AFTER 12 games each this season, York City and Boston United have 22 points each.

Seventh-placed City and sixth-placed United both have three wins, two draws and a defeat from their last six games - as well as six wins, four draws and two defeats each from the season as a whole.

And both, having finished second and third last season, will have their sights set on promotion from National League North this season.

Today’s match-up at Boston’s new Community Stadium, on paper, looks very evenly poised, especially since just two of York’s wins have come away from Bootham Crescent, and just two of Boston’s wins have come at home.

Of course, the similarities can only go so deep and a glance at the goals for and against columns shows that Boston boast the meanest defence in the division.

Boston keeper Ross Fitzsimmons has had to pick the ball out of his net just nine times in his 12 appearances, which have also featured seven shut-outs in the league. No other side has a goals-against average below one per game.

York have conceded 14 times in their dozen outings but have the edge at the other end of the pitch, notching 21 goals to Boston’s 19.

The provenance of those goals is noteworthy. York’s goals have come from 11 different scorers this season but are concentrated in three players - centre-back Sean Newton leads the way with six strikes (five of which have come from dead-ball situations), midfielder Michael Woods has four and attacker Harry Bunn has three. Centre-forward and target man Jake Cassidy has hit the net just the once so far this term.

Boston’s goals are spread across 10 different players. Former Minsterman Jordan Burrow - who topped the York scoring charts last season and whom Cassidy was brought in to replace - is one of four players with three goals. After a barren December, he netted on Tuesday night to inspire a Pilgrims’ fightback at home to Kettering Town. The visitors took a two-goal lead into half-time - the goals scored in the 39th and 40th minutes - before Burrow got Boston back on track in the 59th minute and David Shiels found the equaliser four minutes later.

On meeting Burrow again, York assistant manager Micky Cummins said: "Jordan, we had him at Gateshead and we had him at York. He's a good pro. We will speak to him afterwards. He's a good lad."

Ex-Harrogate Town strikers Joe Leesley and Jordan Thewliss have also netted three times this campaign. Combined, the pair have made just 10 starts and have just shy of 930 minutes of action - more than 100 fewer minutes than Burrow. Thewliss accounts for six of those starts and more than 560 of those minutes.

Leesley is in the best form of the frontmen, having found the net three times in the last three games with a brace in the 4-0 win at Farsley Celtic and a solitary strike at home to Alfreton Town on Boxing Day.

The fourth of the three-goal group is veteran defender Scott Garner, whose most recent finish secured the points in a 1-0 win at Blyth Spartans on December 8.

Last season's meeting of York and Boston in Lincolnshire at the Pilgrims' old York Street ground. Loan strike Kurt Willoughby gave the Minstermen an early lead but goals from Frank Mulhern, Brad Abbott and Albanian Andi Thanoj ensure the game ended 3-1 in Boston's favour.