Oxford 0 York 0: Minstermen ease away from trap door with draw

The Minstermen, who have gone four games without defeat, also moved six points clear of the relegation trap door with all their nearest rivals losing.

Oxford went closest to winning the match through left-back Joe Skarz during an encounter short on chances.

But Michael Ingham kept his second successive clean sheet having been preferred to on-loan Peterborough goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik despite the latter’s return from suspension.

A dismal first half saw Michael Coulson and Jake Hyde miss the target from the edge of the box.

The hosts, meanwhile, were restricted to a 20-yard effort from Kyle Vassell that was comfortably caught by Ingham.

After the break, Skarz wasted a simple opportunity when he fired wide from eight yards after the ball had fallen to his feet following a half-cleared free-kick.

At the other end, Dave Winfield headed over from a Luke Summerfield corner before the hosts had three further attempts to win the points.

Danny Rose volleyed across the face of goal, and Josh Ruffels sidefooted straight at Ingham from 20 yards and also saw a stoppage-time header kept out.

Oxford United: Clarke; Baldock, Mullins, Wright, Skarz; MacDonald (Hylton, 62), Ruffels, Collins, Rose (O’Dowda, 78); Vassell (Hoban, 62), Roofe. Unused substitutes: Whing, Ashdown, Long, Dunkley.

York City: Ingham; Lowe, Winfield, McCombe; Halliday, Summerfield (Platt, 78), Penn, Zubar; Coulthirst, Hyde, Coulson. Unused substitutes: Mooney, Montrose, Meikle, Miller, McCoy, O’Hanlon.

Referee: Nigel Miller (County Durham).