BYRAM ON TARGET IN YORK DRAW

BYRAM ON TARGET IN YORK DRAW

United held to 1-1 pre-season friendly draw at Bootham Crescent...

YORK 1 (McCoy 80), UNITED 1 (Byram 35)

York team: Flinders, McCoy, Berrett, McCombe, Summerfield, Oliver, Penn, Carson, Lowe, Winfield, Player A. Subs. Ilesanmi, Player C, Straker, Player B, Platt, Meikle, Hirst, Ingham, Rzonca, Godfrey.

United team: Turnbull (Horton 81), Berardi (Wootton 72), Bellusci, Bamba, Taylor, Byram, Cook, Bianchi, Mowatt (Ajose 77), Erwin (Drury 56), Morison. Subs. Purver, Dawson.

Attendance: 4,348 (2,313 United)

United’s second pre-season friendly of the summer – another local affair in the shape of a visit to York City – saw Uwe Rosler hand a first start to goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, just hours after completing his switch from Barnsley on a two-year deal.

Elsewhere, a United XI – overseen by Rob Kelly and Richard Hartis – were in action at Tadcaster Albion and featured several first-team members, including Marco Silvestri, Liam Cooper, Billy Sharp and Mirco Antenucci in a bid to increase the squad’s share of playing time.

Kick-off at Bootham Crescent was delayed by 10 minutes due to crowd congestion outside the stadium as United fans flocked to get a glimpse of how Rosler's side were taking shape ahead of the tour of Austria and Norway. 

Rosler was forced into a late change to his starting line-up, with Steve Morison coming in to replace Chris Wood in attack due to a knock picked up during the warm-ups.

Goalmouth openings were scarce during the early exchanges, but it was York who were first to threaten through trialist ‘Player A’. He darted through on goal but a last-ditch lunge from Giuseppe Bellusci managed to turn the ball behind.

United’s first sight of goal came on 18 minutes through the lively Lee Erwin. The summer signing from Motherwell, linking well down the left with Charlie Taylor, worked his way inside before drilling a low strike from range into the arms of goalkeeper Scott Flinders.

Rosler’s men were starting to see more of the ball and they duly carved the best of the early openings after 20 minutes as Lewis Cook slotted Morison through on goal, only to see his attempt turned behind by the legs of Flinders.

Sam Byram then tested Flinders from 20 yards out, while York could have opened the scoring at the opposite end as Player A blazed a back-post volley well over Turnbull’s bar.

The deadlock was eventually broken after 35 minutes courtesy of Sam Byram’s back-post header. Alex Mowatt worked himself into space down the left and teed the ball up with an inch-perfect cross for his team-mate to power home from close-range.

United ended the first half in control and looked good value for the lead. They returned from the break unchanged and could have doubled the advantage within seconds of the restart as York substitute goalkeeper Michael Ingham smothered Morison in front of goal.

Byram fired wide and Berardi drilled a long-range effort into Ingham’s arms, before Rosler was prompted into making his first change of the evening on 56 minutes, introducing trialist Adam Drury – formely of Manchester City – in place of Erwin.

And the 21-year-old full-back was involved almost immediately, as Ingham just snatched the ball from his toes after going through on goal. Drury then tested Ingham down to his right, forcing the York keeper into a smart stop to keep out his back-post header after being picked out by Lewis Cook.

Ingham’s work was cut out, and he was again called upon to push Charlie Taylor’s curling effort around the post as it looked to creep in.

His finest save of the half came on 75 minutes to keep Morison at bay once again, acrobatically tipping his goal-bound volley over the bar following Mowatt’s run and cross down the United right.

But, for all of United’s pressure, the hosts managed to get back on level terms with 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Marvin McCoy tapping home Anthony Straker's back-post cross to equalise.

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