City should have all but wrapped up victory after a first half in which they dominated proceedings, Ollie Pearce’s opener a just reward in their bid for an eighth consecutive National League win.
But two chalked-off goals, coupled with Ollie Banks’ red card shortly after the hour, allowed Boston back into the match, with Alex Lankshear and substitute Connor Teale turning the game on its head before Josh Stones struck in the penultimate of seven minutes of injury time as the hosts rescued a point at the death.
“It’s a frustrating one,” conceded Maynard. “I think that the game should be out of sight in the first half.
“We’ve had enough chances like we have most weeks. I think we should be probably going in two or three up and the game should be just dead and buried.
“But then we come out in the second half – from our angle in the dugout, I’ve not had a chance to look back on the footage – Pearce is onside. It looks like the defender on the far side that’s blocking the cross, the next one is deeper, and Pearce is in line with him.
“I think that changes the game and then the sending off killed us.”
City registered 20 shots during the match – half of which were on target – but lacked the clinical edge that had seen them score three or more goals in each of their last seven National League fixtures ahead of kick-off.
Seizing complete control of the first half, a siege on the Boston goal proved fruitless until eight minutes before the break when Pearce turned home Joe Grey’s low cross.
And the Minstermen could have been two goals in front by the break, Killian Barrett spilling Alex Hunt’s long-range effort into the path of Pearce who crossed for Malachi Fagan-Walcott to smash the ball home at the far post, only to see the goal chalked off for offside.
Pearce was then denied his second of the afternoon – again by the offside flag – less than 60 seconds into the second half.
Asked whether he believed a second goal before half-time would have been enough for City to go on to victory, Maynard replied: “I think it’s a different story, a totally different story.
“I think they’re down in mid-table for a reason. I think if we get that second goal, the game changes totally. They have to come out a little bit more in the second half, which makes the spaces and gaps a lot bigger and then I think we can hurt them in areas and it’s a totally different game.
“But for me, it’s a point gained when you score an equaliser that late on, so we’ve got to take the positives from it, and there was a lot of positives from the performance.
“But it’s frustrating in the sense that we were probably not as ruthless as we’ve been recently. Even games that we should be winning sevens – this is what I said to the group thereafter – we’ve got to be ruthless.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re silly ruthless within games so teams can’t even have a chance of getting back into the game.
“Ultimately, the sending off – whether it’s a sending off or not a sending off – the referee’s made the decision that it’s a red card and it’s changed the course of the game.”
The turning point undoubtedly came just after the hour when Banks – returning to the starting line-up in place of Greg Olley – was given his marching orders by referee Gareth Thomas after appearing to have caught Lankshear late.
From thereon in it seemed an uphill battle for York, forced back into their own half for large parts, with Lankshear’s angled drive cannoning off the right-hand post and past Harrison Male, before a short corner was headed home by Teale at the near post.
On first look, Maynard didn’t have any complaints about Banks’ red card, instead praising his side’s character for seeing out the final half an hour with 10 men.
“From our angle and where it is, it looks like a sending off,” he admitted. “Until I can see it closer and watch it back from a different angle.
“We’ve got cameras on the other side of the ground, but from our angle it looks like he’s left a bit on him, and I think that changes the game.
“I think when you go down to 10 men in any game of football, it gives the opposition a lift. And then they score, then they go again.
“But what character from our boys. I said to them in there it’s a point gained today. As much as we can all say that the first half is three points dropped, the second half is a point gained.
“To keep going all the way to the end, we don’t know when we’re beaten, and it’s something that we’re going to need and keep needing from now until the end of the season.
“It’s a frustrating day at the office, but I can’t question the effort from the lads."