Adam Lakeland’s FC Halifax Town were forced to settle for a point after a fiercely contested 1–1 draw with in-form York City at The Shay, in a game packed with drama, disallowed goals, and decisive moments at both ends.
The Shaymen made a flying start and were ahead inside three minutes. After a threatening free kick from Jay Turner-Cooke caused problems in the York box, Harrison Male’s poor clearance gifted possession to Will Hugill. The midfielder slipped the ball into Owen Bray, who skipped past two defenders before drilling a dangerous low cross across goal. Will Harris was on hand to head home from close range for his fourth league goal of the season, and sixth overall in all competitions, the perfect start for Halifax.
Halifax could easily have doubled their lead just two minutes later. Angelo Cappello surged down the left and whipped in a teasing cross towards Harris, whose deft touch at the near post was brilliantly saved by Male, redeeming himself for his earlier mistake.
York, unbeaten in their last three and sitting seventh before kick-off, gradually found their rhythm. Alex Hunt tested Sam Johnson from distance after 15 minutes, before Joe Felix threaded a fine ball through to Joe Grey, who beat Jevon Mills but fired over on his weaker foot. Felix continued to be York’s main outlet, flashing a dangerous cross through the six-yard box that narrowly evaded Grey.
The visitors went even closer midway through the half. A blocked shot from Mills fell kindly to Hunt on the edge of the box, and his sliced volley clipped the outside of the post. Moments later, Grey somehow failed to convert from close range in a scramble inside the Halifax area, with several defenders making desperate blocks before Felix smashed the rebound over, York’s best chance of the half.
Halifax responded well on the counter. Jamie Cooke found Josh Hmami with a clever reverse pass, the midfielder’s strike forcing a good save from Male. The rebound fell to Cooke, but from just a few yards out he could only fire over the bar.
York thought they had levelled in first-half stoppage time when Mark Kitching squared for Ollie Pearce to tap into an empty net, but Kitching was adjudged offside from the initial shot, the visitors’ first disallowed goal of the afternoon.
The second half began with York again on the front foot. Felix saw his close-range effort superbly saved by Johnson, who then produced a fingertip stop to deny Grey’s curling effort just before the hour mark. Halifax’s defensive pairing of Mills and Shaun Hobson were immense, the latter making a crucial recovery tackle to block Pierce clean through on goal.
At the other end, the Shaymen thought they had rdoubled their lead when Cooke’s glancing header found Harris a couple of yards out to finish, but the assistant’s flag was raised once more for offside.
As the game entered the final stages, York’s pressure intensified. Halifax dropped into a compact low block, defending bravely as the Minstermen threw bodies forward.
Their persistence paid off in the 85th minute, when a York corner caused chaos in the box. Johnson came through a crowd to claim but spilled the ball under pressure, and Ollie Pearce reacted quickest, volleying into the unguarded net from six yards to make it 1–1.
York thought they had completed a remarkable turnaround minutes later when Dan Batty’s angled chip into the area was met by Kitching, who powered a header home at the back post, sparking wild celebrations in the North Stand. However, the assistant’s flag once again intervened, ruling the goal out for offside, York’s second disallowed goal of the game, and their third in total.
Despite a tense finish, Halifax held firm to earn a point from a pulsating contest that could have gone either way.
FC Halifax Town
1 Johnson ©, 4 Hugill, 5 Hobson, 8 Hmami (20 Jenkins 78), 9 Harris, 10 Cooke, 11 Cappello, 16 Mills, 17 Bray (31 Devonport 65), 27 Turner-Cooke, 36 Latty-Fairweather (3 Adetoro 65)
Subs: 12 Ford, 19 Warburton, 29 Tarima, 32 Smith
York City
1 Male, 2 Fallowfield (4 Fagan Walcott 64), 3 Kitching (14 Brookes 90), 5 Howe ©, 8 hunt (9 Stones 64), 10 Pearce, 12 Grey, 18 Batty, 21 Boateng, 23 Felix (28 Banks 64), 30 Newby
Subs 31 Sykes-Kenworthy, 11 Nathaniel-George, 22 Olley
Referee: Richard Aspinall
Goals: Harris 3, Pearce 85
Yellow Cards: Felix 33, Grey 38, Turner-Cooke 90
Red Cards: None
Attendance: 3708 (1698 away)
FC Halifax Town 1 York City 1
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