By Martin Walker
Darlington earned a brilliant point at home to North-East neighbours York City after a pulsating second-half at the Northern Echo Arena.
Quakers were cruising to victory after Adam Rundle put them into a half-time lead and John McReady rounded off a superb individual performance with a superb goal four minutes after half-time.
But York stunned Craig Liddle’s young side with two goals in the space of a minute on the hour-mark of an enthralling contest.
Chris Smith scored from close range before substitute Ashley Chambers, who changed the game after his 54th-minute introduction, drilled home the leveller.
There were other chances at both ends as neither side gave up on clinching all three points.
But they had to settle for one, with Darlington moving up one place to 17th in the Blue Square Bet Premier League, and York staying fourth in the table to do their play-off hopes no harm at all.
Despite a relatively quiet first half, the game started brightly when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson hit a speculative long-range shot after just 50 seconds.
York’s first real effort of the game didn’t come until the 20th minute when Scott Pilkington skipped past a couple of challenges before getting a strong shot away which Jordan Pickford did well to save, and then gather at the second attempt.
Quakers produced a flowing move in the 38th minute. Dale Hopson played a great ball for McReady down the right, and the youngster returned the ball to Hopson on the edge of the area before he clipped a delightful ball in behind the York defence, but it was a foot to far Ryan Bowman and it ran out of play.
Pickford had another save to make two minutes later when Pilkington got another decent shot off from the edge of the area, but the on-loan Sunderland keeper did well to hold it.
Right-back Paul Arnison pulled his calf in chasing Pilkington and had to go off. Liddle revealed after the game he’ll be out for a couple of weeks.
The first goal came two minutes from the break. Ramshaw played a short corner to Bridge-Wilkinson and he clipped a great ball into the mixer where the unmarked Rundle guided in from five yards.
Bowman went close to a second almost straight away. He jinked past Jon Challinor before firing a cross-shot across the face of goal.
The ex-Carlisle striker had work to do at the other end on the stroke of half-time. Darlo failed to clear a corner and Scott Kerr latched on to the loose ball, but Bowman did well to get in the way of the shot to deflect it wide.
York came out flying after the re-start and, after just over a minute of the second half remaining, Andre Boucard showed a lovely bit of skill on the edge of the box before his shot was deflected wide for a corner.
But the second goal came at the other end, and what a goal it was. Kris Taylor broke through the middle and released McReady down the right. He took a couple of touches before he turned Parslow inside-out and fired low past Michael Ingham. It was a fine effort.
Quakers almost went three up when Rundle worked his magic down the left wing in the 56th minute, turning Challinor near the byline before crossing for McReady, but he took a touch too far and York cleared.
But the game was turned on its head on the hour-mark when the visitors pulled the first goal back after Darlo failed to clear under pressure and Chris Smith converted from close range.
And York grabbed the leveller less than a minute later when substitute Ashley Chambers, on for just seven minutes, was given too much space on the left side of the box before he rifled in to Pickford’s bottom left-hand corner with a clinical finish.
Far from letting their heads go down, the home side rallied and Hopson did well to put McReady into a brilliant position just inside the area, but his shot was deflected wide.
By this point it was gripping, end-to-end stuff, with McReady and Rundle the stars for Darlo.
But it was the visitors who went close to edging in front in the 71st minute, and it would have been harsh on the Quakers. Rob Ramshaw was wrongly penalised by referee Darren Handley for a foul about 25 yards from goal after winning the ball, and Pickford pulled off a superb save to deny Patrick McLaughlin’s brilliant set-piece that was heading for the top corner.
Handley was guilty of another ridiculous decision 10 minutes from time, penalising James Gray for a foul when he attempted to clear the ball 25 yards out, but Chambers’ free-kick flashed just over Pickford’s bar.
Rundle did well to win a corner in the 88th minute and Scott Harrison met his set-piece with a thumping header just over Ingham’s crossbar.
Pickford pulled off a fantastic save in the 92nd minute, stretching low to tip McLaughlin’s shot wide, to earn a well-deserved point for Quakers.
Matchfacts
Goals: Rundle 43, McReady 49, C Smith 60, Chambers 61
Bookings: Ramshaw 70, K Taylor 77, Harrison 92
Darlington: Pickford, Arnison (P Gray, 41), Brown, Harrion, K Taylor, McReady, Bridge-Wilkinson, Hopson (J Gray, 76), Ramshaw, Rundle, Bowman.
Unused: Lambert, Barton, Nixon.
York: Ingham, Meredith, Smith, Parslow, Kerr, Pilkington (Chambers, 54), Boucard (Reed, 54), Blair, Challinor, Blinkhorn (Fyfield, 73), McLaughlin.
Unused: McGurk, Potts.
Referee: Darren Handley (Lancashire).
Attendance: 6,413 (1,358 visitors).
