OPENING pre-season fixtures usually provide more questions than answers - especially when the manager elects to play a team largely made up of youngsters, trialists and squad players.

But for the inquisitive at Bootham Crescent last night some positive points to ponder as the Minstermen booked their place in the final of the North Riding Senior Cup with a relatively comfortable 1-0 victory over Marske United with an accomplished performance.

In trainee Leigh Wood City have yet another gem of a player ready to roll from their highly envied youth system.

The elegant youngster - given a brief glimpse of the first team spotlight when named as a substitute on the final day of last season, plays the game the way it should be.

Full of poise and purpose, Wood showed his first instinct is to bring the ball down and pass and despite his slight frame was not afraid to mix it against physically stronger opponents.

Russ Howarth proved he will be a more than able deputy to Alan Fettis, with one second-half save in particular underscoring his undoubted ability.

Wayne Hall proved his fitness and more - a hunger to win that remains undiminished - while trialist David McNiven can have done his chances of extending his temporary tenure at Bootham Crescent no harm scoring a sublime goal in a hustling, bustling display.

Last night was significant too for City lined up with three centre-backs and forward thinking wing-backs in Hall and trialist Phil Hadland a further indication of Dolan's thinking come August 12.

As you would expect, the football was not always fluent but the players, even at this early stage, looked organised and always in command but for a late flurry from a spirited Marske.

McNiven's impact was almost immediate after John Mohan, the former City junior, in the Marske goal spilled Hadland's fierce free-kick.

The diminutive striker, seemingly spawned from the same mould as Marc Williams, pounced at Mohan's feet.

The ball squirmed out to Lee Bullock who prodded it back across the face of the goal to hand McNiven an easy, if scrambled, tap in.

Unfortunately for McNiven and City whistle-happy referee Jeff Winter, after consulting with his assistant, spared Mohan's blushes and ruled the goal out for a foul on the Marske 'keeper.

There was little argument about McNiven's goal when it finally came 15 minutes later.

From deep in City's half, Hadland knocked a cross-field pass that was possibly aimed for Hall but dropped over the back of the Marske defence.

McNiven, some 35 yards from goal, raced into the space before looking up and carefully lifting the ball over a stranded Mohan with a delicate half-volley.

Marske enjoyed periods of possession but lacked any real penetration, preferring to pepper Howarth's goal with a couple of speculative efforts from distance that lacked the precision of McNiven.

As half-time approached, City thought they had doubled their advantage when McNiven burst into the box and squared the ball to Colin Alcide.

The big man stroked the ball home only to see the referee's assistant raise his flag again, this time for an earlier foul by McNiven on Marske defender James Middleton.

The second half was largely more of the same as City continued to enjoy much the greater possession.

Andrew Dawson hit the pass of the match with a ball that curled behind the Marske defence but Alcide could only slam his shot straight at Mohan.

From the resultant short corner, the striker met Hall's cross with powerful diving header that had Mohan beat but the crossbar too.

Credit to Marske who staged a late rally. John Keegan hacked a scrambled effort off the line before Stuart Neilson rattled the City woodwork with a rising drive.

The ball bounced to Steve Moore who had the goal at his mercy only for Howarth to recover superbly and pull off a fine one-handed save to turn away the Marske substitute's header.

City Match Facts

North Riding Senior Cup

Semi-final

York City 1, Marske United 0

York City: Russ Howarth, Matt Hocking (John Williams 50mins), Wayne Hall, John Keegan, Martin Reed (Craig Skinner 28mins), Leigh Wood, Phil Hadland, Lee Bullock, Colin Alcide (James Turley 72mins), David McNiven, Andrew Dawson

Subs, not used: John Collinson, Marc Williams.

Bookings: None

Sent off: None

Goals: McNiven 24 mins

Marske United: John Mohan, Steven Murphy, James Middleton, Michael Kinnair, Michael Robson (Craig Gibbon 76mins), Neil Hodgson (Steven Moore 60mins), David Mareham, Simon Kasonali, Christopher Reeve (Stuart Neilson 60mins), Mark James, John Woods.

Subs, not used: Ben Thompson, Gary Knight

Bookings: Kinnair 58mins, ungentlemanly conduct

Sent off: None

Goals: None

Referee: Jeff Winter (Stockton)

Attendance: 201