Jordan Botaka was on target as our Under-21s were held to a 1-1 draw away to Hull City on Monday evening.

Botaka was one of five first-team squad members in action at the KC Stadium, with the Congolese winger lining up alongside Lee Erwin, Tommaso Bianchi, Casper Sloth and Kalvin Phillips.

There was also a familiar face on the Tigers’ team-sheet, as former United winger Robert Snodgrass started the game as part of his comeback from a lengthy injury lay-off.

After some early pressure from the hosts, it was the United youngsters who had the game’s first sight of goal as Kalvin Phillips smashed an effort agonisingly over the crossbar after being found in space 25 yards out.

Frank Mulhern then forced Hull goalkeeper Rory Watson into his first save of the evening, getting down sharply to his left to deny the striker after being teed up inside the area by Phillips.

Ben Hinchliffe was the first to threaten for the hosts, heading wide from Matty Dixon’s back-post cross, before Watson held Sloth’s first-time effort at the opposite end following Erwin’s neat backheel.

Paul Hart’s side were enjoying the better of the first-half chances and deservedly broke the deadlock after 33 minutes, Botaka rising to meet Sloth’s perfectly-weighted cross from the left to power a precise header beyond the sprawling Watson.

Leeds held firm amid a brief spell of pressure from the hosts to take their lead into the interval, and the second half resumed with Snodgrass making way for the Tigers to be replaced by Greg Olley.

And the substitute was involved within minutes for the hosts, forcing Eric Grimes to somehow turn his effort over the bar from point-blank range after connecting with Jarrod Bowen’s low cross.

Olley was able to find the net just after the hour mark, though, converting Dixon’s cross from a similar position inside the area to level proceedings.

Leeds looked to restore the advantage as Erwin rifled over the bar from a tight angle, but Hull were also on the search for their second and could have done so when Olley fired wide after being found by Max Clark.

It looked as though the hosts had taken the lead after 77 minutes when Hinchliffe raced through on goal and rattled the underside of the crossbar, but the officials dismissed the claims of him and his Tigers team-mates that the ball had crossed the line.

The closing stages brought chances at either end, with Erwin denied by Watson at his near post after working his way into the area, but there proved to be no late drama as the spoils were shared.

Under-21s team vs Hull City: Grimes, Coyle, Vann, Purver, Denton, Bianchi, Phillips, Sloth, Botaka (Walters 79), Erwin, Mulhern. Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Stokes, Parkin, McDaid.