HAVING gone three-and-a-half months and 15 fixtures without sharing the spoils, York City have now racked up a hat-trick of consecutive draws for the first time since August 2014.

Depending on what context it is placed, City’s latest game to end honours even, after Guiseley’s Kingsley James cancelled out Paddy McLaughlin’s first-half header on 78 minutes, extended a win-less run to four matches or added to a sequence of just one defeat in eight contests.

Regardless of whether your glass is half full or empty, though, the Minstermen’s last four-and-a-half hours of footballing stalemate have indisputably extinguished all hopes of a late charge into the play-offs which, in all seriousness, was always a faint pipedream after new boss Steve Watson had overseen four straight triumphs to pull the club clear of danger at the opposite end of the table.

Nigel Worthington was the last manager to draw three successive matches just three months after guiding the Minstermen into the League Two play-offs.

Painfully, those days seem so far away now for sixth-tier City, although parallels can be drawn between the problems that went on to beset the squad assembled by Worthington that summer and that which, four-and-a-half years on, continues to struggle to break into the top half of the National League North table.

Jake Hyde would finish that season as the Bootham Crescent club’s leading league marksman with a modest nine goals, while fellow new attacking recruits Lindon Meikle (no goals in 32 outings) and Anthony Straker (none in 14) failed to hit the target in 46 combined appearances.

During a start to a campaign that witnessed five draws from the opening six games, meanwhile, Worthington even turned to 16-year-old Ben Hirst from the bench for attacking inspiration.

Hirst was a team-mate of current England under-20 international Ben Godfrey when their York side became the first from the city to lift the National Schools’ FA Cup, but he was last seen playing six-a-side football at York College having drifted out of the game.

This term, skipper Jordan Burrow is the top league scorer with 11 goals but has managed just six from open play and Macaulay Langstaff has the next highest tally with eight during a season that is now 37 games old.

Both teams were, therefore, short on match-winners – a trait that Watson will look to address this summer and one that Russ Wilcox attempted to resolve with the additions of the likes of Deon Burton, Shaq Coulthirst, Shaun Miller, Carlton Morris and Emile Sinclair, who contributed four goals in 39 total outings after Worthington’s resignation.

Any scrutiny of Burrow’s goal return, though, should be balanced by his ability to lead the line and greater anticipation from those around him at Guiseley might have seen the plethora of aerial balls he won capitalised on better.

The visitors did create first-half openings but, after the interval, would only muster two goal attempts as fourth-bottom Guiseley wrested away the initiative.

Adriano Moke volleyed the game’s first opportunity high and wide from 20 yards before Watson’s men forged in front on ten minutes.

Both of the game’s goals arguably came from the afternoon’s best two moves with Alex Kempster spotting Scott Burgess’ forward charge through the right channel.

The on-loan Bury midfielder’s cross was then met by McLaughlin, who had ghosted into the penalty box to grab a first headed goal for the Minstermen from eight yards, ending his ten-game wait to net during his second spell at the club in the process.

In response, Kaine Felix played the ball back to George Cantrill, but the on-loan Sheffield United left back cleared the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Former City right-winger Felix also beat David Ferguson for pace moments later and his cross was collected at the far post by James, but he missed the target from ten yards.

At the other end, Kallum Griffiths’ ball from the right was taken down on his chest by Langstaff, who then fired over from just inside the penalty box and good play from close to the byline by Kempster saw him tee up Burrow, only for the City number nine to sidefoot too high from seven yards.

City were subsequently denied the first in a series of valid penalty shouts for Kayode Odejayi bearhugs on Joe Tait from away corners, while Newton also saw a close-range opportunity blocked on the line after Marcus Dewhurst dropped the ball from a flag kick and a 25-yard Ferguson half-volley bounced harmlessly wide.

Adam Bartlett was called into action for the first time on the half-hour mark when Sean Newton couldn’t get enough purchase on his clearance and Alex Purver got a shot away from 12 yards.

A further City chance went begging moments later when Burrow headed on a Tait ball forward through the right channel, but Langstaff dragged a poor attempt across the face of the goal with only keeper Dewhurst to beat.

For the Lions, Andy Halls’ stooping header from a Jack Dyche corner bounced wide, before Langstaff exchanged passes with Burgess and unleashed a firm, 15-yard shot that Dewhurst pushed out straight at Kempster, who couldn't adjust his feet in time to make a better fist of his follow-up effort that went straight to the home keeper.

During the first 33 minutes of the second half, there was only one chance at either end when Burgess played a ball in from the left and, after Langstaff had gone down in the box following a tussle in the box with Dylan Barkers, he swiftly picked himself up to fire just wide from 12 yards.

The introductions of Will Hatfield and debutant striker Michael Fowler added more purpose to the home team’s play, though, with parity restored after Cantrill held off the challenge of Griffiths with a diagonal run across the pitch from the left-back area.

Griffiths then lost the teenage Blade after he exchanged passes through the right channel with Odejayi, leading to a low cross that saw James, who had been left unmarked by Kempster, shoot firmly into the roof of Bartlett’s net from ten yards.

Lifted by the equaliser, Guiseley went closest to snatching maximum points when Purver thumped an edge-of-the-box effort against Bartlett’s right-hand post, before Halls’ deflected follow-up chance cleared the crossbar.

A McLaughlin deflected strike also dropped over the Lions’ net, while the afternoon ended when Fowler curled a poor free kick over after the former had barged into the back of Hatfield when Burgess lost the ball in a dangerous area.

City ratings

Adam Bartlett 7

Kallum Griffiths 6

Joe Tait 7

Sean Newton 7

David Ferguson 6

Adriano Moke 6

Scott Burgess 7

Paddy McLaughlin 7

Alex Kempster 6

Jordan Burrow 7

Macaulay Langstaff 6

Subs: Alex Harris (for Kempster, 84).

Subs not used: Ryan Whitley, Hamza Bencherif, Wes York, Jon Parkin.

Star man: Burrow - flicked on a succession of high balls forward and also won a fair share of aerial challenges in his own team’s box

Guiseley: Marcus Dewhurst, Andy Halls, Josh Langley, Scott Garner, George Cantrill, Alex Purver, Dylan Barkers (Michael Fowler, 69), Kingsley James, Kaine Felix (Curtis Morrison, 84), Kayode Odejayi, Jack Dyche (Will Hatfield, 57). Subs not used: Kennedy Digie, Will Thornton.

Guiseley star man: Cantrill – his positive play was key to Guiseley winning a point

Referee: Andrew Kitchen 6/10 – took his eye off the action on occasions and missed a few credible City penalty shouts

Booked: Moke 51

Sent off: None

Attendance: 1,305

Shots on target: Guiseley 3, City 4

Shots off target: Guiseley 5, City 7

Corners: Guiseley 4, City 4

Fouls conceded: Guiseley 8, City 7

Offside: Guiseley 1, City 3