United made it four points from two consecutive away games with a hard-earned point at Bootham Crescent this evening. Oxford took an early lead when York player-manager Chris Brass palmed a Scott McNiven cross into his own net in the fourth minute. The referee would have given a penalty if the ball hadn’t gone in, so it saved Andy Crosby a job! After long periods of York pressure, alleviated occasionally by the odd Oxford break-away, the curse of the old-boys struck again as Lee Nogan equalised with a free header after 37 minutes. The home side then deservedly went ahead when Richard Hope scored following a good save by Andy Woodman. York then sat back and were punished for not killing off the game when substitute ROS Chris Hackett lobbed the ball over Mark Ovendale with five minutes remaining to earn an unlikely point.

Ian Atkins made one change from the side that thrashed Bury 4-0 at Gigg Lane on Saturday, the unlucky Jefferson Louis being dropped to the bench to make way for Julian Alsop, available again after his four match suspension. Louis did get his chance six minutes into the second half, when Steve Basham had to go off with a dead leg. Hackett came on for Paul Wanless with a quarter of an hour remaining in an inspired substitution, and in the final minute Dave Waterman took Alsop’s place in the side.

Hull referee Carl Boyeson had an up and down game, getting a lot of stuff right but abjectly failing to award either side clear penalties. He booked Alsop (no surprise there)for a foul, Matt Robinson apparently for saying something he shouldn’t have, and Hackett for over-celebrating his goal. The game was watched by 3,022 of whom 311 were in the away end. We hope to post a match report tomorrow (if someone who was at the game wishes to send one in we wouldn’t mind at all).

This point opens up a two point gap for Oxford, who remain in second place, two points behind Hull who drew 0-0 at Bury. York remain in tenth place. Doncaster have crept up to third after they beat Rochdale 2-1 while Swansea drop to fourth after their first home defeat of the season, 2-0 to Cambridge United who go up to 11th. Yeovil are fifth after beating ninth placed Huddersfield 2-1, and Mansfield have dropped right down to sixth after they lost again, this time going down 1-0 at Torquay who move up to seventh.

Bottom club Carlisle were humiliated 4-1 at home by Scunthorpe and Southend remain just one place above the Cumbrians after losing 2-0 at home to Boston, for whom Simon Weatherstone scored the second goal. Kidderminster’s 1-0 win at Northampton opens up a three point gap between the Harriers and Southend and sees them catch up with Darlington, who lost 2-1 to a last minute goal at managerless Cheltenham. Macclesfield are fifth from bottom after losing 3-2 at Lincoln. United’s opponents next Saturday, Bristol Rovers, were held to a 1-1 draw by Leyton Orient at the Memorial Stadium.