right place to block dangerous efforts from Akinyemi and captain Lenell John-Lewis in the dying seconds, the visitors deserved of their fourth clean sheet in the competition thus far.

As expected, Ardley made changes to the City side that drew with Bromley last week, handing York-born goalkeeper Rory Watson his first start, whilst Alex Woodyard returned from injury and Adam Crookes slotted back into the defence.

York could also not name a full bench for the fixture, owing to a combination of injuries throughout the week.

The Minstermen started on the front foot, controlling the possession – a fierce Akinyemi strike from the edge of the box proving to be an early warning shot to Garnham just four minutes into proceedings.

Dan Batty was next to let fly on the Needham goal after a bursting run from Ryan Fallowfield on the right wing, but he could only drag his effort wide of the left post.

Sensing their hosts’ early frustration, Needham began to grow into the match, quickly taking a free kick won for a push before seeing the first corner of the match cleared by Akinyemi with a quarter of an hour played.

The in-form striker often found himself dropping into a left-back role, with his influence in City’s ineffective front three perhaps not reaching the levels that it should have.

Woodyard earned a cheap booking for a shirt pull on Luke Ingram inside the centre circle, with Watson called into action to make a comfortable save to his left.

A bursting run from Fallowfield brought a reaction stop from Garnham at his near post in a passage of play that typified both his, and City’s afternoon, before he was flagged for offside as he looked to carve out another opening for the Minstermen.

City controlled possession but were routinely left struggling what to do with the ball, the majority of passes either going sideways or backwards, much to the frustrations of the 1800-strong crowd.

Momentum again turned Needham’s way on the half-hour mark, a careless pass in the City back line allowing the lively Jake Dye to feed top-scorer Ingram, but a deflection helped his effort on its way into Watson’s gloves.

Jacob Lay was next to carve out an opportunity for the visitors, who were happy to sit back and attack York on the counter, but he saw his wicked delivery from the right wing somehow evade everybody in the box and roll wide for a goal kick.

It was City who came closest to breaking the deadlock before the break, Fallowfield drilling a cross from the right wing in the direction of Olly Dyson, but he could only watch on as his effort cannoned back off the crossbar and away to safety.

Needham had the last word before the interval after being awarded a free kick close to the corner flag from a shove by Tyler Cordner, but Watson comfortably claimed.

City initially came out more buoyant after the break, but Woodyard was lucky not to have been given his marching orders after catching Needham captain Kieran Morphew late.

However, the half soon reverted back into the same vein for the hosts, who again seemed to have not left first gear.

John-Lewis fouled Garnham as he looked to meet Batty’s cross, before Scott Burgess scuffed his delivery from a corner won after a rare moment of quality from Akinyemi down City’s left edge.

Needham remained content to throw bodies behind the ball, but squandered an outstanding opportunity to open the scoring at the other end of the pitch shortly before the hour mark.

Crookes was left nowhere to be seen as Dye found himself in acres of space to deliver a teasing cross into the box, but Dylan Williams could only fire both high and wide as the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the area.

Kennedy’s introduction for Woodyard a minute later enhanced City’s attack, but Needham were back well to both deflect Batty’s long-range strike for a corner and block Burgess’ goal-bound effort.

Garnham was forced into his first real save of the match to deny Akinyemi at the near post with 65 minutes played, but again it proved to be one of relative ease.

Siziba’s introduction with 25 minutes remaining brought a change of formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, with City then carving out their best opportunities of the match.

Fallowfield headed clear another Dye cross, but despite Needham’s short corner routine, his side comfortably averted the danger.

The right-back was at the heart of City’s attacking play, seeing both Akinyemi and Crookes miss a wicked delivery across the face of goal before John-Lewis was crowded out as he looked to unleash a strike.

A rare Garnham mistake presented Dyson with what should have been a simple finish from inside the box, but the midfielder instead found the South Stand on an afternoon to forget.

Chances continued to fall the hosts’ way as the game neared its conclusion, with John-Lewis glancing a free header wide of the post before Siziba saw his 30-yard effort whistle over the crossbar.

Even later drama ensued in injury time, with an outstanding last-ditch Needham tackle deflecting Akinyemi’s goal-bound strike onto the post after he had been afforded both space and time on the left wing.

But a draw was no less than Needham had deserved, with City now facing the long trip to Suffolk on Tuesday night for the replay.

YORK CITY: Watson, Fallowfield, Crookes, Cordner, Dyson, Akinyemi, John-Lewis ©, Batty, Burgess (Siziba 65), Woodyard (Kennedy 59), Smith.

SUBSTITUTES: Whitley, Castro, Hancox, Barrow.

YELLOW CARDS: Woodyard (19), John-Lewis (83)

NEEDHAM MARKET: Garnham, Dye, Smith, Hammond, K. Morphew ©, D. Morphew, Ingram (Chambers 85), Williams, Page (Fraser 80), Lay, Allen.

SUBSTITUTES: Podd, McGrath, Chambers, Letts, Harris, Crossthwaite.

YORK’S STAR MAN: Ryan Fallowfield. The right-back was one of City’s only players to show any willingness or desire and continually delivered crosses into the box.

ATTENDANCE: 1867 (101)

REFEREE: Benjamin Tomlinson