YORK City's gradual pre-season improvement continued with a well-earned 1-1 draw against Leeds United Reserves at Bootham Crescent last night.

Summer signing Andy Bishop grabbed his first goal in Minstermen colours to give the home side a first half lead but a defensive lapse with 12 minutes to go allowed Leeds to snatch an equaliser when Henry McStay headed in unchallenged from a corner.

Until then, new central-defensive partnership Steve Davis and Chris Clarke had looked almost impenetrable, timing every tackle to perfection and hardly putting a foot wrong all evening.

The goal was also cruel on trialist goalkeeper Paul Crichton, who pressed his claims for a permanent contract with an assuring performance.

In midfield, there were more signs for encouragement with Darren Dunning the brilliant architect of Bishop's goal and last season's Player of the Year, appears to have bounced back in determined fashion from the disappointment of relegation.

Full of running and enthusiasm, the 23-year-old is approaching the new campaign with a renewed vigour and teenage striker Levent Yalcin gave the impression that he is now a stronger, quicker and fitter player than he was at the end of last season with City perhaps benefiting from the extra two weeks' pre-season training he undertook during his trial at Turkish club Antalyaspor.

Yalcin's close control was also back to its best with an impressive hour playing just behind the forward line.

Elsewhere, trialist Gerry Harrison suggested he could be worth another look with a tidy display on the right hand side of midfield, especially after Kevin Donovan limped out of the action on 29 minutes.

City started brightly and Davis' quick free-kick gave Paul Robinson a fifth-minute opportunity to open the scoring but young Leeds goalkeeper Mark Wilberforce smothered his shot.

The home side went in front on 36 minutes when the fleet-footed Dunning evaded two Leeds tackles before whipping in an excellent cross that saw Bishop head into the roof of the net at the far post.

Two minutes after the break, Crichton threw out an arm to turn Andrew Keogh's low shot behind for a corner before Yalcin's cracking 35-yard drive was tipped over by Wilberforce at the other end.

Leeds, much livelier after the break, equalised when McStay rose unhindered to powerfully head in a corner from French trialist Kevin Barralon.

Impressive right-back Stewart Edwards, whose performance suggested he could press veteran Gary Kelly for a first-team place next season, then fired wide from 25 yards.

Former Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest midfielder Chris Bart-Williams was also in the visitors' starting line-up as a trialist and strolled through the game rarely wasting a pass.

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, August 04, 2004