York City 2, Grays Athletic 2

But amid the disappointment of failing to hold on to their two-goal advantage will be a certain amount of relief because the Minstermen could easily have ended up defeated as they have after forging ahead in previous KitKat Crescent reversals against Cambridge United and Dagenham & Redbridge.

Grays midfielder John Martin hit the woodwork in the fifth minute of injury-time and the visitors also missed a penalty in an open and entertaining encounter.

During an incident-packed first 15 minutes, three goals were scored and Grays squandered a chance from the spot.

City began the game in the ascendancy with Craig Farrell holding the ball up excellently as the Essex club struggled to cope with the slick passing and fluid movement of the home side's five-man midfield.

Billy McEwan's men took a fifth-minute lead when Anthony Lloyd's cross from the left was nodded expertly down by Farrell into the path of Steve Bowey, who beat Grays keeper Danny Knowles with a low 12-yard drive into his bottom left-hand corner.

Bowey then drove narrowly wide from 25 yards and Farrell swept a chance just past the post as City made a highly-impressive start.

But the first warning that Grays had not just travelled north to make up the numbers came on ten minutes when City skipper Emmanuel Panther's clumsy challenge on Ashley Nicholls, who was heading away from goal and out of the penalty box, led to a spot-kick.

Glenn Poole, though, lofted his effort well over Tom Evans' bar and City looked to have survived the scare when they doubled their advantage three minutes later with Lewis McMahon's first senior goal for the club.

The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder thundered a 25-yard, first-time half-volley into Knowles' bottom right-hand corner to open his account in style after Gavin Cowan's headed clearance from a Lloyd cross.

Grays, however, reduced the deficit on 15 minutes when Bowey was harshly penalised for a clean tackle on the edge of the box and Poole proved more deadly from 20 yards than 12 when his low free-kick found the back of the net after bouncing over the dive of Evans.

Cowan then headed over from a Poole corner but City finished the half stronger with Bowey shooting wide on the turn after another raid down the left by Lloyd and David McGurk forcing a save by Knowles from his header.

The Minstermen, however, appeared to lose their way in the second period although Bowey could have made the game safe on 64 minutes when a fortuitous ricochet off Farrell left him with only Knowles to beat but he dragged the chance across the face of goal and wide.

Grays capitalised with John Martin dispossessing a dallying McMahon 25 yards from goal before feeding on-loan MK Dons striker Ben Harding, who rode a challenge from sub Nathan Peat and drilled a low ten-yard shot past Evans.

Maximum points were then up for grabs with Farrell bending a 30-yard effort just past Knowles' top left-hand corner and Panther rising unchallenged to head wide from a Woolford corner.

But Grays came closest to snatching victory when Martin headed against the frame following a Nicholls cross. It was an extraordinary end to a game in which City had looked so dominant at the start.

Grays, though, are unbeaten in five matches with the Minstermen and McEwan will be determined to avoid any further fightbacks from opposing sides between now and the end of the season.

Match facts

York City 2, (Bowey 5,McMahon 13) Grays Athletic 2Evans 6, Craddock 6 (Peat 68, 6), McGurk 7, Parslow 7 (Dudgeon 73m), Lloyd 7, Woolford 6, Panther 6, McMahon 7 (Maidens 80m), Bishop 7, Bowey 7, Farrell 7.

Key: 10 - Faultless; 9 - Outstanding; 8 - Excellent; 7 - Good; 6 - Average; 5 - Below par; 4 - Poor; 3 - Dud; 2 - Hopeless; 1 - Retire Subs (not used): Reid, Greenwood, Star man: McGurk - stayed focussed and disciplined at the back when City could have caved in.

Grays Athletic: Danny Knowles, Andy Sambrook, Jamie Stuart, Gavin Cowan (Jay Smith 52m), Abdou El-Khoti, Matt Bodkin (Cameron Mawer 52m), Ashley Nicholls, John Martin, Glenn Poole, Ben Harding, Aaron O'Connor (John Turner 78m). Subs: Ashley Bayes, Tom Williamson.

Bookings: Martin 10, Sambrook 17, Mawer 57, McMahon 78, Martin 90.

Sent off: None.

Referee: Paul Varley (Ilkley). Rating: Rubbish. Did not seem capable of distinguishing between a foul and a fair tackle Attendance: 2,689.

Weather watch: Chilly but a few degrees higher than Halifax on Tuesday night.

Game breaker: Had Bowey converted his 64th-minute opportunity City would probably have been home and dry. Match rating: Excellent entertainment but City fans will find the impressive start their team hard to remember after sqaundering a two-goal lead.

Billy's verdict: "We scored two great goals but then panicked a bit and got sloppy and careless."

Player watch: Emmanual Panther

Goal attempts on target: 0Goal attempts off target: 1Blocked goal attempts: 1Passes to own player: 25Passess to opposition: 4Crosses to own player: 0Crosses to opposition: 4Pass success rate: 86.2 per centDribbles ball retained: 6Dribbles ball lost: 3Dribble success rate: 66.7 per centHeaders: 5 Tackles: 4Clearances, blocks and interceptions: 3 Free-kicks won: 4Free-kicks conceded: 2Offsides: 0Bookings: 0Final summary: Generally reliable in possession but, despite winning more fouls than he conceded, he carelessly gave away a penalty and was lucky it did not cost his side. Drove forward to good effect at times but not as regularly as in his previous outing at Halifax and also missed the target with a late header.