Whitby Town 1 Lancaster City 1: Keeper Tom Stewart dazzles on debut

The 27-year-old, recruited last week following an injury to City number one Andre Mendes, made a string of top stops on the Yorkshire coast.

And the Dolly Blues almost turned one point into three, with a series of late chances following Christian Sloan's 83rd-minute equaliser.

The widely-travelled Stewart spent last season with Radcliffe but had been without a club since hip surgery over the summer.

He made his only EFL appearance for Morecambe nine years ago and will spend the rest of the season at Giant Axe. Stewart was straight into the action at Whitby, denying Jacob Gratton with his feet.

Stewart foiled Junior Mondal one-on-one, then a follow-up shot by Gratton was cleared off the line. Stewart saved again from Lewis Hawkins' curling shot before the first half ended quietly.

It roared back to life after the break as Lancaster's Nic Evangelinos headed onto the roof of the net, then Stewart made another top-drawer save to deny Bradley Fewster.

But he couldn’t prevent the hosts hitting the front on 51 minutes, when Dan Rowe's looping effort from a corner rebounded off a post for Nathan Thomas to finish.

Stewart saved Gratton's angled shot with his fingertips and Thomas had a goal ruled out for offside as Lancaster hung in there. And they were rewarded when Whitby cleared only as far as Sloan, who fired first-time into the top corner.

Lancaster pressed for a winner as Kyle Brownhill shot just too high and Dom Lawson's strike was tipped over by keeper Shane Bland, who also saved from Jake Connelly.

The point leaves the Dolly Blues eighth in the NPL Premier, three points outside the play-off zone.

Their trip to Ashton United, rained off last Saturday, has been rearranged for next Tuesday, March 5, with a 7.45pm kick-off. Before then, the Dolly Blues host Basford United on Saturday.

Defender Matty Clarke has left Lancaster for Clitheroe and made his debut in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Mossley. The 24-year-old made 20 City appearances following his summer move from Workington.

Lancaster: Stewart, S Bailey, Brownhill, Sloan, Barnes, Cowperthwaite, Evangelinos, Ikpakwu, Lawson, Norris, C. Bailey; Subs: Connelly, Mellen, Jarvis