York City U19s came from 2-0 down to earn a point in a National League U19 Alliance North thriller at Altrincham on Wednesday.
Tim Ryan named an unchanged starting eleven from the side that beat Blyth Spartans two weeks prior.
City started brightly, with Tom Hewson going close inside the opening thirty seconds, finding his way into the box but seeing his shot blocked by the Altrincham goalkeeper.
The hosts responded with chances of their own, forcing Cam White to get down low to make a good stop after an earlier effort had rolled wide.
Alty took the lead in the 27th minute, as a reverse pass sent their striker through on goal, and he only needed one touch to divert it past White.
On the half-hour mark, Sutton Greening was presented with a couple of decent opportunities. The number ten was picked out at the back post, but his effort was turned behind by the ‘keeper, before the resulting corner saw the ball go wide to Josh Binns, who lifted a ball to a similar position, from which Greening could only head over the bar.
Hewson ran through on goal, but was thwarted by the ‘keeper as he looked to level the game, then Ollie Belleh drove a shot wide of the post.
Eight minutes shy of the break, Alty were inches away from doubling their lead, but for a sensational save from White. A low clearance fell as far as a red shirt just inside the box, who rifled the ball towards the top corner, requiring the Minstermen stopper to incredibly tip it onto the crossbar.
In stoppage time, the Robins had another chance, but the unmarked winger at the back post struck the wrong side of the netting.
The second half began with White forced into a simple save down low, but he couldn’t prevent the goal that came just a minute later.
Alty’s centre-back went on a weaving run through the middle before laying it off to his teammate, who fired into the bottom corner.
However, a second yellow card for one of their players for a deliberate trip gave York a man advantage for the last half hour.
Substitute Eddie Kettlewell looked to be the spark, cutting inside and releasing a shot which only found the side netting.
In the 67th minute, Lewis Beadle did excellently to stop a third goal, heading the ball off the line from a corner.
Then, Greening pulled one back. Receiving a pass from Belleh 35 yards from goal, he took it past a number of defenders before knocking past the ‘keeper to halve the deficit in the 71st minute.
No more than three minutes later, City were level. The ball was sprayed out wide to Jake Roberts, who delivered the perfect cross for Kettlewell to match it with a diving header into the back of the net.
The drama kept on coming, Kettlewell scoring again for the Minstermen’s third in seven minutes. Binns’ looping cross into the danger area caused pinball in the goalmouth, the ball even bouncing off the crossbar, before the substitute scrambled it home to complete the turnaround.
That lead would last for very little time, though, with ten-man Alty winning a spot-kick straight after they had been put behind.
The penalty taker went the opposite way to White and nestled the ball into the bottom corner to level the match once more.
There were serious chances to win the game in the closing stages, City having the better of them.
Roberts’ volley from the edge of the area was pushed wide by the ‘keeper, then another chance came his way, but his header was claimed.
Greening had an aerial opportunity too, his effort drifted high over the target, and then in the 94th minute, Beadle agonisingly flashed the ball wide from close range.
York City: White, Kydd (Baker 49′), Beadle, Belleh (C), Hall (Shaw 49′), Stiver, Tweed (Roberts 46′), Russell, Hewson (Kettlewell 53′), Greening, Binns.
