WEST London lad Richard Pacquette looked totally at home as he salvaged an unlikely point for York City at Hayes & Yeading United.

The opening throes of the Blue Square Premier season have been a frustrating waiting game for Richard Pacquette... until Saturday.

Serving a suspension hanging over from a sending-off on the final day of last term, the striker had to sit out four and three-quarter games before making his long-awaited York City debut.

But, once he got on to the pitch at a Church Road stadium only minutes from his London home, the former Maidenhead frontman didn’t waste any time.

A mere six minutes after replacing Neil Barrett, Pacquette headed an 83rd-minute equaliser to give his side the most welcome but undeserved of points.

Pacquette was the fourth striker used by City on Saturday, behind £55,000 Michael Gash, £10,000 Michael Rankine and last season’s top scorer Richard Brodie.

But he clearly stated his case for a promotion up the pecking order when he headed Adam Smith’s cross past Hayes goalkeeper Simon Overland in a lively cameo.

Prior to Pacquette’s arrival, City were rapidly spiralling towards their third successive away defeat following losses at Oxford and Wrexham.

Trailing to George Daly’s 53rd-minute spot-kick, Martin Foyle’s men were a poor second best to their part-time hosts.

Referee David Coote’s decision not to dismiss ’keeper Michael Ingham for his rash challenge on Daly on the edge of the box was a surprising reprieve.

Without a substitute stopper on the bench, City would have faced 37 minutes with ten men and a stand-in between the sticks.

Even so, Hayes went mighty close to doubling their advantage when substitute forward Scott Fitzgerald smashed an 18-yard shot against the underside of the bar with 20 minutes left.

City struggled to get any forward momentum despite a starting line-up that appeared to indicate a shift to a more attacking mentality, as winger Smith stepped up for his first start in place of the spiky Andy Ferrell.

The majority of Minstermen fans had been calling on Foyle to unleash Smith and fellow winger Craig Nelthorpe, but Smith’s influence proved fleeting at best.

It was only when Ferrell was introduced to the fray, in place of a subdued Levi Mackin, that any urgency was injected into the visitors after an opening 58 minutes bossed by the eye-catching build-up play of the hosts.

Ferrell’s early forays in a City shirt have indicated he relishes a tackle and this was no exception.

A couple of bonecrunching challenges finally roused his team-mates, although Ferrell was still left imploring his colleagues to support him by picking up the pieces.

Pacquette’s arrival prompted a switch from 4-4-2 to a virtual 4-2-4 formation and Smith, now advanced on the right, belatedly found the space he craved but that had been denied to him all game.

The trickery that flared towards the end of last season was conjured up when he left Adam Green in his wake, and turned this way and that in the box before teeing up the unmarked Pacquette for the leveller.

The closing seven minutes were more frantic than the preceding 83 as Pacquette sent Lawless running on goal, but the ball refused to fall for the former Forest Green man.

Defeat would have been hard for Hayes to swallow after being within minutes of their first victory of the campaign.

Few players in the City ranks distinguished themselves against the part-timers, who were driven forward by central midfield men Justin Cochrane and James Mulley, and willing wingers Dale Binns and Esmond James.

Teenage strikers Daly and Robert Gradwell took only four minutes to underline their threat, with on-loan Wycombe ace Daly breaking down the right and finding Gradwell, whose sidefooted effort was smartly saved by Ingham.

While best of City’s half chances in the opening 30 minutes was a weak Smith header, Gradwell carved out another promising opening for Daly but he shot over from 20 yards.

Gradwell again caused problems for Ingham in the 31st minute, as the City ’keeper took two attempts to gather his close-range effort as it bobbled towards the goalline.

A well-rehearsed free-kick supplied City’s biggest threat of the opening period. McGurk headed Ben Purkiss’ back-post delivery across the box, where Gash controlled the ball and spun, but his scuffed shot was well saved by Overland.

The Hayes goal was threatened again by Barrett’s volleyed effort, but Overland parried the ball over the bar.

The half closed with Binns firing wide from a tight angle after James’ cross flashed across the face of goal, eluding the City defence and Gradwell.

City again struggled to impose themselves in the second period until the late Ferrell-inspired flurry, which is worrying for a team with lofty ambitions.

Of equal concern was the 95th-minute tackle on Ferrell that earned Tom Cadmore a caution and resulted in the City midfielder hobbling away from Church Road.

While Pacquette’s goal on his home patch proved crucial on Saturday, Geordie Ferrell’s drive and determination could be a vital commodity in his neck of the woods at Gateshead tomorrow night.

One thing is certain. With the North-Easterners trouncing Crawley 4-1 on Saturday, City can ill-afford a repeat of this distinctly ordinary display.

Match facts

Hayes & Yeading 1 (Daly 53 pen)

York City 1 (Pacquette 83)

Key: 10 – Faultless; 9 – Outstanding; 8 – Excellent; 7 – Good; 6 – Average; 5 – Below par; 4 – Poor; 3 – Dud; 2 – Hopeless; 1 – Retire

Michael Ingham 5
Ben Purkiss 6
David McGurk 6
Daniel Parslow 6
James Meredith 5
Alex Lawless 5
Levi Mackin 5
Neil Barrett 6
Adam Smith 5
Michael Gash 5
Michael Rankine 6

Substitutions:
Richard Brodie (for Rankine, 58) 5 Andy Ferrell (for Mackin, 58) 6 Richard Pacquette (for Barrett,77) Subs not used: Sangare, Nelthorpe

City’s star man: Purkiss – made fewer mistakes than most of his team-mates.

Hayes & Yeading: Simon Overland, Danny Allen-Page, Tom Cadmore, Matt Ruby, Adam Green, Esmond James (Marc Canham, 71), James Mulley, Justin Cochrane (Toby Little, 74), Dale Binns, George Daly, Robert Gradwell (Scott Fitzgerald, 56). Subs (not used): Sami El-Abd, Delroy Preddie.

Yellow cards: Ingham 52, Daly 66, Ferrell 90, Cadmore 90+5.

Referee: David Coote (Newark). Rating: handled the game well, but should have dismissed Ingham.

Attendance: 606.

Save of the match: Ingham’s smart stop from Robert Gradwell’s sidefooted effort in the fourth minute.

Mistake of the match: The unfortunate York City fan who tumbled headlong over the hoardings trying to get the ball.

Head to head

Michael Rankine v Matt Ruby

York City’s bustling heavyweight forward found himself up against an opponent who refused to be intimidated.

Matt Ruby was the outstanding candidate as man of the match after repelling the threat of Michael Rankine and Michael Gash in tandem with Hayes captain Tom Cadmore.

Shots on target: Hayes 5, City 6
Shots off target: Hayes 6, City 4
Corners: Hayes 3, City 7
Fouls conceded: Hayes 14, City 16
Offsides: Hayes 1, City 5