York City drew 2-2 away from home at Dorking Wanderers in the Vanarama National League on Saturday afternoon.
Mikey Morton handed debuts to new arrivals Dan Batty and Jack Stott in midfield, with shot-stopper Rory Watson also coming into the matchday squad as an unused substitute.
City set the tempo in the opening minute when captain Lenell John-Lewis forced a convincing handball shout on the Dorking defence, inside the area, before Dipo Akinyemi followed up with a header just over the bar.
John-Lewis was again at the helm of a Minstermen attack in the 8th minute, blasting one over the bar after finding space just outside the area to hit it on his weaker left foot.
The hosts took the lead in the 17th minute when a deflected shot by Wanderers bounced around the area, landing to the feet of James McShane, who tapped in from a few yards out.
York looked for an instant response straight from the kick-off when John-Lewis latched onto a longball to drill his effort narrowly wide of Harrison Male’s net.
Olly Dyson steered a header wide in the 29th minute after some even play from both sides. The midfielder latched onto a cross from the left which just nicked off a Wanderer defender for a corner, which wasn’t utilised well by City.
Seb Bowerman showed some individual ability when he cut inside six minutes later, eyeing up the far post with a shot glancing just wide.
Mikey Morton’s side got the ball moving just shy of half time as Ryan Fallowfield created the space down the right flank to receive a switch, a cutback to the driving Tyler Corder followed, but the shot was erratic and high by the defender.
The Minstermen got back on level terms in the 58th minute through winger Maziar Kouhyar. The 25-year-old picked up the ball just inside the area, cut to his left and back to his right, before bending the ball into the far corner.
In the 62nd minute, City had another effort fly just past the far up-right as John-Lewis narrowly avoided the target with an effort just outside Dorking’s area.
Just two minutes later Ryan Whitley was called into action, gathering a drilled shot by Luke Moore from distance.
Wanderers looked to have surely scored in the 72nd minute when the ball fall to Harry Ottaway at point blank range, but he fired hard and wide.
The Minstermen turned the tie around in the same minute. Akinyemi latched onto a ball down the right flank, before turning his man in the area, drilling a sweetly struck strike into the far corner for his third of the season.
Whitley kept the Minstermen in the game with a superb double save at his near in the 81st minute, denying Dorking’s Jason Prior the equaliser from inside the area.
Marc White’s side found their leveller four minutes later as Prior planted his header out of Whitley’s reach to salvage a point for the hosts.
City nearly had the winner late on through John-Lewis but his header was cleared off the line by the Dorking man.
Skipper John-Lewis was then shown straight red by referee Wayne Cartmel after the striker over the top on Bowerman in the 90+6th minute.
DORKING: Male (GK), Craig, McManus, Prior, McShane (56’ Pybus), Taylor, Moore, Gallagher (50’ Ottaway), Fuller ©, Bowerman, Francomb (75′ Joe Taylor).
SUBS NOT USED: Seager, Everitt.
YORK CITY: Whitley, Fallowfield, Crookes, Cordner, Dyson, Akinyemi, Castro, Kouhyar, John-Lewis ©, Howe, Batty (67’ Castro), Stott (77’ McLaughlin).
SUBS NOT USED: Siziba, Watson, Latty-Fairweather.
ATTENDANCE: 1,410 (196 York Supporters).
IMAGES: Tom Poole
