YORK City became the first Blue Square Premier side to avoid defeat against high-flying Histon since September following a gritty 1-1 draw.

League One pair Swindon Town and Leeds United have both been seen off at the Glassworld Stadium this season but the Minstermen earned a share of the spoils at the Cambridgeshire part-timers who had won their last eight league games.

Martin Foyle’s men might even have become the only team, other than Forest Green in August, to taste victory at Histon this season but Richard Brodie’s excellent first-half strike was cancelled out by a Danny Parslow own goal.

The former Welsh Under-21 international beat Josh Mimms with a diving header just six minutes after the substitute goalkeeper had replaced hamstring victim Michael Ingham early in the second half.

Parslow’s intervention was unfortunate with City, otherwise, coping admirably with the penalty-box onslaught provided by a succession of Gareth Gwillim long throws and corners.

The Minstermen also enjoyed a little luck, however, with Danny Wright, Jack Midson and Josh Simpson all missing excellent chances for the home side while Brodie’s goal represented the Minstermen’s only on-target attempt of the evening.

Earlier, Ingham had been called into action after just 29 seconds when he turned Wright’s six-yard effort around his near post.

Simpson then fired across the face of goal and narrowly wide before Brodie broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion.

The former Newcastle Benfield striker received a pass from striking partner Onome Sodje before beating home ’keeper Danny Naisbitt with a dipping, left-footed effort from 20 yards.

Brodie narrowly cleared the crossbar from a similar distance on 37 minutes before the Minstermen survived two scares before the interval.

First, Histon striker Midson drove wide of Ingham’s near post under pressure from David McGurk and then fluffed a six-yard chance when he missed the target having been picked out following a strong right-wing run and low cross by Wright.

The home side’s profligacy continued after the break when Simpson prodded wide from ten yards after an untidy scramble in the City penalty box.

Seconds later, the Minstermen lost Ingham and one of Mimms’ first duties was to pick the ball out of his own net on 59 minutes after being left helpless by Parslow’s eight-yard header from a right-wing Gwillim cross.

Histon then spent long spells of the last half hour camped in City’s half but the visitors remained resolute.

The closest Steve Fallon’s men came to snatching victory saw Midson’s edge-of-the-box volley clip the bar, while Wright also forced Mimms into his only save of the night after an 83rd-minute shot on the turn.

A draw means the Minstermen are now without a win in ten games but, considering the opposition’s lofty standing, the performance provided a little optimism after Saturday’s shocking showing against Grays.


Match facts

Histon 1 (Parslow og 59), York City 1 (Brodie 14)

City: Michael Ingham 7, Ben Purkiss 7, Danny Parslow 7, David McGurk 8, Andy McWiliams 7, Steven Hogg 7, Mark Greaves 7, Simon Rusk 7, Adam Smith 7, Richard Brodie 7, Onome Sodje 7.

Substitutions: Josh Mimms (for Ingham, 53) 7, Craig Farrell (for Smith, 82), Daniel McBreen (for Sodje, 90).

Subs not used: Kelly, Wilkinson.

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

City’s star man: McGurk – strong presence in face of penalty box bombardment from Histon.


Histon: Danny Naisbitt, Lanre Oyebanjo, Matthew Langston, Patrick Ada, Gareth Gwillim, Antonio Murray, Matthew Mitchel King, Josh Simpson, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Jack Midson, Danny Wright (Damian Reeves, 84).

Subs: Craig Pope, Neil Andrews, Jamie Barker, Joe Welch.


Yellow cards: Hogg 23.

Shots on target: Histon 4, York 1

Shots off target: Histon 8, York 3

Corners: Histon 7, York 1

Fouls conceded: Histon 10, York 14

Offsides: Histon 5, York 0

Referee: Simon Beck (Essex).

Rating: Odd puzzling decision but competent in general.

Attendance: 901.

Save of the match: The early stop by Ingham that could have seen City get off to the worst possible start.

Miss of the match: Midson’s six-yard sitter on the stroke of half-time.

Shot of the match: Brodie’s 14th-minute deadlock breaker.


City player watch: Adam Smith

Goal attempts on target: 0

Goal attempts off target: 1

Blocked goal attempts: 0

Passes to own player: 9

Passes to opposition: 4

Crosses to own player: 2

Crosses to opposition: 4

Pass completion rate: 57.9 per cent

Dribbles ball retained: 3

Dribbles ball lost: 8

Dribble completion rate: 27.3 per cent

Headers: 5

Tackles: 1

Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 3

Fouls won: 0

Fouls conceded: 2

Offsides: 0

Yellow cards: 0

Final summary: On a difficult night to be a winger, Smith acquitted himself reasonably well on his full debut for City before departing the action on 82 minutes. His low pass tally illustrated that play sometimes passed the on-loan Gainsborough winger by and he had few chances to run at his right-back. But he did manage one of City’s four attempts on goal – a 20-yard first-half strike that flashed wide.