YORK City boss Steve Watson believes his team are rediscovering their cutting edge, following Tuesday night’s 2-2 draw against Hereford.

Top-scorer Alex Kempster grabbed his 10th goal of the season at Edgar Street to end a personal five-game drought.

Jordan Burrow was also on the scoresheet for a second successive match, with both of his efforts set up by David Ferguson, who was claiming assists for fun before City hit a barren spell of three straight goal-less defeats last month.

Four sides have netted more times than the second-placed Minstermen this term, but Watson was encouraged by a contest in which his side scored more than once for the first time in six fixtures.

He said: “Our goals were very good, just like the one on Saturday (Burrow’s in the 1-0 win over Alfreton) and their keeper had to make some great saves as well.

“We were hitting the target, which is the main thing and we were testing their keeper more than in recent games. There was a better end-product, which was pleasing for me.

Watson felt a point against the Bulls was the least his team deserved following Burrow’s 80th-minute equaliser, reasoning that there was an element of fortune about both home goals.

But he also declared himself satisfied with a share of the spoils.

“Considering how we had played, it was ridiculous when we were 2-1 down,” Watson argued. “You couldn’t write about their first goal – the ball came off the corner flag at pace and travelled 20 yards.

“Their left-back then skewed a shot and it ended up on somebody else’s head. With the penalty, Macca shouldn’t have lunged, but it looked to me that it was a couple of yards outside of the area rather than a penalty.

“But it’s still a point gained away from home. We’re not silly enough to think we can get the points every time we go on our travels and I’m pleased that we looked strong at the end of the game.”

The City chief did reveal, however, that he took the unusual decision to read the riot act to his players at half-time after being angered by their ball retention at times.

“I wasn’t happy at half-time, because I felt we needed to keep the ball better and I let the lads know that,” he explained. “I don’t tend to do that week in, week out, but thought I needed to.

“It was a very open first half, because we were giving the ball away and getting broken on.”

Midfielder Kieran Green was one visiting player guilty of occasionally losing possession and he was substituted just past the hour mark, but he did set up Kempster’s opening goal with an edge-of-the-box tackle and Watson remains a big admirer, simply asking the ex-Blyth midfielder to slow his game down a little.

“I know how much ability he has got,” the City boss added. “He has pace, power, two good feet, every pass in the book and gets stuck in.

“You just have to keep backing people sometimes. He’s trying so hard and, because of that, he’s doing everything at 100 miles per hour.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to slow down, and he slips a lot because he needs to slow down. But everything he does is for the benefit of the team and I’d rather take people like him than people who hide or are lazy.”

City currently have five midfielders – Green, Adriano Moke, Andy Bond, Paddy McLaughlin and Elliott Durrell – vying for three spots in the team.

McLaughlin came on at Hereford for only his 10th appearance of the season – including four from the bench – but Watson also stressed that the former Newcastle reserve remains very much in his selection thoughts.

“Paddy has been waiting for a run in the team and has been unlucky,” Watson said. “He started the season injured and we went on a run, so it was very difficult to get him back in.

“He then missed a game and a bit of training due to the birth of his child, but he certainly has a big part to play still during the rest of the season.”