York City opened their points total for the season with a battling scoreless draw against Blue Square Premier newcomers Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.
The Mariners certainly had most of the efforts in an entertaining contest, with former Scarborough forward Michael Coulson forcing a couple of good saves from Michael Ingham after the break.
By contrast his opposite number Kenny Arthur wasn’t called upon until turning over a Michael Gash shot with just nine minutes remaining.
The visitors earlier included an additional striker in Michael Rankine as a replacement for unavailable midfielder Levi Mackin, with Neil Barrett also being recalled at the expense of recent signing Jonathan Smith.
The Minstermen had a couple of early scares when Ingham missed a Coulson corner and the ball was cleared by Chris Carruthers before Michael Leary shot narrowly wide moments later after Gash had wasted possession.
Midway through the opening half Gash had a 15-yard header blocked from a Carruthers corner, but it was the home side again threatening as Coulson’s cross from the right was initially missed by Robert Eagle before Ingham was called upon to keep out Leary.
The York keeper also collected a glancing Steven Watt header before his side had strong claims for a penalty waved aside for handball following a Barrett corner just before the break.
Grimsby were next to threaten around the hour-mark, however, when Ingham turned over Coulson’s drive from just inside the area, and the busy ex-Barnsley man soon dragged another attempt marginally wide as the hosts continued to appear more dangerous.
Again they pressed with Ingham saving well at his left-hand post from Coulson on 74 minutes before Arthur’s stop from Gash seven minutes later prompted a decent spell for the visitors.
Defender Djoumin Sangare almost forced in a Barrett cross from the subsequent corner before debutant substitute George Purcell rounded the goalkeeper but couldn’t find an available colleague and the chance was gone.
Then it was the home fans calling for a penalty in the closing moments as David McGurk was rather comfortably turned by Alan Connell, but once again appeals fell on deaf ears and the scoresheet remained blank.
Grimsby Town: Arthur, Ridley, Kempson, Watt, Bore, Hudson, Leary, Eagle, Peacock, Coulson, Connell
subs (unused): Garner, Samuels, Cummins, Wood, Dixon
York City: Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, Sangare, Meredith, Barrett (Smith 85), Lawless, Carruthers, Rankine (Purcell 65), Gash, Brodie
subs (unused): Courtney, Till, McDermott
Ref: J. Adcock (Nottingham)
Att: 5,037 (628 York)
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